{"id":213,"date":"2020-06-03T20:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T20:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/?p=213"},"modified":"2020-05-29T20:48:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T20:48:26","slug":"carson-city-therapist-how-to-deal-with-stress-and-despair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nvhealthnews.com\/?p=213","title":{"rendered":"Carson City therapist: How to deal with stress and despair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kim Palchikoff\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the COVID-19 pandemic death toll reaches nearly 100,000 in the U.S. and continues to rise, as do the numbers of unemployed, living with fear, anxiety, stress and even despair has become the new norm in Nevada and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kim Palchikoff\nNo Stigma Nevada<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s understandable. Nearly 30 percent of Nevadans are unemployed, the highest percentage in the nation. National experts are predicting at least 40 percent of the more than 40 million unemployed Americans will not get their jobs back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those aren\u2019t just facts. They\u2019re a recipe for a mental tsunami. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I reached out to some Nevada therapists to get their thoughts and suggestions for therapeutic techniques for finding some light at the end of the tunnel \u2014 or at least some ways to relax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some ideas from Heather DeAngeli, a licensed clinical social worker and a clinical supervisor at Vitality VIP in Carson City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She uses mindfulness and meditation, popular relaxation techniques these days. They\u2019re a series of breathing and concentration exercises anyone can do in a small space, no technology or conversation needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When someone asks you for advice these days, what<\/strong>\u2019s your first response?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First I validate my clients feelings, let them know that what they are feeling is normal. This is a scary time for everyone. We are living in uncharted territory and there is no playbook for how to respond to this pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can be extremely judgmental towards themselves for not being able to \u201chold it together,\u201d but the truth is, we are all human and no one is going to be able to \u201ckeep it together\u201d all of the time during this coronavirus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stress that these days no one can predict the future, so spending hours feeling anxious about the unknown is not helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does the mindfulness technique involve? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research has proven that mindfulness is highly effective in reducing anxiety and depression. It\u2019s about feeling in control of the present moment rather than having your thoughts about the past and future scattered all over. Mindfulness isn’t about being happy all the time. It’s about feeling whatever we feel without trying to resist or control these feelings while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations. It looks like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n