Why Anxiety and Depression Are Connected: Avoidance and Willingness With Painful Emotions
Do you want to learn how to process emotions and improve your mental health? Sign up for a Therapy in a Nutshell membership, you’ll get access to all of Emma’s courses, workbooks, and a Live Q and A with 100’s of exclusive videos: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership
In this video, we’re going to talk about one way that depression and anxiety are linked – avoidance – and the antidote to avoidance – willingness.
Depression and anxiety are closely connected, with many people experiencing both at the same time. This isn’t a coincidence. Rather, the way we respond to stress and painful emotions may determine whether our anxiety or depression grows.
Avoidance can cause both depression and anxiety, but an antidote to avoidance is willingness, practicing the skill of allowing yourself to feel your emotions without needing to make them go away.
Why depression and anxiety are linked
Depression and anxiety comorbidity
Stuff you do that makes depression worse
Looking for affordable online therapy? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_campaign=02062020&utm_medium=Description&utm_source=YouTube
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life’s direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
—-
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io
Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons
37 Comments
💛💛💛
I'm so glad I've found this channel. I'll keep in mind how willingness is important for the journey of healing and growth
Mushrooms containing psilocybin saved my life. The aided my benzodiazepine withdrawal allowing me to quit illicit pill addiction after three years of heavy daily use before it would had became medically dangerous to quit. It has also helped me survive depression.
Thank you Emma! This is a video I needed to see. It's a way of explaining the acceptance of painful emotions I wish I had heard years ago. I am excited to feel a bigger range of emotions.
I don't really know where to start with the 'good' and things I enjoy, so it's hard to choose a passion project…
I adore your channel. Thank you. God bless you x
Argh! The case study hit home 100%. Need to go feel that pain.
Just Thanks
My goodness this is so much like my behavior running from from the situation and not standing up for what is right 👀
This video deserves so much more views
I like it. Real
Amazing video. Your analogy with paper was very helpful. Thank you so much for your work and videos.
Wow USU, my alma mater too ❤️ thank you for all you do 🙏❤️
Magician
Watching your videos somehow reduce anxiety.
Excuse me , could you tell me the medications that can treat constant fearfulness , deep hopelessness , excessive worry ? These issues are killing my life now 😭
I really did not realise how much I was avoiding by using my phone watching tons of videos and gaming. I have closed off so many emotions and parts of myself and even recognising that fact gives me a bad headache like a tension headache but I know this will pass and I can talk to my therapist about this and other things. I’m glad I saw this and your other videos
Is it ever okay to avoid someone who disrespects you and is continually bullying you?
Problem is All my emotions are negative and intensely painful/terrifying.. not half of them . 😢
Yes ,actually we ourselves connect the depressed thoughts with anxiety…when we get negative thoughts instead of avoiding it we just Don't try to control it or just Don't care it , we'll not think about it, then naturally gradually we'll not invite the anxiety to come into our brain ……but if we try to avoid and escape the negative thoughts we get then we are unintentionally welcoming the Anxiety to get into our brain and thus we'll be anxious ..
thank you 💜
What really terrifying is that my source of joy is also my source of pain. When i try to remember joy i realize that its over and here comes the pain. Its too much, i have had so much trauma i think my brain is damaged. I cannot let it in,as a result i am empty inside. Staying open is dangerous cause people may get hurt. I have left everyone in my life behind because i hate their reassurances, and their voices. There is no peace , no healing, no overcoming, its literally nothing.
Oh my gosh. You just addressed what I'm struggling with right now. It impacts my whole life
“We create misery by trying to run from the pain.” Ain’t that the truth!
you = the best
😮wow
My life is ok & on track. But i sometimes feel depressed & sad. I don't know why.😢 I am also constantly avoiding people
Best one yet
This sums up my life… avoiding creates misery from pain. It affects every aspect of life. The saddest thing is losing the love of your life because of the this. 🙁
Is GRIEF linked???
My avoidance is to watch these videos
I have been depressed for a long time, but after taking mushrooms few months ago, l feel much happier and highly motivated and my ADHD gone , lost a ton of anxiousness and had a few epiphanies about how I should live my life. I decided to buy an ounce for backup, but haven’t yet felt the need to take any more since then.
Psa 143:7 NLT – 7 Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don't turn away from me, or I will die.
So, whats the cure?
Psa 32:3-5 NLT – 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Majority of people who suffer from depression and anxiety are single or isolated, probably because we have more time to think about a lot of negative things and become self centered. Overthinking may be the root cause of anxiety
I dont know if i have anxiety or depression, or whatever this shit is, but the mental restless, uneasy feeling, every day from very early morning (3am) to late evening (11-12 pm) is like torture. I had physical issues, injures in the past but this is much much worse. I feel like im in some inner mental cage and cant escape the cycle. I want to sleep, but i can't. I cant even relax when I drink alcohol. I want to die
I lost my job and went through a traumatic relationship this year. Also, my friendship group has gotten smaller. I feel lonely and wish I had more social interactions. Yet, I also find myself isolating more. How does one get comfortable sitting with their pain?
To reduce mental illness in your babies use Omega 3, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and Folate before and during pregnancy (consult your doctor,pass on the information)