Dr. Gregory Jantz Explains Signs and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety For the Holidays

Holidays are an Especially Challenging Season for Many Struggling With Mental Health

Media Contact:  Adam Taff, 913.484.1140, adamt@aplaceofhope.com, Dr. Jantz Media Representative

(Edmonds, WA) – Dr. Gregory Jantz, best-selling author of 39 books, founder of nationally acclaimed The Center• A Place of HOPE in Edmonds, Washington, and leading mental health expert, today provides guidance for professionals and individuals who are struggling with depression and anxiety. 

“October was Depression Awareness Month, and I spent much of it speaking at conferences and appearing on television programs that are emphasizing depression and anxiety treatment, and the prevention of suicide. We spent five days at the American Association of Christian Counselors World Conference in Nashville where I spoke on ‘Anxiety is the New Depression.’ I just returned from a three day trip to Los Angeles where I appeared on the La La Land Morning Show and on Sam Hassan’s Talk Radio show.”

At each turn, it was clear that the interest and awareness on the topics of depression, anxiety, and suicide have never been greater. On multiple occasions, I was asked to speak to a WebMD report that notes, “Suicide is the second leading cause of death, following accidents, among youth and young adults in the U.S. It is estimated that 500,000 teens attempt suicide every year with 5,000 succeeding. These are epidemic numbers.”

“Couple those facts with an explosion of opioid abuse and deaths, digital bullying, political tension and discourse, an overheated social sharing culture that is fueling anxiety, and young males failing to launch, and we have created a society that is a breeding ground for the mental health crisis in which we find ourselves,” Dr. Jantz says.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

In my latest book Healing Depression for Life, we describe how to recognize signs and symptoms of Depression and Anxiety. Do these signs and symptoms of depression feel familiar?

• Significant change in appetite resulting in either marked weight loss or gain
• Recurring disturbances in sleep patterns
• Increased agitation or inability to relax for an extended period of time
• Fatigue, lethargy, or loss of energy for an extended period of time
• Sadness, despondency, despair, loneliness or feelings of worthlessness
• Inability to concentrate, focus, or make decisions
• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide

How about these signs of anxiety?

• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• Irrational fears
• Excessive worrying
• Feeling frequently agitated
• Difficulty concentrating

More severe episodes of anxiety can include shortness of breath, tingling in fingers and other extremities, inability to talk, screaming, inability to move fingers or arms, a feeling one is going to die, uncontrollable crying. Remember, no matter how severe your depression or anxiety, there is always HOPE. Even severe depression and anxiety are treatable with excellent long-term results. 

What Can You Do?

After we review the symptoms and signs of depression in Healing Depression For Life, we then work through ways we can help ourselves through proven methods to help reduce or stress, anxiety and depressive thoughts.

We can’t undo the ills of society noted above with a snap of our fingers, not even close. But at the individual level, for today, and this holiday season, here are some things on Healing Depression For Life we all can do to help ourselves and those we love not just get through it, but to start to thrive.

• Relax. Remind yourself you get to control your thoughts. Practice letting comments that normally cause you stress to roll off your back. Give the aggressive driver on the highway a pass, and don’t get irritated when they cut you off. Take 10 purposeful, deep, consistent breaths to start your day. Do the same before you go to bed.
• Be “Positively” Proactive. If someone gets within 10 feet of you, make eye contact and smile. If they get within 5 feet of you, say hello (and smile again). The Ritz Carlton Hotel chain credits this seemingly simple task with greatly strengthening their brand in the eyes of their customers. Hospitals are finding this same technique is creating a much better patient experience, and actually improving outcomes.
• Tell two people today why you care about them. Help at least one person who needs it – at the grocery store, in your workplace, at home. Send good energy out into the world, and watch it come back to you. Practice your positive self talk to affirm yourself and the things and people you appreciate.
• Avoid Hot Spots. if you know a person or situation causes you anxiety, work to reduce time in that area, or remove yourself completely. But always be polite, kind and discreet if needed.
• Be Honest About The Holidays. Holiday time can be very special. It can also be incredibly painful and terrifying to many. If you know the holidays can be a challenge, be honest with yourself and work now to create environments and situations to change the dynamic. If you stress preparing your home for a huge family meal, see if you can do it at another’s home this year, or eat out. If financial or time pressures are stressing you as you think about present buying, set a new standard this year that is both enjoyable, but less stressful for you. It will probably be well received by others!
• Ask For Help. If you dread the holidays, consider counseling or treatment before they arrive to arm yourself, or actually schedule treatment during that time to both avoid the difficult period, and also strengthen your soul and fortify yourself for a new future, with new energy, balance and happiness. Do you want to know what a treatment program looks like during the holidays? Call The Center now at 888.771.5166.

Whole Person Care, founded by Dr. Jantz in the 1980’s, has proven to be the most effective form of treatment ever devised. For those struggling with depression and anxiety, a treatment program based on the whole person care approach can provide long-lasting results. The client can regain their balance, purpose, and happiness. 

Dr. Jantz is a licensed mental health counselor with a doctorate in counseling psychology and a world-recognized expert and innovator in the treatment of behavioral disorders and addictions. Dr. Jantz’s treatment facility, The Center • A Place of HOPE, is recognized as a Top Ten facility in the U.S. for the treatment of depression.He is a go-to media expert for mental and behavioral-based afflictions, including drug and alcohol addictions. 

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