The Blog
Our bi-monthly blogs are authored by a highly valued wellness experts of Southern Maryland or a member of our Hope and Healing staff!
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5 Years of Serving our SOMD Community
As I sat down to write a blog to include in our September edition of our Hope and Healing newsletter, which is dedicated to the celebration of our 5th anniversary, I realized something. We are gearing up for a big 5th anniversary, but we’ve neglected to celebrate along the way. And, well, that is just sad. I’m not going to start at the beginning because…
How to Manage Back to School Anxiety: A Teenager's Perspective
As the back-to-school season approaches, I always catch myself feeling anxious. The anxiety could be due to sport tryouts, wondering whether I have classes with friends, or even just general anxiety about a new school year. I have also experienced this feeling of anxiety due to starting a new year at a brand-new school. Growing up as an "Air Force Brat" comes with a lot of challenges...
Understanding the What, Who, and How of PTSD
PTSD is a collection of symptoms that occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic experience. It is important to understand that these experiences are very individualized but all include threats of or actual harm to oneself or others, experiencing or witnessing the injury or death of another person as well as sexual violence. These are broad categories due to the individualized nature of the experiences and later coping. If after a traumatic event the following symptoms persist, someone might consider an evaluation and treatment for PTSD. Symptoms include varying degrees of irritability, depression and suicidal feelings, hypervigilance, hyperarousal, flashbacks, nightmares, persistent memories, intrusive thoughts as well as significant impacts on sleeping, eating, relationships, occupation and social interactions.