MENTALLY THINKING

INCREASED ANXIETY

BY BONNIE FLOYD

We’re all finding ourselves dealing with increased anxiety symptoms these days, for a very wide variety of reasons. New variants of COVID-19 are heightening our anxiety levels.

First, we are living in unprecedented times, due to the enormity of dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As a clinical psychologist, I strongly believe that the single most stressful aspect of this pandemic is that it has no definitive endpoint. Put another way, none of us knows how much longer we will need to cope with what we’re coping. Our nation also finds itself dealing with continued unrest due to political divisiveness.

These factors all contribute to the increased severity of anxiety. Individuals without histories of anxiety disorders are developing these disorders for the very first time. Those with preexisting histories of anxiety are noticing that they’re experiencing increased severities of symptoms. A recent study has asserted that fully one in three Americans currently meet the diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety. Contrary to popular opinion, depressive disorders are not the most prevalent type of mental health disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common type of disorder affecting our mental health.

Anxiety may manifest in multiple different ways. We may find it much more difficult to fall asleep, for example. We may also experience changes in our appetite, such as developing a reduced appetite or overeating to obtain brief emotional relief. Rates of smoking and substance abuse are also correlated with increased anxiety. n addition, we may develop nervous habits, such as compulsive nail biting, when our anxiety level becomes excessive.

Anxiety typically impairs our focus and concentration, too. By not paying sufficient attention to material, we may fail to adequately encode it, or place it into our memory stores. Subsequently, such information is not accessible at a later point in time. Therefore, what appears to be a memory deficit may more accurately reflect impaired attention.

A certain degree of anxiety is certainly adaptive. For example, feeling anxious about an upcoming test motivates us to be better prepared to take that test. Feeling anxious about the possibility of getting into a car accident motivates us to drive defensively. Feeling anxious about incurring late fees motivates us to pay our bills on time. The key is to maintain an optimal, rather than an excessive, level of anxiety.

There are a wide variety of anxiety disorders. Individuals may suffer from panic attacks, with or without agoraphobia. Some individuals develop Generalized Anxiety Disorder, where they develop increased anxiety about a very wide range of situations. Sometimes anxiety is manifested in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. Some individuals develop specific phobia as a manifestation of anxiety. Others develop obsessivecompulsive disorder. Furthermore, increased anxiety may manifest as social anxiety disorder.

Each of these types of anxiety disorders require professional intervention, through use of psychotropic medications and/or reception of psychotherapy. The best results are achieved with a combination of these treatment modalities. Short-term, solution-focused psychotherapy sessions can equip individuals with the development of improved skills to manage anxiety more effectively. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is another effective treatment modality for a variety of anxiety disorders.

I’m currently encountering many online clients who are seeking therapy for the very first time in their lives, due to their experience of heightened anxiety levels. Many online clients are anxious about trying to juggle the competing demands of working from home and assisting their children with online instruction. The geriatric residents with whom I meet each week are also feeling increased anxiety; many of them are very worried about the possibility of contracting COVID-19, given their pre-existing conditions. The nursing home personnel are also more anxious than usual, given their increased work demands during our global pandemic.

Psychotherapeutic interventions ae diverse for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Individuals with specific phobias benefit from systematic desensitization, which allows for the development of a hierarchy of an

“Maintaining regular physical activity has shown to be effective in lowering anxiety levels, too. Meditation is effective for reducing anxiety.”

individual’s specific fears. These fears are faced one at a time, beginning with the least threatening, and progressing to the very most threatening. Those with obsessive-compulsive disorder may achieve benefit through cognitivebehavioral therapy. This therapeutic approach targets one’s maladaptive thoughts (obsessions) and problematic behaviors (compulsions).

On a short-term basis, anxiolytic medication is often useful to reduce symptoms. However, there is a high potential to develop addiction with the use of this type of medication. The lowest possible dose should be prescribed, for the shortest amount of time.

Maintaining regular physical activity has shown to be effective in lowering anxiety levels, too. Meditation is effective for reducing anxiety. When we’re anxious, we typically develop a pattern of rapid, shallow breathing; practicing diaphragmatic breathing on a regular basis is helpful for lowering our overall anxiety level. Journaling our thoughts and feelings is yet another useful means of managing increased anxiety, due to it being cathartic.

HAIRLOSS

Many people in this world like to feel beautiful or want to be beautiful. There are services that can be performed on c clients in order to make them feel and be beautiful. People care about makeup, their skin features, their eyes, and their hair. People feeling secure about their looks and themselves are all always going to matter. Feeling beautiful it all makes us feel empowered, and flawless… until we lose hair. Hair loss can occur for various reasons. Age, genetics, pregnancy, diseases, and stress. Hair loss can be temporary or permanent and can happen overtime or very quickly. For many people this is a traumatic experience. This is why the hair loss industry alone is a billion dollar industry. It is essential for cosmetologists to comprehend hair loss and to help out clients with advice.

I.HAIR STRUCTURE:

The hair shaft and the hair follicle are different parts of the hair structure. According to google the term “hair” defined is “any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and some other animals”. The term “structure” is defined as “the arrangements of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex”. Together the two words combined are arranged hairs that have specific functions and are specifically

BY GABRIELLA ROSE FIEDERLEIN

structured in order to represent their part of the scalp. Starting off with the broad category of hair structure, it has been scientifically proven that an individual will never have 100% of hair on their head growing at the same time. Each second, each minute, each hour, while 85% of each strand of hair strand on

our heads are growing, the rest is in the resting stage.

The hair structure is made of three main layers: the outer cuticle, the middle cortex, and the central medulla. Through all of those layers, the whole head of hair is naturally composed of the protein keratin. Keratin is a building block or protein which creates the presence of melanin. Melanin is just a term for the pigment of hair. Most hair is naturally pigmented. Why is that? What if we do not have a natural pigment, what happens then? Well natural melanin- the pigment of the hair- would give off a natural base color, which would be either black, brown, or red. If an individual is born with the base color of red, that’s called pheomelanin. There is also yellow, but that is not a natural melanin. If the color yellow is seen, that would be the hair cortex. Sometimes there may not be pigment at all. There may not be melanin or pheomelanin, this means that the hair is white. The term for white hair is “canites”. This hair is white even though it may look grey because grey hairs do not exist.

Hair follicles are a small “tubular cavity or sac containing the root of the hair”. Every hair strand grows from a hair follicle. What is the function of a hair follicle? “The function of a hair follicle is to produce a hair shaft. The function of human hair depends on the part of the body from which it grows. Human hair performs several functions”. A hair follicle could be compared to the claw in a game arcade. It has a thin tubelike structure on top, then the claw would be the sac or cavity towards the bottom. Supporting the hair follicle is a wall which is called the outer “root

“As a cosmetologist, I know it is important to always keep up-to-date with treating hair loss and to learn new things as today’s technology and services become more modern. Having my future clients being able to trust me is the most important thing to me.”

“Hair loss appears in many different ways depending on what’s causing it. Many things could potentially cause hair loss. Some types of hair loss are temporary, and some are permanent.”

steath”. What does a wall do? Walls protect, they block, they cover, and they shield. Inside of the outer root sheath -wall- are the sebaceous glands and the bulb. The bulb is a settling place for the hair stem cells. It collects fluid. The sebaceous glands lubricate the skin in order to keep the hair follicles alive and hydrated. The lower part of the follicle has the function to widen out to form the hair bulb which contains the germinal matrix. The germinal matrix is the source of hair growth.

The hair shaft is the hair that we can sede. It’s dead hair and is made up of three layers of keratin. The hair shaft has three layers, the medulla, the cortex, and the cuticle. Each of those layers are very important. Each layer has a specific function. The medulla is the innermost layer of the hair shaft. Depending on the type of hair, the medulla may not always be there. The cortex is the middle layer and makes up the majority of the hair shaft. Both the medulla and the cortex contain pigmenting cells which are responsible for the natural hair pigment. The cuticle is the outermost layer formed by packed scales in an overlapping form. Here is a fun fact: hair conditioning products are formulated to even out the cuticle by smoothing out its structure.

Their hair grows to a maximum length, the hair sheds and gets naturally replaced. That is the cycle. Every second, minute, hour, day of our life we only have 85% of our hair on our head and the rest of the hair is in resting stages. The hair growth cycle has three stages and/or phases which are catagen, telogen and anagen. The anagen phase is the period of active growth. The cells are constantly dividing as new cells are formed, they push the older ones upward where they change shape eventually. When the cells are one-third of the way up the follicle they are dead and full of keratin. Eighty-five percent of follicles are in the anagen stage.

The telogen stage is the resting stage before resumption of growth. Fourteen percent of hair follicles are in the telogen phase. Remaining hair sheath still in contact with the papilla is known as the secondary or the root germ. From the root germ, a new hair follicle can grow. Shortened hair follicles rest for about three months. After the telogen stage, the cycle returns to the anagen state and root germs grow downwards forming the new bulb surrounding the dermal papilla. The upper part of the germ forms new cells that lengthen the follicle below the club hair. The new hair can be able to push out old hair which is why some people are able to see two hair follicles on one same strand. The catagen phase is a changing stage where 3% of all hairs in the head are in this stage at any time. The catagen phase lasts 2-3 weeks and during this time, growth is not as fast and the outer root sheath shrinks. It then attaches to the root of the hair, formingt what is called a ‘club’ hair. Hair loss is never a good thing. Hair may thin, fall out, break off, or grow slower. Dandruff, itching, and peeling may appear. Hair loss appears in many different ways depending on what’s causing it. Many things could potentially cause hair loss. Some types of hair loss are temporary, and some are permanent. Some types of hair loss cause gradual thinning on top of the head, circular or patchy bald spots, sudden loosening of hair, full body hair loss, or patches of scaling that will spread over the scalp. Gradual thinning on top of the head is the most common type of hair loss.

It affects both men and women. Age can also cause this. Circular or patchy bald spots can also occur in bears or eyebrows. They can be coin shaped and sized. Skin may become itchy or painful. This type of hair loss usually only affects the scalp. Sudden loosening ofd the hair is another type. Handfuls of hair may come out when washing or combing the hair. A physical and emotional shock could cause this to happen. This type of hair loss usually causes hair thinning and not bald patches.

Full body hair loss could be caused by medical treatments, conditions, or chemotherapy. However, hair will usually grow back. Patches of scaling can spread over the scalp, there are signs for that. Signs of ringworm, or random redness, swelling, broken hair and oozing are signs of this. There are also diseases that could cause hair loss such as androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, trichotillomania, traction

“Hairstylists want their clients to feel amazing about themselves and full of self-esteem. A hairstylist who wants to help a client build self-esteem must have a relationship with that client.”

alopecia, tinea capitis, cicatricial alopecia are some examples of diseases. Some things that can cause hair loss are childbirth, high fever, sudden weight loss, surgery, severe stress, and lastly serious illness.

III. MEDICAL ADVICE, TESTS, AND DIAGNOSIS:

Anytime that someone experiences any signs or symptoms, they should see a doctor or dermatologist. Any sign or symptom can range from very mild to highly dangerous. Signs and symptoms can be redness on the scalp, patches of baldness, irritation, hair fall out, etc. Anytime when someone’s hair falls out in excess amounts or when something unusual happens, an individual should seek medical attention immediately just to make sure that everything is okay and safe. There are many tests that can be done such as blood testing, urine testing, or scalp sampling. Scalp sampling is used to determine the presence of scalp irritation or infection. If symptoms are severe then the patient could get a possible x-ray. A doctor can find a cause of the loss so the patient can begin proper treatment.

Hairstylists want their clients to feel amazing about themselves and full of self-esteem. A hairstylist who wants to help a client build self-esteem must have a relationship with that client. The most successful stylists form excellent relationships with their clients. When people lose hair, no matter what the cause is, it can crush their confidence and self-esteem. As a cosmetologist, I know it is important to always keep up-to-date with treating hair loss and to learn new things as today’s technology and services become more modern. Having my future clients being able to trust me is the most important thing to me. I need to show them that no matter what hair problem occurs.. I will always be there to help beautify.

@Beautifyme247