WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, often referred to flight, fight or freeze. This helps us respond in dangerous or stressful situations. There may be times where you have a stress response for a few hours or even a few days, but in general you should recovery quickly and it shouldn’t impact your daily life.
There are times where anxiety can be stronger and impact your daily life in a negative way. Symptoms include constant worrying about events that have or have not occurred, fear about the future, avoiding activities, or feeling that you are having a heart attack or can’t breathe. If you are experiencing these symptoms and it lasts longer than one month you may benefit from speaking to a therapist.
SEEING A THERAPIST ABOUT ANXIETY DISORDERS.
Although there are many types of anxiety disorders, research suggests that most are driven by a similar underlying condition. Individuals with anxiety disorders tend to become easily overwhelmed by their emotions, and they tend to have negative reactions to those unpleasant feelings and situations. People often try to cope with the negative reactions by avoiding experiences that make them nervous and anxious. Unfortunately, avoidance can backfire and feed the anxiety.
Therapists are trained in diagnosing anxiety disorders and will help you learn effective ways to deal with anxiety. A type of psychotherapy known as Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective for treating anxiety disorders.
The cognitive component of therapy will help you learn to recognize how your thoughts play a key role in increasing your anxiety symptoms. Learning to change those thought patterns with simple strategies; you can reduce the duration and intensity of anxiety symptoms.
The behavioral element teaches new methods to reduce undesired behaviors associated with anxiety disorders. Learning new coping strategies can prepare you for dealing with anxiety and reducing the impact it has on your daily life.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Therapy should be a collaborated process, where you and a therapist work together to identify specific concerns and develop concrete skills and techniques for dealing with anxiety. It may seem overwhelming to make the first step, but reaching out to set up an appointment brings you one step closer to a peaceful life.
