By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of anxiety, how problematic it can be, and how therapy can help.
Anxiety is a future-oriented emotion. It is the body’s adaptive response to the perceived threat. This emotion signals our minds and bodies to increase a sense of vigilance, reduce activity, and refocus attention on possible sources of future threat or danger.
It is important to remember all emotions are adaptive and have a purpose. Anxiety can give us important indicators to assess our situation and make useful plans. For example, it can help us remember to pay bills, prepare for a presentation, or put on our seatbelts.
When is anxiety problematic?
Anxiety may be considered problematic when it is persistent and excessive, and the symptoms create significant distress or impairment in areas of your life.
For example, you may find yourself avoiding certain activities (i.e. leaving the house, socializing, travel, public speaking) to reduce feelings of anxiety. This practice of avoidance is problematic because it may relief the anxiety in the short term but sustains reinforces anxiety in the long term.
What are common symptoms?
Below are some common symptoms of anxiety. As mentioned above, it is important to consider, the intensity, frequency and the impact to your life to asses if anxiety has become problematic for you.
Symptoms of Anxiety:
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Consistent worry
- Feeling tired, or drained
- Irritability
- Tension in your body
- Trouble Concentrating
- Sleep difficulties
How is Anxiety Addressed in Therapy?
If you are seeking therapy due to anxiety, our work together is to explore and learn skills to help manage anxiety. Below are the areas that are typically addressed:
- Mindful awareness of emotions: Mindfulness is the approach or attitude of choosing to be aware in the present moment, on purpose and non-judgmentally. One of the first steps to change our how you respond to emotions is to become aware of them.
- Physiological– Addressing he ways anxiety affects your body and learning skills to feel calm and grounded when anxiety does show up. For example, you may learn breathing techniques or finding ways to move your body to release stress.
- Thought Process- We explore what thoughts worries and beliefs are associated with anxiety. If you perceive anxiety as a “bad” emotion, we will work to no loner see it as a threat but an ally.
- Behaviors- We will explore what habits do you engage in to avoid or minimize anxiety and assess if these behaviors are serving you. We will learn to coping skills to manage anxiety
Questions to reflect on
- How does anxiety affect your life?
- How can it be helpful?
- What thoughts you notice when you are anxious?
- What will be different in your life once anxiety is no longer a problem?
Useful Links
- Anxiety Disorders – https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders
- Anxiety disorders – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961
Free Virtual Consultation
Therapy can be a safe space to work on having a more mindful approach our inner experience. If this post resonated, and you find that cognitive distortions are affecting your well-being feel free to reach out to schedule a FREE consultation.
