Help for Anxiety
Anxiety disorders go beyond normative worries or stress that help us improve performance and stay safe from threat. What makes an anxiety disorder a “disorder” is how it significantly impact an individual's daily life. Anxiety disorders limit your ability to function in important areas, like relationships, school, and work, gradually shrinking life as more and more things feel too risky to pursue.
Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear or worry, often leading to physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and executive dysfunction (difficulty concentrating, planning, making decisions, prioritizing). Common types of anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Specific Phobias.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is marked by persistent and excessive worry about many aspects of life, generalized beyond a single area, making it difficult to participate in everyday activities.
Panic Disorder involves recurrent, unexpected panic attacks—sudden surges of intense fear accompanied by significant physical symptoms. Individuals may develop an intense fear of future attacks, leading to avoidance behaviors that perpetuate the cycle.
Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by an overwhelming fear of social situations due to concerns about how you will be perceived by others. This leads to social avoidance and can severely impact life satisfaction.
Specific Phobias include intense fears of specific objects or situations, such as heights, flying, vomiting, or spiders, for example. The object or situation can trigger significant anxiety and avoidance behavior, which maintains the fear.
Learn to feel grounded
Treatment for anxiety disorders often involves a combination of psychotherapy interventions and medication. Medication is a personal decision between you and your psychiatrist, and risks should be weighed with potential benefits.
Evidence-based therapy approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been shown to be particularly effective in managing anxiety symptoms. ERP assists individuals in gradually confronting their fears while choosing to not engage with compulsive avoidance. This ultimately helps to teaches anxiety sufferers they are capable of tolerating uncertainty and discomfort. For some, gradual exposure reduces the feelings of anxiety that is associated with the particular fear over time.
ACT emphasizes the importance of accepting the full range of human experiences without running from them. Thoughts and feelings are permitted to come and go rather than engaging in a constant and often futile struggle against them. Changing the way we engage with the human experience and committing to our values through action, can promote meaningful changes in life satisfaction as we live aligned with our personal values and goals, despite the vulnerably to anxiety.
Get professional help for anxiety
It is essential for individuals experiencing an anxiety disorder to seek out professional support. Engaging in treatment can provide essential tools needed to effectively manage their symptoms, improve their overall well-being, and ultimately lead a more fulfilling life. Whether through in-person sessions or Telehealth, therapy is available to help navigate the various challenges associated with anxiety disorders.
Start a new chapter with therapy
If anxiety causes distress and decreases your quality of life, it may be time for professional help. Anxiety has a way of making our lives small and robbing us of deeper social relationships and experiences. It’s possible to interrupt the cycle of anxious distress and avoidance so you can reclaim the fullness of your life.