Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural stress response, but if it becomes persistent or overwhelming, it can interfere with daily life, leading to an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are beyond occasional worry or fear. They cause constant unease, dread or panic, even when you face no apparent threat.

Anxiety can make it hard to focus on other parts of your life, including work and relationships. An untreated anxiety disorder makes it a struggle to enjoy your life.

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety disorders come in many forms, each with its own unique symptoms and challenges. Understanding the different anxiety disorders can help you recognize signs and seek appropriate treatment.

Common types include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): GAD leads to chronic, excessive worry about broad aspects of life like health, work or everyday responsibilities. The worry feels uncontrollable and significantly impacts daily functioning.
• Social anxiety disorder: This disorder involves an intense fear of being embarrassed. It can also include worries about being judged or humiliated in social situations, leading to avoiding social events, work meetings or other settings where you’d be required to interact with others.
• Panic disorder: Characterized by sudden, intense episodes of fear known as panic attacks, this disorder can be debilitating. The attacks often include physical symptoms like heart palpitations. Panic attacks can cause symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness. They make people feel like they’re losing control as they’re happening.
• Phobias: These are intense, irrational fears of specific situations or objects. The fear is not proportional to the actual danger but can lead to avoidance behaviors that disrupt normal life.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): This anxiety disorder leads to experiencing intrusive, unwanted thoughts that lead to repetitive behaviors aimed at lowering anxiety.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): After witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event, PTSD can develop. Symptoms include nightmares, severe anxiety, flashbacks and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are complex, usually developing due to a combination of factors, such as:

• Biological factors: Genetics plays a major role in anxiety disorders. If someone has a family history of anxiety, they may be more likely to develop the condition. Also linked to anxiety disorders are brain chemical imbalances, especially in serotonin and dopamine.
• Environmental factors: Stressful life events, such as abuse or major life changes, can trigger anxiety. Prolonged exposure to stressors such as strained relationships, financial challenges or pressure at work can also contribute to someone developing an anxiety disorder.
• Psychological factors: Certain personality traits, like a tendency to overanalyze situations or perfectionism, can make someone more prone to anxiety.

The Impact of Anxiety on Your Mental and Physical Health

Anxiety can affect mental and physical health in a variety of ways. Physical symptoms can include:

• Constant worry and physical tension can lead to exhaustion and chronic fatigue.
• Many people with anxiety have a hard time falling or staying asleep.
• Anxiety can cause muscle tension that leads to stiffness or neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches.
• Stomachaches, nausea and digestive disturbances can occur because of anxiety.

Without appropriate treatment, anxiety tends to get worse over time and leads to other mental health challenges like depression or substance abuse.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

Emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

• Excessively worrying or being afraid about everyday situations when there’s no reason for concern. The worry feels persistent and uncontrollable.
• A sense of impending doom or fear of the worst possible outcome interferes with daily activities and decision-making.
• Some people with anxiety experience sudden, intense fear that seems to come out of nowhere leaving them feeling terrified and helpless.
• Anxiety can cause heightened emotional sensitivity that leads to irritability or frustration, even over minor issues.
• Feelings of being restless or on edge to the point that it makes it hard to relax or feel at peace.

Physical anxiety symptoms include:

• A racing or pounding heart.
• Excessive sweating.
• Shortness of breath, breathing rapidly or feeling unable to take a full breath.
• Muscle tension.
• Digestive issues.
• Fatigue even after minimal physical activity.

Commonly experienced cognitive symptoms of anxiety include:

• Racing thoughts and the feeling that your mind is jumping from one worry to another without pausing. It isn’t easy to control these thoughts.
• Anxiety makes it hard to focus on tasks even when they require minimal attention.
• Overthinking or overanalyzing situations, worrying about what might happen or ruminating on past experiences.
• Short-term memory problems.

How Anxiety is Treated

At Invigorate Behavioral Health Counseling Center, we offer a comprehensive and individualized approach to treating anxiety. Our treatment plans are curated to meet each person’s unique needs, combining evidence-based therapies and medication management when appropriate.

We understand how disruptive anxiety can be in your life, so our goal is to provide the tools and support needed for long-term relief and emotional well-being.

Therapy is the cornerstone of treating anxiety. Some of the therapeutic approaches that are evidence-based for anxiety include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: CBT is a highly effective anxiety treatment focused on identifying and changing negative thoughts and behaviors that fuel anxiety. Recognizing and challenging irrational fears can help individuals develop healthier coping methods.
• Exposure therapy: This approach to treatment helps individuals confront fears in a safe, controlled environment. Gradual exposure to situations that induce anxiety can reduce the fear response over time, making it easier to face challenges in real life.
• Mindfulness-based therapy: Mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathing exercises can help individuals stay present and manage stress more effectively. Regularly engaging in mindfulness practices can reduce the impact of anxious thoughts, bringing a sense of calm to your daily life.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): For someone experiencing intense emotional reactions, DBT can help with emotional regulation, building interpersonal skills and distress tolerance, so it’s easier to not only manage anxiety but maintain healthy relationships.

Medication management can also be part of a broader anxiety treatment plan. Our team can work closely with you to determine if medicine is appropriate and monitor and adjust it as needed.

We also believe in a holistic approach to anxiety treatment, including methods like stress management, exercise and nutrition.

With a combination of therapeutic interventions, medication management, and holistic support, Invigorate Behavioral Health Counseling Center provides a pathway to relief from anxiety, helping you live with greater confidence, peace and balance.