Anxiety
If you’re one of the 40 million American adults living with an anxiety disorder, you may constantly feel on edge or always worried about something to the point where it disrupts your life. With expert help from our team, you can learn to manage your anxiety and reduce your symptoms.
Call The Counseling Center today or schedule an appointment online today.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a mental and physical reaction to perceived threats. In small doses, it is helpful. It protects us from danger, and focuses our attention on problems. But when anxiety is too severe or occurs too frequently, it can become debilitating.
What are symptoms of anxiety?
- Excessive nervousness
- Poor concentration
- Uncontrollable worry
- Increased heart rate
- Upset stomach
- Sleep problems
- Muscle tension
What are the different types of anxiety?
Generalized
An excessive amount of worry in several areas of life such as employment, health, finances, or minor concerns (e.g. completing housework).
Panic Disorders
Panic disorder is characterized by panic attacks — out-of-the-blue attacks which are typically accompanied by the fear that one is dying or going crazy. Panic attacks can last from minutes to hours. You may also have physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, dizziness, and shortness of breath. As a result of repeated attacks, you may start to avoid situations that trigger them.
Social Anxiety
You feel extremely uncomfortable in social situations or when you have to meet new people. You may fear social humiliation or negative evaluations. You may avoid social activities and end up getting less out of life.
Phobias
Phobias are an overwhelming, unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but causes intense avoidance behaviors. For example, you might have a phobia of spiders, heights, or flying.
How is anxiety treated?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a very effective form of treatment. During CBT the unhealthy thinking patterns that create anxiety are identified and challenged.
Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, distraction, mindfulness, and grounding techniques, provide immediate relief from symptoms.
Medication can help alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms, but because they do not fix the underlying problems that cause anxiety, they are typically used in conjunction with counseling.
If you’re interested in learning healthier coping skills, call The Counseling Center today at (317) 754-0808.
