From Worries to Well: A Guide to Overcoming Anxiety with Therapy

Anxiety is a human response to danger or stress. Even so, it’s a health concern when it turns chronic. Anyone suffering from anxiety disorders finds working, studying, socializing, or enjoying pleasurable activities difficult.     

Fortunately, advancement in medicine has availed therapy to help people overcome anxiety and lead a more fulfilling life. Therapy equips patients with techniques and tools to manage anxiety symptoms such as worry, fear, or isolation.

A mental health professional can apply several therapy techniques to help patients overcome anxiety symptoms. For instance, cognitive therapy focuses on changing thinking patterns and beliefs that trigger anxiety.

If your worry is interfering with work, school, relationships, or other aspects of life, consider speaking to a compassionate mental health professional.

Here’s what you need to know.

The Science Behind Anxiety: Understanding Your Condition and How Therapy Can Help

Understanding Your Condition: What Causes Anxiety

It’s okay to be anxious once in a while. On the contrary, persistent worry or fear is concerning and can develop into anxiety disorders. 

Generally, patients with anxiety disorders experience intense and persistent worry or fear. They also display sudden feelings of fear that reach a peak within minutes. These feelings of panic interfere with your daily activities and can make you avoid certain places or situations.

Below are the common signs and symptoms of anxiety:

  • Intense sweating
  • An increased heart rate
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • An active sense of impending danger or panic
  • Trouble thinking or concentrating
  • Rapid breathing
  • Fatigue or feeling weak
  • Trembling
  • Stomach upsets
  • Irritability

Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety can occur due to different factors, including medical reasons. The common health-related anxiety factors include diabetes, heart disease, drug abuse, chronic pain, and respiratory disorders.

Life experiences such as war or animal attacks may also trigger anxiety.

Anxiety Risk Factors

The following factors increase the likelihood of developing anxiety disorders:

  • Stress
  • Trauma
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Other mental health problems like depression
  • Certain personality traits

Forms of Therapy and How They Help Patients Overcome Anxiety

Cognitive Behavior Therapy(CBT)

CBT is a therapy based on the theory that there’s a relationship between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It challenges negative thought patterns and develops coping mechanisms to improve emotions, mood, and behavior.

It’s an increasingly common therapy for anxiety, mood disorders, panic attacks, and phobias.

Art Therapy

This is a form of therapy that utilizes the creative way of making art to identify and communicate feelings, emotions, and issues. Art therapy creates a safe place, allowing people struggling with anxiety to express their emotions without fear of judgment.

Art therapy is useful for people struggling with emotional, behavioral, and mental health problems.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to treat mental health conditions or change habits. Hypnosis is a technique that induces a deep state of relaxation as you work towards your goal with a therapist.

Hypnotherapy is useful in dealing with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and phobias.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

It’s a form of therapy involving mindfulness techniques to enhance emotional regulation and manage stress. A therapist helps you practice acceptance and non-judgemental of your thoughts and emotions.

As a result, you can overcome anxiety and learn better-coping mechanisms to combat mental health issues.

Finding The Right Therapist: Tips for Choosing the Best Treatment for Your Anxiety

You need a skilled, experienced, and supportive therapist who will walk with you on the journey to overcome anxiety. If you choose an unfit therapist, it’ll have a direct impact on your physical and mental health. 

For instance, working with an inexperienced therapist makes it difficult to identify the underlying causes of anxiety. As a result, you may endure a prolonged anxiety disorder resulting in other long-term complications like substance abuse.

Here are a few tips to help you in this stage:

Choose a Therapy Center With a Speciality

The best way to get quick and effective treatment is by working with a therapist specializing in anxiety disorders. Check whether your preferred mental health professional has experience dealing with anxiety disorders like panic, social anxiety, phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder.

A therapist specializing in anxiety has relevant knowledge and experience which will apply to your anxiety issues. It makes identifying common triggers, symptoms, and patterns easy, enhancing your treatment.

Consider the Profile of Your Therapist

The patient-therapist interaction creates a vulnerable space where you open up about your emotions and thoughts. Having no reservations or bias toward your therapist makes the sessions more interactive and productive.

With that in mind, find unique information, including race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, or ethnicity. Although these profiles can be a source of bias, they can help create a comfortable setting that can enhance the experience and outcome.

Consider doing an online search to understand the therapist’s approach. Some prefer to use humor, while others use a storytelling approach. The additional information about their approach will help you predict whether you can work well together.

Look for Referrals

There are several dozen therapists who you can turn to in Los Angeles. You need to perform background checks on each, which is an impossible task. However, you can save yourself the headache by requesting a referral from a friend, family, colleague, or a doctor you trust.

Generally, a referral is a quick way to find a therapist. Even so, it doesn’t always yield excellent results because some recommendations may not fit your desired goals. Therefore, have a specific profile to help you find a therapist matching your needs.

Reach Out to Supportive Organizations

You can make your search easier by requesting a recommendation from relevant organizations and networks. Some non-profit organizations have tools to help patients find mental health professionals for specific health needs.

For instance, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America has an online directory that you can use to find a therapist. Alternatively, request your trade union representative to help you identify professionals who can provide help with your mental health problem.

Availability of Remote Sessions

Also, check if the therapist can offer the sessions online. Online treatment for therapy has several advantages. First, it’s cost-effective because you don’t have to travel or waste time in traffic snarl-ups.

Moreover, some people are comfortable speaking to a therapist in familiar spaces like a home or office.

The Journey to Recovery: How Therapy Can Help You Manage Your Anxiety and Improve Your Life

People with anxiety disorder display symptoms like intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, and nervousness. Fortunately, you can say goodbye to anxiety disorders through therapy, which is a highly effective treatment.

Generally, therapy is a safe and effective way to mitigate your anxiety symptoms. The treatment involves working with a therapist who will teach you coping strategies you can apply in the long term.

Here’s how therapy can help you manage anxiety for a better life:

Identify the Cause of Anxiety

Patients with anxiety disorders perceive situations as more threatening than their true state. Identifying the source of anxiety is a helpful first step in solving the problem.

Here’s how therapy can help:

  • Exploring past experiences: Past experiences may be the cause of your anxiety. The therapist may help you peruse your past experiences to identify any events contributing to your anxiety. For instance, a therapist can help you explore childhood or relationship experiences or other life events that could impact your mental health.
  • Recognizing Triggers and Patterns: Your therapist will help you identify a specific event or activity that activates anxiety. It may involve exploring thoughts, emotions, or situations that cause you to be anxious. As you go through the sessions, you’ll identify a pattern and connection between your triggers, giving you a better understanding of your anxiety.

Learn to Manage Your Emotions

Patients who have anxiety disorders struggle a lot with emotions. They’re in a constant battle with anger, irritability, fear, stress, and tension. Usually, when your body is in a high alert mode, part of the consequence is a reduced ability to control your emotions.

Through therapy, you can learn meditation techniques to reduce tension in your body. As a result, you can put extreme emotions under control. 

Embrace a New Perspective

Anxiety is a product of negative thought patterns attributable to a perspective that is not reality. Therapy will help you identify and replace these negative patterns with positive ones.

A therapist will help you overcome anxiety by providing an objective viewpoint free of bias and judgment. The new perspective is particularly helpful when stuck with a skewed mindset or perspective.

A therapist may also encourage curiosity and exploration to help embrace new ideas and possibilities.

Don’t Let Anxiety Control Your Life: Seek Professional Help Today

If you’re struggling with anxiety, you can overcome it. Therapy can help you manage anxiety symptoms and equip you with coping mechanisms. More importantly, a trained therapist will help you cultivate a positive mindset, challenge negative thoughts, and build resilience.

At MindVibe, we provide a safe and supportive environment as we work towards overcoming anxiety.

Contact us online or call us at 805-500-7751 to make an appointment.

 

Start an online evaluation now

Book Online