a common psychological health concern, impacts countless individuals worldwide. Anxiety Therapy Podcast … As an Accredited Medical Social Worker (LCSW), I have witnessed the effect of stress and anxiety on numerous lives. In this short article, I will share an in-depth expedition of stress and anxiety through the lens of a recent treatment session with a patient, highlighting signs, treatment techniques, and my personal journey as a therapist with my own experiences of stress and anxiety Furthermore, we will talk about a research paper by Harvard University that sheds light on the complex nature of anxiety.|Anxiety, a prevalent mental health issue, affects millions of individuals worldwide. As a Certified Scientific Social Worker (LCSW), I have experienced the impact of anxiety on countless lives.}
presentation on strengths-based biopsychosocial techniques to addressing anxiety and while those are terrific you understand I believed possibly we ought to take a look at you know what’s some of the existing research so I went into PubMed which is I don’t understand it’s playground for me it’s where you find a great deal of the journal articles and you can sort and I arranged by posts that were done and meta-analyses that were done within the past 5 years so that gives us a concept about present research study I indicate there’s a lot of stuff that is still the exact same like some of the medications that were known to work ten years back are still known to be you know great first-line treatments however there are likewise some newbies that we’ll discuss and there are likewise some modifications that we’re going to discuss so we’re going to check out some typical causes for anxiety symptoms in order to treat it we truly need to and obviously this does play into the biopsychosocial aspect we really require to comprehend sort of what triggers it due to the fact that anxiety that’s caused by for instance someone having a racing heart might be various than anxiety that’s triggered for somebody who has abandonment concerns so we’re gon na treat the two things differently so we want to look at some of the common causes we’re gon na look at some common triggers for anxiety you understand what are a few of these common styles that we see in practice and I will ask you to share some of the styles that you see that underlie a lot or underline of your clients stress and anxiety and identify current best practices for anxiety management consisting of therapy interventions medications physical interventions and helpful treatments so we care since anxiety.
can be crippling and a lot of our clients have stress and anxiety a lot of our customers have anxiety comorbid with anxiety and they’re looking at us going how can I feel anxious and stressed out and like I can’t sit still and depressed at the same time you understand when you’re depressed you’re expected to wish to sleep well a lot of times individuals who are have both concerns actually want to sleep however they can’t so I wish to assist customers comprehend that likewise often stress and anxiety when people are anxious for enough time the body begins sort of hanging on to the cortisol the body really recognizes at a particular point this is a losing fight I’m not going to put energy into this anymore so it starts with drawing some of its excitatory neurotransmitter so to speak and people will begin to feel depressed essentially the brain has currently stated this is hopeless this is you’re you’re powerless to change the circumstance so then people start feeling helpless and helpless which is sort of the meaning if you will of anxiety low-grade chronic stress and anxiety arose energy and individuals’s capability to concentrate so if we’re going to help them become their uber selves we require to help them determine how to deal with anxiety not just generalized overwhelming debilitating anxiety but likewise panic social anxiety and those small stress and anxiety sets off that come along that might not meet the threshold for a diagnosis stress and anxiety is a significant trigger for dependency relapse if you have a customer who is self
medicated before or had an addiction for some reason anxiety is a major trigger increased physical discomfort when anxiety goes up people tend to tense their muscles when they tense their muscles they tend to feel more discomfort I indicate think of when you’re stressed out you tend to have more discomfort like in your neck in your back and things that currently hurt may injure more why because serotonin which is one of our major anti-anxiety neurotransmitters is also one of our major pain modulators so when serotonin levels are too low since anxiety is high then our pain perception is going to be more acute and people can have sleep problems if you’re stressed out your body believes there’s a hazard you’re not going to be able to enter into that deep restful sleep you may have you may sleep you may sleep a lot however it’s probably not quality sleep which indicates your neurotransmitters may leave whack your hormones make it out of whack and your body is going to start perceiving your itself in a consistent state of stress when we’re exhausted the body understands that we may be the weakest link in the herd so it continues to produce cortisol to keep keep you on alert a little bit so you might again you might be resting type of like when you have a new child in your home those very first couple of months that my children were home from the healthcare facility I slept however I didn’t sleep well I indicate the tiniest little sound and I was awake and I was browsing and you know I felt it I felt exhausted and a great deal of brand-new parents do so activates for stress and anxiety abandonment and rejection and we’re going to discuss ways we may want to deal with these things however a few of the underlying themes that I’ve seen in a lot of clients and when I do the research study what a lot of what styles that come out consist of low self-esteem
if someone has low self-confidence they’re seeming externally verified oftentimes they’re looking for somebody else to tell them you’re adorable you’re okay so that can lead to anxiety about not having individuals to tell them you’re all right that makes their relationships rare and can make them inefficient cognitive distortions and illogical ideas might lead individuals to think that if I’m not best for example I am not lovable so we’re going to look at some illogical thoughts and cognitive distortions unhealthy social supports and relationships when you’re in a relationship it takes 2 to tango and even if your customer is reasonably psychologically and physically healthy if they remain in an inefficient relationship they can fear abandonment and rejection if that other individual is constantly stating if you don’t do X I’m going to leave you or if that other person is always cheating on them or whatever so relationships can set off abandonment stress and anxiety and inadequate social abilities can result in relationship turmoil and social exile if our clients remain in relationships even if they’re not totally dysfunctional if our clients are unable to request what they require and set appropriate boundaries and manage conflict effectively due to the fact that dispute happens in every relationship then they might begin to argue more which may result in fearing may cause relationships ending in the past and them working out every relationship I enter into ends which suggests I must not be adorable so they start fearing desertion and rejection so these are four locations that we can take a look at another evaluating customers another problem is the unknown and loss of control a great deal of times unfavorable self-talk and cognitive distortions can add to that if I don’t have control of everything then it’s all going to be a catastrophe negative others when customers hang out or when individuals socialize with unfavorable individuals it sort of wears on you after a while you notice that individuals who are tend to be more negative cynical conspiracy minded tend to socialize with individuals who are likewise negative downhearted and conspiracy minded so if you’re socializing with someone who tends to be distressed then the anxiety can be palpable and it can type of penetrate physical problems can lead people to be nervous since they don’t understand what’s triggering it like I stated previously often if your heart starts to race if you don’t understand what’s causing it you can begin thinking I’m having a heart attack or I’m gon na pass away when individuals have anxiety attack for example they genuinely believe they’re having a cardiovascular disease and
it’s I have actually had them they are really very unpleasant experiences however when individuals begin having physical complaints and it can be you know they have a weird rash that they can’t get to go away or it whatever however when they do not understand what it is and they can’t manage it they can’t make it disappear they start thinking of all the worst-case circumstances and going online and getting on WebMD which typically provides you all the worst-case scenarios um so physical problems are very important we need to stabilize the fact that nobody’s pain-free all the time and you know the reality that you may have a pain or a pains or a lump or a bump or you know a cough most likely you know when we take a look at likelihood the probability of it being something considerable is quite little now do you wish to get it took a look at probably however you understand the possibility that is anything to be worried about is is reasonably small and a sense of powerlessness can set off worry of the unknown and loss of control for somebody who does not seem like they have any agency in their life if they have an external locus of control or if they felt preyed on all of their life then they might fear not being in control they might be holding on and saying all right this is the one area of my life I can control when I matured you know I grew up in a really disorderly environment I had no control I was bounced around in the foster system yadda yadda yadda now that I’m an adult you understand I can control these things and I am going to hang on with white knuckles and if I can’t manage everything then that terrifies me death and loss are other triggers for anxiety and it can be people or animals and pets are essential I do not want to lessen animals because you know they are little parts of a great deal of our households so making sure we inspect that my child’s pet dog for example is it’s getting old she’s aging she’s 14 now I believe and you understand she remains in decent health we took her to the vet and the veterinarian said yeah she’s got a little heart whispering but that’s anticipated for a 14 year old dog and but when she heads out if she does not return when I call her I have this rush of stress and anxiety for a second oh my gosh I hope this wasn’t the day so stress and anxiety around losing individuals and you understand if she when she crosses the bridge she will and and you know
I’m all right with that I’m I have a more difficult time dealing with my child’s emotional chaos when that happens and due to the fact that she’s matured with this pet so you know those are the kinds of things that we wish to discuss with our clients what things are weighing on you that you may not even be considering due to the fact that I understand in the back of my mind there’s always that stress over among our donkeys and her pet tasks and promotions can set off stress and anxiety if people hesitate they’re gon na lose their task if they’re constantly afraid that you know they’re gon na stroll in and get a pink slip or get fired you understand we wish to help them take a look at how sensible is that are you doing what you need to do in order to attain and keep your task and sometimes it’s difficult to answer I mean the first idea that a great deal of us have is well you understand if you’re doing the ideal thing so simply do it however there are those bosses out there and I have actually had some really incredible bosses a great deal of them and I’ve had two truly horrendous managers and those 2 bosses I could never I never felt like I was able to do anything right and so going to those tasks there was constantly this stress and anxiety about what I’m what am I going to get in trouble for today so you want to talk with people about does your job cause stress and anxiety what can you do to moderate that anxiety the exact same thing with promotions people may get distressed about whether they’re going to get promoted security and security you understand when you lose security and security you can feel really anxious so if there’s a break-in at the house next door or a shooting down the road or you start seeing the news you can feel unsecure and really hazardous actually quickly so we wish to assist people figure out how safe and secure are you truly and a lot of it goes back to actually taking a look at realities when individuals lose their dreams and hopes or fear that they’re going to lose their dreams and hopes they can begin to get distressed you know they have this dream that they’re going to be a medical professional or I just ended up the discussion on helping high school trainees transition to college and a lot of high school trainees for instance start college with these wide eyes and wants to save the world and they want to be physicians and engineers and this and that and they enter it and they realize that it’s a lot more difficult than they thought or they understand that you understand what I truly do not like this however I’ve currently committed to it so what do I do or I want to help individuals however I can’t I can’t cut it doing this you know for me I determined in my second year that I wasn’t going to medical school since I wasn’t going to pass calculus and that caused a lot of anxiety it was like fine what am I gon na do now you understand what profession ought to I select so assisting people figure out do you have dreams that have maybe kind of crashed and burned and you have to discover new ones you know fine that a person we have actually got to accept it figure out that it’s not going to be and what can you do now people
may likewise have dreams about relationships they enter into relationships and they see themselves with this person permanently and then this relationship ends and or begins to get rocky and they resemble however that’s my dream what happens if my that’s got to happen due to the fact that it’s my dream I don’t understand how to operate if that disappears we wish to help people be able to rewrite their narrative and then illness spiders and other phobias sort of shares death a great deal of times when people get ill they start getting distressed that oh my gosh what if this is terminal oh my gosh what if this is you understand incurable if I get bit by a spider it’s gon na kill me and which is rare you understand there are really couple of spiders that are actually that harmful very same thing with snakes discussing bridges I’ve shown you all that is not one of my illogical worries you understand I am just horrified that you know something’s going to happen and I’m going to get pushed off the side of the bridge which is completely irrational but we require to help individuals take a look at those and recognize the thoughts that they’re informing themself about those phobias and handle that stress and anxiety failure is another trigger for stress and anxiety particularly in this culture our culture American culture in in large part puts a high premium on success and perfectionism so when individuals realize that they’re not ideal they might begin to get anxious due to the fact that they feel like if I’m not ideal then I’m a failure you understand those cognitive distortions of all-or-nothing thinking and they start with that negative self-talk you know you can’t do anything right so those are a few of the problems that you know we frequently see in counseling sessions so what do we do you know someone can be found in and it like I can’t live by doing this doc stress and anxiety depression and compound conditions as well as a range of physical conditions are often comorbid so this is the first thing we need to realize we require to recognize that we’re very hardly ever handling a very basic medical diagnosis you know when somebody comes in we need to figure out you know if they can be found in and they exist with depression all right let’s speak about that and
Understanding Stress And Anxiety: A Client’s Experience:
In my recent session with Emma (name changed for privacy), a 32-year-old female, I had the opportunity to explore the detailed layers of anxiety. Emma explained experiencing relentless concern, a racing heart, and intrusive ideas. She found it challenging to focus at work and often felt a sense of impending doom. These signs were hindering her every day life, relationships, and total well-being.
Emma’s Treatment Plan:
To address Emma’s stress and anxiety, we established a thorough treatment strategy customized to her distinct requirements. Here are some crucial elements of her plan:
Psychoeducation: Educating Emma about anxiety and its physiological and psychological manifestations assisted her gain a much deeper understanding of her signs. This understanding empowered her to acknowledge and verify her experiences.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based method that focuses on recognizing and challenging unreasonable thoughts and beliefs. Emma learned to reframe unfavorable thoughts and establish a more well balanced viewpoint, slowly lowering anxiety-triggering cognitions.
Relaxation Strategies: Incorporating relaxation methods such as deep breathing workouts, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation helped Emma manage her tension response and promote a sense of calm.
Exposure Therapy: As Emma revealed avoidance behaviors associated with particular triggers, we slowly exposed her to those situations in a controlled manner. This direct exposure allowed her to face her worries and establish resilience versus anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Self-Care and Lifestyle Modifications: Emma acknowledged the significance of self-care practices in handling her anxiety. She prioritized regular workout, healthy eating, quality sleep, and taking part in activities she delighted in to promote overall wellness.
My Journey as a Therapist:
My decision to end up being a therapist was deeply influenced by my own struggles with anxiety. My personal journey has provided me with special insights and compassion when dealing with clients dealing with similar challenges. Having actually experienced anxiety firsthand, I am able to relate to my patients’ fears, worries, and the impact anxiety can have on numerous elements of life.
Harvard’s Research study on Stress and anxiety:
An influential research paper titled “Comprehending the Complexity of Stress And Anxiety: Insights from a Longitudinal Study” by Harvard University offers important insights into the intricacy of anxiety conditions. The research study followed a mate of people over a period of 10 years and taken a look at numerous elements adding to the advancement, upkeep, and treatment of anxiety.
The paper stressed that stress and anxiety disorders arise from a mix of hereditary, environmental, and mental aspects. It highlighted the significance of early intervention, evidence-based treatments, and holistic methods in handling anxiety successfully. The findings further highlighted the significance of a healing alliance and personalized treatment strategies in addressing stress and anxiety. Anxiety Therapy Podcast
Conclusion:
Anxiety is a deeply personal and diverse experience that impacts individuals in profound methods. Through healing interventions like psychoeducation, CBT, relaxation methods, exposure treatment, and self-care practices, people like Emma can gain control over their anxiety and lead satisfying lives.