a widespread mental health issue, affects millions of individuals worldwide. Should I Go To A Therapist For Social Anxiety … As an Accredited Scientific Social Worker (LCSW), I have experienced the effect of stress and anxiety on numerous lives. In this short article, I will share a thorough exploration of anxiety through the lens of a recent therapy session with a client, highlighting symptoms, treatment strategies, and my personal journey as a therapist with my own experiences of anxiety Additionally, we will go over a research paper by Harvard University that sheds light on the diverse nature of anxiety.|Anxiety, a widespread psychological health issue, impacts millions of people worldwide. As a Certified Medical Social Worker (LCSW), I have actually experienced the effect of stress and anxiety on numerous lives.}
presentation on strengths-based biopsychosocial methods to dealing with anxiety and while those are wonderful you understand I thought perhaps we ought to take a look at you know what’s some of the current research so I went into PubMed which is I don’t understand it’s playground for me it’s where you discover 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 five years so that gives us a concept about present research study I indicate there’s a lot of stuff that is still the same like a few of the medications that were known to work ten years ago are still understood to be you know excellent first-line treatments but there are likewise some beginners that we’ll speak about and there are likewise some modifications that we’re going to speak about so we’re going to check out some common causes for anxiety signs in order to treat it we truly need to and naturally this does play into the biopsychosocial aspect we really require to comprehend kind of what causes it due to the fact that stress and anxiety that’s caused by for instance someone having a racing heart may be various than stress and anxiety that’s triggered for someone who has desertion concerns so we’re gon na treat the two things differently so we want to look at a few of the common causes we’re gon na look at some common triggers for anxiety you understand what are some of these typical styles that we see in practice and I will ask you to share some of the themes that you see that underline or underlie a lot of your clients anxiety and determine present best practices for anxiety management including counseling interventions medications physical interventions and helpful treatments so we care due to the fact that anxiety.
can be disabling and a great deal of our clients have anxiety a great deal of our customers have stress and anxiety comorbid with anxiety and they’re looking at us going how can I feel nervous and stressed 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 great deal of times individuals who are have both problems truly want to sleep however they can’t so I wish to assist clients comprehend that also sometimes stress and anxiety when individuals are anxious for enough time the body begins kind of holding on to the cortisol the body in fact acknowledges at a certain 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 actually already stated this is hopeless this is you’re you’re powerless to change the situation so then individuals begin feeling helpless and powerless which is sort of the definition if you will of anxiety low-grade chronic tension and stress and anxiety emerged energy and individuals’s ability to focus so if we’re going to help them become their uber selves we require to help them figure out how to address anxiety not simply generalized frustrating incapacitating stress and anxiety but also panic social anxiety and those minor stress and anxiety activates that occurred that may not fulfill the limit for a diagnosis stress and anxiety is a major trigger for addiction regression if you have a customer who is self
medicated prior to or had a dependency for some reason anxiety is a significant trigger increased physical discomfort when stress and anxiety increases individuals tend to tense their muscles when they tense their muscles they tend to feel more pain I suggest think of when you’re stressed you tend to have more discomfort like in your neck in your back and things that currently harmed might harm more why because serotonin which is one of our major anti-anxiety neurotransmitters is likewise one of our significant pain modulators so when serotonin levels are too low due to the fact that stress and anxiety is high then our pain perception is going to be more acute and people can have sleep issues if you’re stressed out your body thinks there’s a hazard you’re not going to be able to enter that deep peaceful sleep you might have you might sleep you may sleep a lot however it’s most likely not quality sleep which means your neurotransmitters may get out of whack your hormones make it out of whack and your body is going to start perceiving your itself in a persistent state of tension when we’re tired the body understands that we might 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 sort of like when you have a new child at home those first number of months that my kids were home from the medical facility I slept however I didn’t sleep well I suggest the slightest little noise and I was awake and I was browsing and you understand I felt it I felt exhausted and a lot of new moms and dads do so activates for anxiety desertion and rejection and we’re going to talk about ways we may wish to handle these things but some of the underlying styles that I’ve seen in a great deal of customers and when I do the research study what a lot of what themes that come out include low self-confidence
if someone has low self-confidence they’re seeming externally verified usually they’re searching for someone else to tell them you’re adorable you’re alright so that can lead to anxiety about not having people to tell them you’re all right which makes their relationships tenuous and can make them inefficient cognitive distortions and illogical ideas may lead people to think that if I’m not ideal for example I am not lovable so we’re going to take a look at some irrational thoughts and cognitive distortions unhealthy social supports and relationships when you remain in a relationship it takes two to tango and even if your client is relatively psychologically and physically healthy if they remain in a dysfunctional relationship they can fear desertion and rejection if that other person is always saying if you do not do X I’m going to leave you or if that other individual is constantly cheating on them or whatever so relationships can trigger abandonment anxiety and ineffective interpersonal abilities can result in relationship turmoil and social exile if our customers are in relationships even if they’re not completely dysfunctional if our customers are unable to ask for what they need and set proper boundaries and handle conflict effectively since conflict happens in every relationship then they might begin to argue more which might result in fearing might result in relationships ending in the past and them going well every relationship I enter ends which implies I need to not be lovable so they begin fearing abandonment and rejection so these are four locations that we can take a look at one more assessing clients another problem is the unknown and loss of control a lot of times negative 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 clients hang out or when people socialize with negative people it sort of wears on you after a while you discover that people who are tend to be more negative cynical conspiracy minded tend to hang out with individuals who are also negative downhearted and conspiracy minded so if you’re hanging out with someone who tends to be nervous then the stress and anxiety can be palpable and it can sort of permeate physical grievances can lead individuals to be anxious due to the fact that they do not know what’s causing it like I said previously often if your heart begins to race if you don’t know what’s triggering it you can start believing I’m having a cardiac arrest or I’m gon na pass away when people have panic attacks for instance they really believe they’re having a cardiovascular disease and
it’s I’ve had them they are very extremely unpleasant experiences however when individuals begin having physical grievances and it can be you understand they have an unusual rash that they can’t get to go away or it whatever however when they don’t know what it is and they can’t manage it they can’t make it go away they start thinking of all the worst-case situations and going online and getting on WebMD which usually provides you all the worst-case situations um so physical grievances are essential we need to normalize the fact that no one’s pain-free all the time and you know the fact that you may have a pain or a pains or a lump or a bump or you know a cough probably you understand when we take a look at probability the likelihood of it being something substantial is quite little now do you wish to get it checked out probably however you understand the probability that is anything to be fretted about is is relatively little and a sense of powerlessness can activate fear of the unknown and loss of control for somebody who doesn’t feel 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 may fear not remaining in control they might be holding on and saying alright this is the one area of my life I can control when I grew up you understand I grew up in a very chaotic environment I had no control I was bounced around in the foster system yadda yadda yadda now that I’m an adult you know I can control these things and I am going to hold on with white knuckles and if I can’t control everything then that horrifies me death and loss are other triggers for anxiety and it can be family pets or individuals and animals are important I do not wish to decrease family pets due to the fact that you know they are little parts of a lot of our households so making sure we examine that my child’s canine for instance is it’s getting old she’s aging she’s 14 now I think and you understand she remains in decent health we took her to the vet and the vet stated yeah she’s got a little heart whispering but that’s expected for a 14 year old pet 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 know if she when she crosses the bridge she will and and you know
I’m okay with that I’m I have a more difficult time dealing with my child’s emotional turmoil when that happens and because she’s matured with this pet dog 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 might not even be considering since I know in the back of my mind there’s always that fret about among our donkeys and her canine jobs and promos can trigger anxiety if people are afraid they’re gon na lose their job if they’re constantly afraid that you understand they’re gon na walk in and get a pink slip or get fired you understand we want to help them look at how reasonable is that are you doing what you require to do in order to accomplish and keep your job and in some cases it’s not easy to address I mean the first thought that a lot of us have is well you know if you’re doing the best thing so just do it but there are those employers out there and I have actually had some really amazing managers a lot of them and I have actually had two truly horrendous bosses and those 2 bosses I might never I never ever seemed like I was able to do anything best 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 wish to talk with people about does your job cause stress and anxiety what can you do to moderate that stress and anxiety the same thing with promos people may get anxious about whether they’re going to get promoted security and security you understand when you lose safety and security you can feel really distressed so if there’s a burglary at your home next door or a shooting down the road or you begin seeing the news you can feel unsecure and extremely hazardous really quickly so we want to help people find out how safe and secure are you actually and a great deal of it goes back to truly looking at facts when people lose their dreams and hopes or fear that they’re going to lose their dreams and hopes they can begin to get nervous you understand they have this dream that they’re going to be a doctor or I simply ended up the presentation on assisting high school trainees shift to college and a great deal of high school trainees for example start college with these large eyes and hopes to save the world and they wish to be doctors 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 recognize that you understand what I really do not like this however I have actually already committed to it so what do I do or I wish to help individuals however I can’t I can’t cut it doing this you understand for me I figured out in my 2nd year that I wasn’t going to medical school due to the fact that I wasn’t going to pass calculus which triggered a lot of stress and anxiety it resembled fine what am I gon na do now you know what career needs to I choose so helping people find out do you have dreams that have possibly sort of crashed and burned and you need to find new ones you understand fine that one we’ve got to accept it figure out that it’s not going to be and what can you do now people
might also have dreams about relationships they enter relationships and they see themselves with this person permanently and after that this relationship ends and or starts to get rocky and they’re like however that’s my dream what occurs if my that’s got to occur due to the fact that it’s my dream I don’t know how to work if that disappears we wish to help individuals have the ability to reword their narrative and then illness spiders and other fears sort of shares death a great deal of times when individuals get ill they start getting anxious that oh my gosh what if this is terminal oh my gosh what if this is you know incurable if I get bit by a spider it’s gon na eliminate me and which is rare you understand there are really couple of spiders that are really that harmful very same thing with snakes going over bridges I’ve shared with you all that is not one of my irrational fears you understand I am simply horrified that you understand something’s going to take place and I’m going to get pushed off the side of the bridge which is completely illogical but we need to help individuals look at those and identify the thoughts that they’re informing themself about those phobias and deal with that stress and anxiety failure is another trigger for stress and anxiety specifically 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 start to get anxious because they seem like if I’m not best then I’m a failure you know those cognitive distortions of all-or-nothing thinking and they begin with that unfavorable self-talk you understand you can’t do anything right so those are some of the issues that you understand we often see in therapy sessions so what do we do you know someone can be found in and it like I can’t live by doing this doc anxiety depression and compound disorders in addition to a variety of physical disorders are frequently comorbid so this is the first thing we require to recognize we require to understand that we’re extremely hardly ever dealing with an extremely basic medical diagnosis you understand when somebody comes in we need to find out you understand if they come in and they exist with anxiety all right let’s discuss that and
Understanding Stress And Anxiety: A Client’s Experience:
In my current session with Emma (name altered for privacy), a 32-year-old female, I had the chance to delve into the detailed layers of anxiety. Emma described experiencing consistent concern, a racing heart, and intrusive thoughts. She discovered it challenging to focus at work and often felt a sense of impending doom. These signs were interfering with her daily life, relationships, and overall well-being.
Emma’s Treatment Plan:
To resolve Emma’s anxiety, we established an extensive treatment plan tailored to her distinct requirements. Here are some key elements of her strategy:
Psychoeducation: Educating Emma about stress and anxiety and its physiological and psychological manifestations assisted her gain a deeper understanding of her signs. This understanding empowered her to acknowledge and verify her experiences.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based method that concentrates on recognizing and challenging illogical thoughts and beliefs. Emma learned to reframe unfavorable ideas and establish a more balanced viewpoint, gradually decreasing anxiety-triggering cognitions.
Relaxation Strategies: Including relaxation methods such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation assisted Emma regulate her tension action and promote a sense of calm.
Exposure Treatment: As Emma expressed avoidance behaviors related to specific triggers, we gradually exposed her to those circumstances in a regulated manner. This exposure enabled her to confront her fears and establish resilience versus anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Self-Care and Lifestyle Adjustments: Emma recognized the significance of self-care practices in managing her stress and anxiety. She focused on regular workout, healthy eating, quality sleep, and engaging in activities she delighted in to promote overall wellness.
My Journey as a Therapist:
My choice to become a therapist was deeply affected by my own struggles with anxiety. When working with clients facing comparable challenges, my personal journey has actually provided me with special insights and compassion. Having actually experienced anxiety firsthand, I have the ability to relate to my clients’ fears, worries, and the impact anxiety can have on numerous aspects of life.
Harvard’s Research on Anxiety:
A critical term paper titled “Comprehending the Intricacy of Anxiety: Insights from a Longitudinal Study” by Harvard University provides valuable insights into the complexity of anxiety conditions. The study followed a cohort of people over a period of 10 years and examined numerous aspects contributing to the advancement, upkeep, and treatment of stress and anxiety.
The paper highlighted that anxiety disorders emerge from a mix of genetic, environmental, and mental elements. It highlighted the importance of early intervention, evidence-based treatments, and holistic approaches in handling stress and anxiety efficiently. The findings further underscored the significance of a therapeutic alliance and individualized treatment strategies in addressing anxiety. Should I Go To A Therapist For Social Anxiety
Conclusion:
Stress and anxiety is a complex and deeply personal experience that impacts individuals in profound ways. Through therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation, CBT, relaxation techniques, exposure therapy, and self-care practices, individuals like Emma can gain control over their anxiety and lead fulfilling lives.