a widespread mental health concern, impacts countless people worldwide. Should I See A Therapist For Anxiety … As a Licensed Scientific Social Worker (LCSW), I have witnessed the impact of stress and anxiety on countless lives. In this article, I will share an extensive exploration of stress and anxiety through the lens of a current treatment session with a client, highlighting signs, treatment techniques, and my individual journey as a therapist with my own experiences of anxiety In addition, we will go over a research paper by Harvard University that clarifies the multifaceted nature of anxiety.|Anxiety, a common psychological health issue, affects millions of individuals worldwide. As a Certified Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I have witnessed the effect of stress and anxiety on countless lives.}
presentation on strengths-based biopsychosocial methods to resolving stress and anxiety and while those are wonderful you know I thought possibly we should take a look at you understand what’s some of the current research study so I entered into PubMed which is I do not know it’s play area for me it’s where you find a lot of the journal posts and you can sort and I arranged by short articles that were done and meta-analyses that were done within the past five years so that offers us a concept about present research I indicate there’s a great deal of things that is still the same like a few of the medications that were understood to work 10 years back are still understood to be you know excellent first-line treatments but there are likewise some beginners that we’ll discuss and there are also some changes that we’re going to discuss so we’re going to check out some common causes for anxiety symptoms in order to treat it we truly need to and naturally this does play into the biopsychosocial element we truly require to comprehend type of what causes it because stress and anxiety that’s triggered by for instance someone having a racing heart may be different than stress and anxiety that’s triggered for someone who has desertion concerns so we’re gon na deal with the two things differently so we wish to look at a few of the typical causes we’re gon na look at some common triggers for anxiety you know what are some of these typical themes that we see in practice and I will ask you to share some of the themes that you see that underlie a lot or highlight of your customers stress and anxiety and determine current finest practices for anxiety management including 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 clients have stress and anxiety comorbid with depression 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 lot of times individuals who are have both concerns truly want to sleep but they can’t so I want to help clients comprehend that likewise often stress and anxiety when individuals are anxious for long enough the body starts type of hanging on to the cortisol the body in fact recognizes at a certain point this is a losing battle I’m not going to put energy into this any longer so it begins with drawing a few of its excitatory neurotransmitter so to speak and individuals will start to feel depressed essentially the brain has currently stated this is hopeless this is you’re you’re defenseless to alter the situation so then individuals start feeling helpless and powerless which is sort of the meaning if you will of anxiety low-grade chronic stress and anxiety arose energy and people’s ability to focus so if we’re going to help them become their uber selves we need to help them determine how to resolve anxiety not just generalized frustrating debilitating anxiety however also panic social stress and anxiety and those minor anxiety sets off that come along that may not meet the threshold for a medical diagnosis anxiety is a significant trigger for dependency relapse if you have a client who is self
medicated prior to or had a dependency for some reason anxiety is a significant trigger increased physical pain when stress and anxiety goes up people tend to tense their muscles when they tense their muscles they tend to feel more pain I indicate consider when you’re stressed you tend to have more discomfort like in your neck in your back and things that currently harmed might hurt more why since serotonin which is one of our significant anti-anxiety neurotransmitters is also one of our major pain modulators so when serotonin levels are too low due to the fact that stress and anxiety is high then our pain understanding is going to be more intense and individuals can have sleep problems if you’re stressed your body thinks there’s a threat you’re not going to have the ability to enter into that deep relaxing sleep you might have you might sleep you may sleep a lot but it’s most likely not quality sleep which means your neurotransmitters might leave whack your hormones make it out of whack and your body is going to begin viewing your itself in a consistent state of tension when we’re exhausted the body knows that we may be the weakest link in the herd so it continues to secrete cortisol to keep keep you on alert a little bit so you might once again you may be resting kind of like when you have a new infant at home those very first couple of months that my children were home from the medical facility I slept however I didn’t sleep well I imply the smallest 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 stress and anxiety abandonment and rejection and we’re going to discuss ways we might want to deal with these things however some of the underlying themes that I have actually seen in a lot of clients and when I do the research what a lot of what themes that come out consist of low self-esteem
if someone has low self-esteem they’re seeming externally verified frequently they’re trying to find somebody else to tell them you’re adorable you’re fine so that can result in stress and anxiety about not having individuals to tell them you’re alright that makes their relationships tenuous and can make them dysfunctional cognitive distortions and irrational ideas may lead people to think that if I’m not perfect for instance 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 client is relatively psychologically and physically healthy if they remain in a dysfunctional relationship they can fear desertion and rejection if that other individual is always stating 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 desertion stress and anxiety and ineffective social skills can lead to relationship turmoil and social exile if our clients remain in relationships even if they’re not entirely inefficient if our clients are not able to request for what they require and set appropriate limits and manage dispute efficiently since dispute occurs in every relationship then they may start to argue more which may result in fearing may cause relationships ending in the past and them going well every relationship I get into ends which suggests I should not be adorable so they begin fearing desertion and rejection so these are four areas that we can take a look at one more evaluating clients another issue is the unknown and loss of control a great deal of times negative self-talk and cognitive distortions can contribute to that if I don’t have control of whatever then it’s all going to be a catastrophe negative others when clients hang out or when individuals hang out with negative individuals it type of wears on you after a while you observe that people who are tend to be more unfavorable downhearted conspiracy minded tend to hang out with individuals who are also negative cynical and conspiracy minded so if you’re hanging out with somebody who tends to be distressed then the anxiety can be palpable and it can kind of penetrate physical grievances can lead individuals to be nervous because they do not understand what’s triggering it like I stated earlier often if your heart starts to race if you don’t understand what’s causing it you can start thinking I’m having a cardiac arrest or I’m gon na pass away when people have anxiety attack for instance they really believe they’re having a heart attack and
it’s I have actually had them they are very very unpleasant experiences but when people start having physical grievances and it can be you understand they have a weird rash that they can’t get to disappear or it whatever however when they do not know what it is and they can’t control it they can’t make it disappear they start thinking about all the worst-case scenarios and going on the internet and getting on WebMD which generally gives you all the worst-case scenarios um so physical grievances are important we need to stabilize the reality that no one’s pain-free all the time and you know the fact that you may have a discomfort or a pains or a swelling or a bump or you understand a cough probably you know when we look at probability the possibility of it being something considerable is quite little now do you want to get it took a look at most likely however you understand the likelihood that is anything to be worried about is is reasonably little and a sense of powerlessness can activate worry of the unknown and loss of control for someone who doesn’t feel like they have any agency in their life if they have an external locus of control or if they felt victimized all of their life then they might fear not being in control they may be hanging on and stating alright this is the one area of my life I can control when I grew up you know I matured 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 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 people or pets and pets are very important I don’t wish to reduce animals due to the fact that you know they are little parts of a lot of our families so making certain we examine that my daughter’s canine for example is it’s getting old she’s growing older she’s 14 now I think and you know she remains in decent health we took her to the veterinarian and the veterinarian stated yeah she’s got a little heart murmur however that’s expected for a 14 year old pet dog and however when she goes out if she does not return when I call her I have this rush of anxiety for a second oh my gosh I hope this wasn’t the day so anxiety around losing individuals and you understand if she when she crosses the bridge she will and and you understand
I’m fine with that I’m I have a more difficult time handling my daughter’s psychological chaos when that takes place and because she’s matured with this canine so you understand those are the kinds of things that we wish to speak about with our customers what things are weighing on you that you might not even be considering since I know in the back of my mind there’s constantly that fret about one of our donkeys and her dog jobs and promos can trigger stress and anxiety if people hesitate they’re gon na lose their task if they’re constantly scared that you understand they’re gon na stroll in and get or get a pink slip fired you know we wish to help them look at how practical is that are you doing what you need to do in order to achieve and keep your job and in some cases it’s challenging to address I mean the very first idea that a great deal of us have is well you know if you’re doing the ideal thing so just do it but there are those bosses out there and I have actually had some actually incredible managers a great deal of them and I have actually had 2 actually horrendous employers and those two employers I could never ever I never seemed like I was able to do anything right therefore going to those tasks there was always 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 task cause stress and anxiety what can you do to moderate that anxiety the exact same thing with promotions people might get anxious about whether they’re going to get promoted safety and security you know when you lose security and security you can feel actually nervous so if there’s a break-in at your home next door or a shooting down the road or you start watching the news you can feel really risky and unsecure really quickly so we want to assist individuals determine how safe and safe are you really and a great deal of it returns to actually taking a look at facts when individuals lose their dreams and hopes or fear that they’re going to lose their dreams and hopes they can begin to get anxious you understand they have this dream that they’re going to be a doctor or I simply completed the discussion on helping high school trainees shift to college and a great deal of high school trainees for example start college with these wide eyes and intends to conserve the world and they wish to be doctors and engineers and this and that and they enter into 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 wish to assist people but I can’t I can’t cut it doing this you understand for me I determined in my second year that I wasn’t going to medical school because I wasn’t going to pass calculus and that triggered a lot of stress and anxiety it resembled alright what am I gon na do now you know what profession must I pick so assisting people figure out do you have dreams that have perhaps type of crashed and burned and you need to find brand-new ones you understand okay 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 likewise have dreams about relationships they enter into relationships and they see themselves with this person forever and then this relationship ends and or starts to get rocky and they resemble but that’s my dream what occurs if my that’s got to take place due to the fact that it’s my dream I do not know how to operate if that disappears we want to help individuals be able to reword their narrative and after that illness spiders and other fears type of shares death a great deal of times when individuals get ill they begin getting nervous 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 unusual you know there are really few spiders that are in fact that dangerous very same thing with snakes discussing bridges I’ve shown you all that is not one of my unreasonable fears you understand I am simply terrified that you understand something’s going to happen and I’m going to get pushed off the side of the bridge which is totally illogical but we require to assist individuals look at those and identify the thoughts that they’re telling themself about those fears and handle that stress and anxiety failure is another trigger for anxiety particularly in this culture our culture American culture in in big part puts a high premium on success and perfectionism so when individuals recognize that they’re not perfect they might begin to get distressed since 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 begin with that negative self-talk you know you can’t do anything right so those are some of the problems that you understand we typically see in therapy sessions so what do we do you understand someone can be found in and it like I can’t live this way doc stress and anxiety depression and compound conditions as well as a series of physical conditions are frequently comorbid so this is the first thing we need to realize we need to understand that we’re very seldom handling a very simple medical diagnosis you understand when somebody is available in we require to find out you know if they come in and they exist with depression all right let’s speak about that and
Understanding Anxiety: A Patient’s Experience:
In my recent session with Emma (name changed for personal privacy), a 32-year-old female, I had the chance to dive into the elaborate layers of stress and anxiety. These symptoms were interfering with her daily life, relationships, and total wellness.
Emma’s Treatment Strategy:
To deal with Emma’s anxiety, we established a comprehensive treatment strategy customized to her special needs. Here are some key elements of her strategy:
Psychoeducation: Educating Emma about anxiety and its mental and physiological symptoms assisted her gain a much deeper understanding of her symptoms. This understanding empowered her to recognize and validate her experiences.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based method that focuses on determining and challenging illogical ideas and beliefs. Emma discovered to reframe negative ideas and establish a more balanced perspective, slowly minimizing anxiety-triggering cognitions.
Relaxation Techniques: Incorporating relaxation strategies such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation assisted Emma manage her stress reaction and promote a sense of calm.
Direct exposure Treatment: As Emma revealed avoidance habits related to specific triggers, we gradually exposed her to those situations in a controlled way. This exposure allowed her to face her fears and develop durability versus anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Self-Care and Lifestyle Adjustments: Emma acknowledged the importance of self-care practices in managing her stress and anxiety. She prioritized regular exercise, healthy consuming, quality sleep, and taking part in activities she delighted in to promote overall well-being.
My Journey as a Therapist:
My decision to become a therapist was deeply affected by my own struggles with anxiety. My individual journey has actually supplied me with distinct insights and compassion when dealing with clients dealing with similar obstacles. Having actually experienced stress and anxiety firsthand, I am able to associate with my patients’ worries, concerns, and the impact anxiety can have on numerous aspects of life.
Harvard’s Research on Anxiety:
A seminal research paper titled “Comprehending the Complexity of Stress And Anxiety: Insights from a Longitudinal Study” by Harvard University provides important insights into the complexity of stress and anxiety conditions. The study followed a cohort of people over a span of 10 years and examined different factors adding to the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety.
The paper stressed that stress and anxiety conditions occur from a mix of hereditary, environmental, and mental factors. It highlighted the value of early intervention, evidence-based therapies, and holistic methods in managing stress and anxiety efficiently. The findings even more underscored the significance of a restorative alliance and personalized treatment plans in attending to anxiety. Should I See A Therapist For Anxiety
Conclusion:
Anxiety is a complex and deeply individual experience that impacts individuals in extensive ways. Through healing interventions like psychoeducation, CBT, relaxation techniques, exposure treatment, and self-care practices, individuals like Emma can get control over their anxiety and lead fulfilling lives.