Anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive fear and worry, which can interfere with normal functioning and well-being. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or background. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders in the world, impacting 19.1% of U.S. adults and 31.9% of U.S. adolescents in any given year. Sadly, many people are often reluctant to seek help dealing with anxiety. However, thanks to an anxiety therapist Lafayette, La, there is hope. But can therapy help with anxiety? Yes, it can. Let’s dive in to find out how!
The Role of Therapy in Anxiety Treatment
Anxiety disorders can hurt your personal, social, and professional life. They can also increase your risk of developing other mental or physical health problems, such as depression, substance abuse, or cardiovascular disease. While there is a medication that helps you deal with your anxiety, it isn’t a long-term fix. Let’s not forget the additional side effects of constantly taking medication.
Therapy is a safe, effective anxiety treatment option that allows you to untangle your anxiety. So, how does therapy help you manage your anxiety?
1. It allows You To Share the Load
Therapy gives you a platform to share your feelings and thoughts. Having a safe communication space helps you feel lighter as you can talk openly about your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Due to the illogical nature of anxiety, many people often feel ashamed to express themselves. This means hiding your suffering from family, friends, and at times ourselves. Sharing your anxiety and the associated emotions can lift a significant burden from your shoulders.
2. Gives You a New Perspective
Addressing anxiety begins with identifying your negative thought patterns. One of the common causes of anxiety disorders often stems from the stress of a traumatic event or an accumulation of small daily stressors. It then ends up clouding your perspective. Therapy helps you recognize and address negative thought patterns.
Your therapist will provide you with relevant coping mechanisms to address negative thoughts. Once you identify the negative thoughts that make your anxiety worse, your therapist helps you get a new and different perspective on handling yourself in a stressful situation.
3. Helps You Identify Your Triggers
All disorders, including anxiety, have triggers, and it’s crucial to acknowledge that each person’s triggers are unique. Therapy aids in identifying your triggers and provides the necessary tools to cope with triggering environments. Some things that often trigger anxiety include social events, caffeine, skipping meals, financial concerns, or personal triggers like smells, a song, or specific places.
Therapy helps you identify your triggers and arms you with the right tools to cope when in a triggering environment.
4. You Find Effective Ways of Dealing with Your Anxiety
“Anxiety is an uncomfortable and distressing experience for nearly everyone going through it. And apart from the mental toll it takes on the body, anxiety also comes with many physical symptoms. Symptoms may include trembling, hyperventilating, shortness of breath, and more. When navigating ways to manage anxiety, embracing natural anxiety relief techniques can be empowering, such as incorporating regular physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep.
Therapy helps you learn relaxation techniques to calm your nervous system. These techniques also help teach you how to ease the physical symptoms that come with anxiety. Some relaxation techniques the therapist teaches include deep breathing, muscle relaxation, or meditation. All of which help stabilize and regulate your physical symptoms.
5. Someone Fully Understands You
Anyone who suffers from anxiety knows all too well the feeling of having a loved one dismiss or laugh at you. Others have often been told to shake it off and deal with their issues. If it were that simple, the statistics on anxiety disorders worldwide would be lower. However, anxiety is something you can’t simply shake off; coping with it requires support.
Therapy creates a safe space with someone who genuinely understands what it means to live in your world. Your therapist won’t make you feel silly; instead, they take you very seriously.
6. Provides You With a Diverse Range of Treatments
Aside from coping techniques, therapy also has a diverse range of treatments for anxiety. Some of these treatments include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most commonly used form of therapy for anxiety disorders. This treatment helps address negative distortions and patterns in how you view yourself and the world.
- Thought challenging: This treatment addresses negative thinking patterns and replaces them with more realistic and positive thoughts.
Remember, taking the first step is essential for therapy to work. By coming to a place of realizing you need help with your anxiety, therapy then becomes a helping tool you can use.
