All You Need To Know About Anxiety

Most people have been anxious at one point or another in their lives. However, the condition becomes alarming if it is uncontrollable and affects your daily life. If you have an anxiety disorder, you need not worry since the condition is manageable. The article below details some of the common anxiety disorders and the various anxiety therapies. 

Types Of Anxiety Disorders

Your recovery journey begins with establishing the type of anxiety that you have. Below are some common types of anxiety disorders: 

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder predisposes you to recurrent thoughts and repetitive behaviour. For example, you might clean your home regularly since dirt makes you anxious.
• Panic disorders cause episodes of intense fear. You may sweat, shiver, or experience chest pains during these episodes.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in people who have gone through horrifying experiences in the past. Typically, you relive the traumatic event.
• Social anxiety makes you uncomfortable or exceedingly self-conscious when in public.
• General anxiety disorder makes you panic even when there is no trigger.
• Phobias are specific to a specific event. For example, you could become anxious when crossing a bridge, flying, or in a confined place.

Anxiety Therapies

Below are some therapies that your counsellor will use to treat your anxiety:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) relies on the principle that negative thoughts, rather than events, cause anxiety. As such, this therapy aims to challenge the patient's thought process. Typically, the counsellor starts by helping you identify negative thoughts. For instance, you could fear social places because you are worried about how people might judge you. The therapist will then help you challenge those negative thoughts. For example, why do you think people judge you? It could be that you are concerned about your appearance or actin. The professional will help you replace negative thinking with realistic thoughts. For instance, they will let you know that you dress appropriately or eat food similar to other people.  

Exposure Therapy 

Exposure therapy, as the name suggests, exposes you to your fears. Repeated exposure to your fears will normalise the event, thus helping you overcome your anxiety. For instance, if you suffer from social anxiety, the therapist will ask you to attend as many events as possible. It might be challenging at first. However, over time, you will get the hang of it. 

Interpersonal Therapy 

Interpersonal therapy addresses how personal relationships could have caused your anxiety. For instance, negative comments from friends and family could have caused your social anxiety or phobia. In this case, your counsellor will help you overcome the feelings associated with such statements. 

Do not let anxiety take over your life. Contact an experienced counsellor and begin treatment. Contact a professional who offers anxiety counselling services to learn more.