Exploring Effective Treatments for Managing Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Occasional anxiety is a natural and common aspect of the human experience. It is not uncommon for individuals to feel anxious in response to everyday stressors like financial concerns, health issues, or family challenges. Anxiety serves as an adaptive response, aiding humans in managing stress and potential threats. It prompts heightened awareness and readiness to address or confront challenges, contributing to our ability to navigate various situations effectively.

Anxiety Disorders

There are various types of anxiety disorders, most common include, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and specific phobias. While anxiety is normal, if it proves to be chronic or affects one’s daily living and functioning, seeking assistance from a professional is recommended. Treatment often includes therapeutic counseling such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or medication and sometimes both are necessary to experience improvement of symptoms. Additionally, one can learn meditation and relaxing techniques to manage symptoms. 

Symptoms of anxiety disorders include:

  • Feeling restless

  • Being easily fatigued

  • Having difficulty concentrating

  • Being irritable

  • Having headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, or unexplained pains

  • Difficulty controlling feelings of worry

  • Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep

Anxiety disorders can occasionally bring about panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear, discomfort, or a sense of losing control even when there is no clear danger or trigger (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], n.d) 

People who are experiencing a panic attack may feel: 

  • Sweating

  • Chest pain and tingling 

  • Pounding or racing heart 

  • Feelings of being out of control

Therapeutic Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often recommended for those suffering from anxiety symptoms. It focuses on identifying and challenging irrational or distorted thoughts and beliefs that contribute to anxiety. According to Dr. Cully, “The basic premise of CBT is that emotions are difficult to change directly, so CBT targets emotions by changing thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to the distressing emotions” (Cully, 2008). By reframing negative thinking and replacing it with positive and more realistic thoughts, people are equipped with skills to reduce anxiety levels and improve coping abilities. I hypothesize that clients who have received CBT will continue to experience improvement as they have been taught to identify the event-thought-feeling cycle. In a 5-20 year follow-up study, clients who received CBT therapy tested higher than they did post-treatment (von Brachel, 2019). This shows long-term progress and continued improvement after their therapy has ended. Hence, CBT contributes to development and long-term wellness. 

Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of being fully present and observing feelings, thoughts, and emotions to lessen and create distance between negative thoughts and anxiety. Meditation is a practice that someone can do on their own to assist in the coping of their anxiety symptoms. The form of mindfulness meditation that I recommend involves providing attention to what is physically occurring around a person. This can include recognizing where your hands and feet lay and centering yourself in the present. Along with attention, acceptance must be given to the emotions and thoughts one may be feeling. It is important to refrain from judgment and simply understand that they are feelings and not assign them to positive or negative. Medical News Today states that “Mindfulness allows a person to take a step away from the chaos of anxiety and create a buffer that provides protective emotional space” (Veazey, 2021). Study and research shows that this approach to meditation has proven to be effective in refusing and stopping an immediate negative thought pattern. 

Closing Remarks

Many techniques can be used to help an individual face and deal with feelings of chronic anxiety. As a counselor-in-training, these two methods are the first to come to mind given the great effects they can have, not only do they assist in the moment but they add to an arsenal of proactive and healthy ways to promote emotional and mental well-being.

References

Anxiety Disorders. n.d. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders#part_2223

Cully, J. (2008). A practical guide for orienting new providers to CBT+ 2019. Washington edu. https://depts.washington.edu/uwhatc/PDF/TF-%20CBT/pages/ 1%20Therapist%20Resources/\

Veazey, Karen. 31 August 2021. How can mindfulness meditation help lessen anxiety?. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mindfulness-meditation-for-anxiety#about-anxiety

Von Brachel, R. (2019). Long-term effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in routine outpatient care: A 5- to 20-year follow-up study. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31121580/

Previous
Previous

How Does Adult Dysregulation Impact a Child's Ability to Regulate?

Next
Next

Technology and its Implications for Confidentiality, Accessibility, and HIPAA