a common mental health concern, impacts countless people worldwide. Anxiety Therapy At Home … As an Accredited Scientific Social Worker (LCSW), I have experienced the impact of stress and anxiety on countless lives. In this short article, I will share an extensive expedition of anxiety through the lens of a recent treatment session with a client, highlighting symptoms, treatment techniques, and my personal journey as a therapist with my own experiences of stress and anxiety In addition, we will discuss a research paper by Harvard University that clarifies the diverse nature of stress and anxiety.|Anxiety, a common psychological health issue, impacts millions of individuals worldwide. As a Licensed Scientific Social Worker (LCSW), I have actually experienced the impact of anxiety on countless lives.}
presentation on strengths-based biopsychosocial techniques to dealing with anxiety and while those are terrific you understand I believed perhaps we should look at you understand what’s some of the existing research so I went into PubMed which is I don’t understand it’s playground for me it’s where you find a great deal of the journal short articles and you can arrange and I sorted by posts that were done and meta-analyses that were done within the past five years so that offers us a concept about existing research I imply there’s a lot of things that is still the exact same like some of the medications that were understood to work 10 years ago are still understood to be you know good first-line treatments but there are also some newbies that we’ll speak about and there are also some changes that we’re going to discuss so we’re going to explore some typical causes for stress and anxiety symptoms in order to treat it we really need to and naturally this does play into the biopsychosocial aspect we really require to understand kind of what causes it because stress and anxiety that’s caused by for example someone having a racing heart may be different than stress and anxiety that’s triggered for somebody who has desertion problems so we’re gon na deal with the two things differently so we wish to take a look at some of the common causes we’re gon na take a look at some typical triggers for anxiety you understand what are a few of these typical styles that we see in practice and I will ask you to share a few of the styles that you see that underline or underlie a lot of your customers stress and anxiety and determine current finest practices for stress and anxiety management including therapy interventions medications physical interventions and encouraging treatments so we care because anxiety.
can be debilitating and a great deal of our clients have stress and anxiety a great deal of our customers have stress and anxiety comorbid with anxiety and they’re taking a look at us going how can I feel anxious and stressed and like I can’t sit still and depressed at the same time you know when you’re depressed you’re expected to want to sleep well a lot of times people who are have both concerns really want to sleep but they can’t so I wish to help customers comprehend that also sometimes stress and anxiety when people are anxious for enough time the body begins sort of hanging on to the cortisol the body really recognizes at a specific point this is a losing battle I’m not going to put energy into this any longer so it starts with drawing a few of its excitatory neurotransmitter so to speak and individuals will start to feel depressed generally the brain has actually currently said this is hopeless this is you’re you’re helpless to alter the scenario so then individuals begin feeling helpless and defenseless which is sort of the meaning if you will of anxiety low-grade persistent tension and 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 figure out how to address stress and anxiety not simply generalized overwhelming incapacitating anxiety but also panic social anxiety and those small anxiety activates that occurred that may not satisfy the limit for a medical diagnosis stress and anxiety is a major trigger for addiction relapse 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 pain when anxiety goes up individuals tend to tense their muscles when they tense their muscles they tend to feel more pain I mean think of when you’re stressed out you tend to have more pain like in your neck in your back and things that already harmed might hurt more why due to the fact that serotonin which is one of our significant anti-anxiety neurotransmitters is likewise one of our significant pain modulators so when serotonin levels are too low due to the fact that anxiety is high then our pain understanding is going to be more severe and people can have sleep issues if you’re stressed out your body believes there’s a danger 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 however it’s most likely not quality sleep which indicates your neurotransmitters might leave whack your hormonal agents make it out of whack and your body is going to begin perceiving your itself in a relentless state of stress when we’re exhausted the body understands that we may be the weakest link in the herd so it continues to produce cortisol to keep keep you on alert a bit so you may again you might be resting kind of like when you have a new child in your home those very first couple of months that my kids were house from the hospital I slept however I didn’t sleep well I imply the slightest little sound and I was awake and I was looking around and you understand I felt it I felt exhausted and a great deal of new parents do so sets off for anxiety abandonment and rejection and we’re going to discuss ways we might wish to handle these things however some of the underlying themes that I have actually seen in a great deal of customers and when I do the research what a lot of what styles that come out consist of low self-confidence
if someone has low self-confidence they’re looking to be externally confirmed often they’re looking for someone else to tell them you’re adorable you’re fine so that can cause anxiety about not having people to tell them you’re fine which makes their relationships rare and can make them dysfunctional cognitive distortions and unreasonable ideas might lead people to believe that if I’m not ideal for example I am not adorable so we’re going to take a look at some irrational ideas and cognitive distortions unhealthy social assistances and relationships when you’re in a relationship it takes two to tango and even if your client is reasonably mentally and physically healthy if they are in an inefficient relationship they can fear desertion and rejection if that other individual is always stating if you don’t do X I’m going to leave you or if that other person is always cheating on them or whatever so relationships can set off desertion anxiety and ineffective social abilities can result in relationship turmoil and social exile if our clients are in relationships even if they’re not completely inefficient if our customers are unable to request for what they need and set suitable borders and manage dispute efficiently due to the fact that dispute takes place in every relationship then they might start to argue more which may lead to fearing might cause relationships ending in the past and them going well every relationship I enter into ends which means I must not be lovable so they start fearing desertion and rejection so these are 4 areas that we can look at one more examining customers another concern is the unknown and loss of control a great deal of times unfavorable self-talk and cognitive distortions can contribute to that if I do not have control of whatever then it’s all going to be a catastrophe negative others when clients hang out or when people socialize with negative individuals it type of wears on you after a while you notice that people who are tend to be more unfavorable pessimistic conspiracy minded tend to socialize with individuals who are likewise unfavorable cynical and conspiracy minded so if you’re hanging out with someone who tends to be anxious then the anxiety can be palpable and it can sort of permeate physical grievances can lead individuals to be nervous since they don’t know what’s causing it like I said previously sometimes if your heart begins to race if you do not understand what’s triggering it you can start thinking I’m having a heart attack or I’m gon na die when people have anxiety attack for instance they genuinely think they’re having a cardiac arrest and
it’s I have actually had them they are extremely very unpleasant experiences but when individuals start having physical complaints and it can be you understand they have an odd 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 control it they can’t make it go away they begin thinking about all the worst-case situations and going online and getting on WebMD which normally gives you all the worst-case scenarios um so physical problems are necessary we need to normalize the truth that nobody’s pain-free all the time and you know the truth that you may have a discomfort or a pains or a lump or a bump or you know a cough probably you understand when we take a look at possibility the likelihood of it being something significant is quite small now do you wish to get it had a look at probably but you understand the possibility that is anything to be worried about is is fairly little and a sense of powerlessness can set off worry of the unknown and loss of control for someone who does not 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 may fear not remaining in control they may be hanging on and stating all right this is the one location of my life I can manage when I grew up you understand I matured in an extremely chaotic environment I had no control I was bounced around in the foster system yadda yadda yadda now that I’m an adult you understand I can manage these things and I am going to hold on with white knuckles and if I can’t control whatever then that terrifies me death and loss are other triggers for anxiety and it can be pets or people and family pets are essential I don’t want to lessen pets because you know they are little parts of a lot of our families so ensuring we examine that my child’s pet dog for instance is it’s getting old she’s getting older she’s 14 now I believe and you understand she’s in good health we took her to the vet and the vet said yeah she’s got a little heart murmur but that’s expected for a 14 years of age pet and but when she heads out if she doesn’t come back 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 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 harder time handling my child’s emotional turmoil when that takes place and due to the fact that she’s grown up with this pet so you understand those are the types of things that we want to discuss with our customers what things are weighing on you that you might not even be thinking of since I understand in the back of my mind there’s always that worry about among our donkeys and her pet jobs and promotions can set off stress and anxiety if individuals hesitate they’re gon na lose their task if they’re always afraid that you know they’re gon na walk in and get a pink slip or get fired you understand we wish to help them look at how realistic is that are you doing what you need to do in order to accomplish and keep your job and in some cases it’s hard to answer I suggest the very first idea that a lot of us have is well you understand if you’re doing the ideal thing so simply do it but there are those managers out there and I’ve had some actually fantastic managers a great deal of them and I’ve had two truly horrendous employers and those 2 bosses I might never I never seemed like I had the ability to do anything right and so going to those jobs 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 individuals about does your task cause stress and anxiety what can you do to moderate that stress and anxiety the very same thing with promos people may get anxious about whether they’re going to get promoted safety and security you know when you lose security and security you can feel truly nervous so if there’s a break-in at your home next door or a shooting down the road or you start seeing the news you can feel really unsafe and unsecure actually quickly so we want to help individuals figure out how safe and safe and secure are you actually and a great deal of it returns to really taking a look at truths when individuals lose their dreams and hopes or fear that they’re going to lose their dreams and hopes they can start to get nervous you understand they have this dream that they’re going to be a medical professional or I just finished the presentation on helping high school students transition to college and a great deal of high school trainees for example start college with these wide eyes and wants to save the world and they want to be physicians and engineers and this and that and they get into it and they understand that it’s a lot harder than they believed or they understand that you know what I actually don’t like this however I’ve currently devoted to it so what do I do or I want to assist individuals however I can’t I can’t cut it doing this you understand for me I determined in my 2nd year that I wasn’t going to medical school since I wasn’t going to pass calculus which caused a lot of stress and anxiety it resembled all right what am I gon na do now you understand what profession must I pick so helping individuals find out do you have dreams that have perhaps type of crashed and burned and you have to find brand-new ones you understand all right that one we have actually got to accept it find out that it’s not going to be and what can you do now people
may likewise have dreams about relationships they enter relationships and they see themselves with this person forever and then this relationship ends and or begins to get rocky and they resemble however that’s my dream what occurs if my that’s got to take place because it’s my dream I don’t know how to operate if that goes away we wish to assist individuals have the ability to reword their narrative and then illness spiders and other phobias sort of shares death a great deal of times when people get ill they start getting distressed 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 understand there are very few spiders that are really that toxic exact same thing with snakes going over bridges I’ve shared with you all that is not one of my illogical worries you understand I am just horrified that you understand something’s going to occur and I’m going to get pushed off the side of the bridge which is totally illogical however we require to help individuals look at those and recognize the ideas that they’re informing themself about those fears and deal with that anxiety failure is another trigger for stress and anxiety especially in this culture our culture American culture in in big part puts a high premium on success and perfectionism so when people realize that they’re not perfect they might start to get anxious since they seem like if I’m not ideal then I’m a failure you understand those cognitive distortions of all-or-nothing thinking and they start with that negative self-talk you understand you can’t do anything right so those are a few of the problems that you understand we typically see in counseling sessions so what do we do you know someone is available in and it like I can’t live this way doc anxiety depression and substance conditions in addition to a range of physical disorders are frequently comorbid so this is the first thing we require to understand we need to recognize that we’re really seldom handling a very basic diagnosis you know when somebody can be found in we need to determine you understand if they come in and they exist with depression all right let’s discuss that and
Comprehending Anxiety: A Patient’s Experience:
In my recent session with Emma (name altered for personal privacy), a 32-year-old lady, I had the chance to look into the detailed layers of stress and anxiety. Emma described experiencing consistent worry, a racing heart, and invasive ideas. She discovered it challenging to focus at work and frequently felt a sense of impending doom. These symptoms were hindering her every day life, relationships, and overall well-being.
Emma’s Treatment Plan:
To resolve Emma’s anxiety, we developed an extensive treatment plan tailored to her distinct needs. Here are some crucial elements of her plan:
Psychoeducation: Educating Emma about stress and anxiety and its physiological and mental symptoms helped her gain a deeper understanding of her signs. This knowledge empowered her to recognize and validate her experiences.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based approach that concentrates on identifying and challenging irrational thoughts and beliefs. Emma found out to reframe negative thoughts and establish a more balanced point of view, gradually reducing anxiety-triggering cognitions.
Relaxation Strategies: Including relaxation methods such as deep breathing workouts, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation assisted Emma control her tension action and promote a sense of calm.
Exposure Treatment: As Emma expressed avoidance habits associated with certain triggers, we gradually exposed her to those circumstances in a controlled way. This direct exposure permitted her to face her fears and develop resilience against anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Self-Care and Lifestyle Modifications: Emma acknowledged the importance of self-care practices in managing her anxiety. She focused on routine exercise, healthy eating, quality sleep, and participating in activities she enjoyed to promote general wellness.
My Journey as a Therapist:
My decision to end up being a therapist was deeply influenced by my own struggles with stress and anxiety. My personal journey has offered me with distinct insights and compassion when dealing with clients dealing with comparable challenges. Having experienced anxiety firsthand, I am able to connect to my clients’ worries, worries, and the effect stress and anxiety can have on different elements of life.
Harvard’s Research on Stress and anxiety:
A seminal term paper entitled “Understanding the Intricacy of Anxiety: Insights from a Longitudinal Research Study” by Harvard University supplies valuable insights into the complexity of stress and anxiety conditions. The research study followed a mate of people over a span of ten years and examined different aspects contributing to the advancement, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety.
The paper stressed that anxiety disorders arise from a mix of genetic, ecological, and psychological aspects. It highlighted the value of early intervention, evidence-based therapies, and holistic techniques in managing stress and anxiety successfully. The findings further highlighted the significance of a therapeutic alliance and customized treatment strategies in attending to stress and anxiety. Anxiety Therapy At Home
Conclusion:
Stress and anxiety is a deeply individual and multifaceted experience that affects individuals in profound methods. Through healing interventions like psychoeducation, CBT, relaxation methods, direct exposure therapy, and self-care practices, individuals like Emma can gain control over their stress and anxiety and lead satisfying lives. As a therapist, my individual journey with anxiety allows me to provide reliable and caring care to my customers. The research study performed by Harvard University clarifies the intricate nature of anxiety, strengthening the importance of tailored treatments and early intervention in promoting psychological wellness. Together, we can browse the labyrinth of anxiety and discover the path to a more peaceful and empowered existence.