Therapies for Anxiety

By Stephen Daniels

Anxiety is a common reaction to stress. When stress levels become too high to handle day to day well, anxiety can reach a level that could interfere with daily life. This is particularly true now, in the current economy, when financial worries are affecting so many homes.

Difficulties in handling the monthly bills, fretting about job security, and the risk of foreclosure all put people at risk for anxiety. Worries about other personal problems can also add to underlying issues.

Symptoms of anxiety can be emotional, mental and even physical, or a combination of all three. Sufferers often describe feeling trapped or overwhelmed. You may feel afraid without understanding why, or be concerned about losing control of day to day events. Big mood swings and bouts of sadness are common, as is a feeling of unreality. Anxiety can interfere with normal thought processes and short-term memory, which makes it even harder to handle immediate concerns.

Anxiety can cause physical symptoms, including dizziness, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and even difficulty breathing. Some people report headaches or a ringing in the ears, and some have an increase in allergy symptoms. It is also common to have bad dreams, or trouble sleeping.

When emotional and physical symptoms occur at the same time, many people find it difficult to cope on a daily basis. It can become overwhelming to make everyday decisions. You may feel trapped, unable to see your way out of your predicament. These are signs to seek help.

A crisis intervention approach is one method to help deal with the many components of anxiety. Crisis intervention looks at the problem head-on, not as a collection of separate issues. Discussing your concerns with an experienced counselor gives you a chance to examine your situation in a supportive and constructive environment. This helps break the cycle of worry and fear, and allows you to begin the healing process.

While anxiety can be caused by situations in your daily environment, it is sometimes not enough to address those issues. Often our past plays a role. It is important to examine the underlying factors that helped to create your anxiety. Emotional associations from the past, ways of dealing with problems, even basic attitudes toward life can be involved. Becoming aware of these factors and learning to work with them is one of the keys to recovery.

Anxiety can be treated in many ways. It is important to find a method, or combination of methods that work for you. Complex problems need a variety of solutions. A holistic approach is often most effective.

Holistic therapy looks at the whole person. All the dimensions of life are considered, whether social, spiritual or emotional. The primary focus is on achieving a balance for life improvement. Attacking the symptoms alone is not sufficient. Your mental and emotional health is influenced by all the factors in your life.

Holistic therapy can help you to understand what's happening in your life, which should help you find better ways to cope. Learning to find balance and using your inner strength will bring you the internal stability you require to move through unstable times. It takes a real desire to change your life, and the help of a good counselor, but there is hope for a future free of anxiety. - 32513

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