Do I Have an Anxiety Disorder?
Are you struggling with anxiety? Do you wish you could deal with this in a better way? Do you want to enjoy your life now? Do you live in North or South Carolina? Read on, hope is here!
Overcoming Anxiety!
There is hope, you don’t have to do this alone, you can overcome the painful and unhealthy ways anxiety can show up in your life! Read on to learn more about anxiety, how it can be helpful, how it is harmful, and the first step you can take to reduce the control that anxiety may have on your life and to begin doing the things that matter to you.
Anxiety Symptoms:
How painful is anxiety in your life? My bet is if you are like me, it can be very hard to focus and enjoy life when your anxiety takes control. But have you every asked yourself why we feel anxiety and where does it come from? Good question, and yes, anxiety can be helpful. I know, I know, we asked ourselves as well, how could anxiety be helpful at one time. But really anxiety can be helpful to live the lives that we want to live, learn more below about this.
What is Anxiety?
When we become nervous, worried, and stuck on certain thoughts, we may have anxiety. Anxiety can show up in many ways. It can be:
- Being afraid of social gatherings or parties.
- Being afraid to ask someone on a date.
- Being afraid of a needle when giving blood or receiving a shot.
- Being afraid of heights, which can also be a phobia.
- Being afraid to interview for a new job or ask for a raise.
- Being afraid to do just about anything out of your comfort zone.
This can keep you from having fun, improving your life, and having a relationship, which can keep you stuck, make you feel really sad, and can even cause major health issues. Anxiety is no joke, and it actually can be useful, if we channel it in the right ways. See below:
How Anxiety can be healthy
Although anxiety may make us feel a little nervous before a first date or the first day on the job or sport’s team, it can help us at the same time. For example, a little anxiety mixed in with some adrenaline can help us run faster or do other athletic feats necessary when we are playing sports. It can also help us to show more passion and enthusiasm when giving a speech or going on an interview. It can warn us that we need to study for that exam or prepare for that job interview which gives us a better chance of success. It can also keep us from more consequences in life. Anxiety does not have to last forever, when channeled right, it may come and go when we need it. However; for some of us we can seem to feel anxiety all of the time and it can lead to problems with our health and life. See below:
How Anxiety can keep us Stuck
It can be unhealthy when we allow it to dominate our thoughts and life. For example, when we worry that the worst possible situation will occur, like everyone will laugh at us during our presentation, we will forget everything for our test or that people are talking about us to the rest of the group. This can be numbing, frightening and just plain keep us stuck. No worries, it does not have to be this way. Although all of us will feel anxiety, only about 18.1 percent of the United States population meet criteria for an anxiety disorder. However, over 36% of these individuals generally do not seek treatment for this, and anxiety is highly treatable with counseling, medication (in some cases), and healthy behaviors! Many individuals may not even know they are experiencing anxiety symptoms, see below for some symptoms of anxiety.
Physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety:
- increased heart rate
- sweating
- being in a bad mood
- problems sleeping (which can negatively influence our mood)
- Problems with digestion/Nausea
- Problems Focusing/concentrating
- Fatigue
- Trembling feeling twitchy
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Worry
- Fear
- Panic Attacks
- Depression
Work and Home challenges caused by anxiety:
Stress and excessive arguments in relationships.
Excessive work stress leading to burnout.
Difficulty in social situations (Social Anxiety).
Discipling children out of exhaustion or anger.
Having to take off from work due to physical symptoms.
Even fun activities can be negatively impacted and more.
Where does anxiety come from?
The short answer is that we do not know the exact cause of anxiety according to anxiety researchers. But, it is most likely from a combined number of factors. These would include brain chemistry, your environment such as home and school and if someone in your family tree struggled with it, there is a greater chance that you will.
Also, brain researchers believe that the areas of the brain responsible for controlling fear, the amygdala, may be impacted.
The most recent anxiety research is showing that the deeper parts of the brain that are involved with anxiety.
So although you may not have asked for anxiety, it is something that we all have. Some of us struggle with how we relate to anxiety or having excessive anxiety so it is very important to know how to manage anxiety before this point!
Does Counseling for Anxiety Help?
Yes! Talking with a professional counselor can help you alleviate anxiety symptoms. Talking helps by developing practical coping skills while discovering the root(s) of anxious feelings. We can help you to reduce these roots or eliminate them. Changing the way you deal with anxiety can help lead you to the life you want to live. You don’t have to hold on to those those fears any longer!
There is hope:
You can move past the struggle of anxiety with proper help. Charlotte Counseling Associates specializes in anxiety counseling. We can provide the treatment that you will need to live the life that matters to you. Many of us experience some anxious feelings when around certain situations, places and people. Anxiety can serve a positive purpose when it is acknowledged and managed effectively. For example, feeling anxious because we have a deadline to meet can motivate us to move faster. Anxiety helps us to manage our time better. This is called Eustress or positive stress.
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New clients, please send us a message to schedule your free 15-minute Q/A call with Charlotte Counseling Associates, so we can answer any questions you may have and find out if we’re a good fit for working together to help you achieve your goals.