3 Ways Therapy Helps You Address Anxiety

Millions of people deal with anxiety throughout their lives. Whether it’s a result of phobias, depressions, or post-traumatic stress, anxiety can take a toll on our mind and health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 31.1% of adults in America experience an anxiety disorder in their life. You are not alone, even when it feels like you are.

There’s a good chance that this is not the first place or time that you have been looking for ways to deal with your anxiety. In fact, most people have tried many solutions on their own before going to therapy. While these methods can provide some relief, it’s often temporary. They probably said that they work for anxiety and were labeled tried and true. This wasn’t false advertising, many of these techniques are useful. I will even recommend them to you as well but the difference is that therapy uses a combination of supports and not everything works for everyone.

To rid yourself of overwhelming anxiety once and for all, you’ve got to get to the root cause of it – the underlying factors. A therapist can help you identify and eliminate these underlying factors.

If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, here are 3 ways therapy can help:

1. Uncover Root Causes to Anxiety

Like any other health issue, effective treatment gets to the root cause. For instance, your doctor can either prescribe a medication to try and manage your hypertension symptoms, or she can request you clean up your diet and exercise, addressing the root causes of your high blood pressure.

A therapist will help you understand your thoughts and feelings. Figure out your patterns and triggers so you can work together to create a healthier life. Often, unhealthy beliefs and thoughts lie at the root of anxiety. Your therapist will have the experience and expertise to bring to the team and find ways that will work. You will get to be even more in control of your life.

2. Therapy Helps You Change Your Behaviors

We’ve just talked a little about therapy helping you uncover the thoughts and beliefs that are causing the anxiety. Those thoughts and beliefs are not only making you feel bad, they are causing you to act certain ways that you may not normally. This is why you would look at your life and say “this isn’t me” “this isn’t how I would normally do this”. No it’s not.

For instance, your anxiety leads to insomnia or denial of intimate social connections. Therapy will help you make lifestyle and behavioral changes. You’ll learn how to cope with difficult situations in a more relaxed manner. Therapy will help you to stop avoiding certain people and situations and develop a calmer and more balanced sense of self.

3. Therapy Offers Continued Personalized Support

All change is hard, even change that’s ultimately good for you. One of the biggest benefits of therapy is that it offers continual personalized support. Change also takes time. It’s hard to stay motivated and committed to something, especially while facing it alone or unsure if it’s going to work. Your therapist wants to see you succeed and will offer encouragement and advice without judgement.

If you’ve been living with anxiety, know that you don’t have to deal with it alone. If you or a loved one is interested in exploring treatment, please contact me today. I would be happy to speak with you about how I may be able to help.