Do you feel stressed and anxious, and sometimes without being able to identify what you are anxious about? Do you worry excessively, feel restless, keyed up or on edge, become easily fatigued, have difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, feel irritable, find it hard to sleep or to stay sleep, or have muscle tension?
Anxiety is common and affects about 3% of the American population.
The good news is there is help for you to overcome your anxiety and lead a more comfortable and stress-free life! Treatments for anxiety disorders are cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy.
Some Ways to Cope:
- Maintaining an active lifestyle: An active lifestyle which includes regular exercise can help.
- Establishing a meditation practice: helps anxious people focus their attention on the present moment, getting unhooked from unhelpful thoughts that feed into their anxiety.
- Developing more self-compassion: Self-kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance is key to mental health, and tools focusing on self-compassion can help to reduce anxiety.
- Managing stress levels: Managing stress requires basic self-care and healthy lifestyle choices like eating well and sleeping enough, and involves working to address your sources of stress.
- Relying on natural supports: Having a support system is key to having good mental health. Close relationships can help stress and provide comfort.
Anxiety is uncomfortable and living with symptoms can make it hard to function normally. If you are suffering from anxiety, you should consider seeking formal treatment with a counselor who specializes in treating anxiety to learn how to reduce your symptoms.
If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.”
― Brené Brown
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Anne Trapp Shirley is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor in Orlando, Florida. She specializes in treating anxiety and has 20 years of experience encouraging clients by sending a message of hope that they can overcome life’s obstacles that get in the way of living their best life!