One of the most distressing aspects of anxiety can be feeling out of control. When you don’t know where the anxiety is coming from, it can feel like the anxiety is taking over your life. Anxiety is not an impossible problem. Understanding the nature of the problem, and practicing the right skills can help significantly. Continuing on this path leads to having more control, and allows you to function and feel better.
Help for Anxiety:
Simple problems may have just one cause that needs to be addressed to solve the problem. Anxiety is not such a simple problem. Biological, psychological, and social factors all contribute to anxiety problems. Understanding these factors guides us in choosing the right tools to address different aspects of the anxiety problem. Elements of a healthy lifestyle and relaxation training can be important tools in addressing biological factors. Like the fear response, relaxation is a natural part of our body’s wiring. Your body knows how to relax, but being able to relax when you want to is a skill that takes practice.
Certain thinking patterns increase anxiety, and are important psychological factors contributing to anxiety problems. Learning to identify these patterns, and challenging the anxious thoughts is an important tool in overcoming an anxiety problem. Catastrophizing is a clinical term for one of these patterns, but it has also been called the terrible what ifs or worst case scenario thinking. Identifying and challenging this pattern leads to more health thinking. Avoidance behavior is another important psychological factor. Tackling avoidance can be difficult, but is usually a crucial part of getting better.
We are social beings, and our relationships with other people may be the most important aspect of our life. Certain relationship patterns can increase anxiety, and are prominent social factors contributing to anxiety problems. Assertiveness is a major social skill involved in addressing some of these patterns. How much social support we have in our life is another factor that affects anxiety problems.
This is a very brief sample of understanding and addressing anxiety problems, since a more complete explanation is beyond the scope of a website such as this. Many entire books have been devoted to this subject, and even a book does not give the whole story. However, anxiety self help books can be another tool that can help you overcome an anxiety problem. (Corrales Counseling has several book suggestions on this page of the website: link.) No one tool is enough for effectively addressing an anxiety problem. For a complicated problem like anxiety you want a toolbox full of tools. Next: How I Help