Anxiety is one of the most common reasons individuals seek counseling. The national Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) estimates that 18.1 percent of adults suffer from anxiety in the United States. That is 40 million people suffering from anxiety severe enough to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Most people don't realize how prevalent anxiety is as it is one of the "quiet" disorders. It can be a relief to those suffering from anxiety that their symptoms are not noticeable to those around them. however, when your symptoms are not visible to others, they find it difficult to understand that you are actually suffering because they cannot see it.
So, what is it like to suffer from anxiety? A few years ago I was watching a movie, (Breaking Dawn, please don't judge me based on this…) and a clip form the movie always struck out to me that has a strong resemblance to suffering form anxiety. In the movie, one of the main characters, Bella, is turning into a vampire (no I am not comparing anxiety to being a vampire or a demon) and according to the story line this is an extremely painful process. Many of the characters feared she was dead as she laid there for days in a coma like state when she should have been writhing in pain. The movie switched from this peaceful picture of her lying there to the internal torment and pain she was actually experiencing. One moment we see her lying peacefully, then the next moment we see her internally screaming and writhing in pain. THIS is anxiety…where an individual may appear calm and collective on the outside when they are experiencing extreme turmoil internally. For an example, an individual with an anxiety disorder walks into a party and appears tone like everyone else. However, what you do not see or notice is that the individual's heart rate has accelerated to the point of feeling as though they are suffering from a heart attack, their breathing is shallow as they are experiencing shortness of breath. They are trying to calm their anxiety but instead their head is screaming, "Why did you come here? You don't know anyone! Everyone will notice that you came alone and think you are undateable. How are you going to talk to people, you don't have anything important to say? Everyone is looking at me! Why did I wear this shirt? What is no one talks to me? What if no one likes me?" And all of this takes place within the first five seconds of walking through the door before you even notice them. The thought process carries on the same way throughout the rest of the evening only increasing the heart rate and they may experience sweaty palms, urgency to move around as the anxiety energy is building up and trying to find a way out. They go through the evening feeling like an elephant is sitting on their chest. Why? Because they suffer from anxiety and this happens nearly everyday no matter where they go and life doesn't stop because you have anxiety.
How is anxiety treated? From a therapeutic perspective, the triggers of your anxiety will need to be identified as well as any negative self talk that contributes to your anxiety. Working with a therapist to stop the negative thought process and replace them with positive thoughts can be of great help in reducing anxiety. Learning different relaxation techniques and deep breathing can help, especially when the anxiety is heightened. Work on being present with full body awareness to bring your mind and thoughts to what you can physically feel, see, smell, hear, and taste right now. If your anxiety is so overwhelming that you feel as though you are unable to function, you can talk with your doctor as anxiety can also be treated with medication until your anxiety is under control enough to work on the coping skills.
If you have any further thoughts, questions, or comments, please direct them to me at lynnleinhos@gmail.com and I will be glad to help.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Counselor,
Lynn Leinhos, MS, LLPC
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