All You Need to Know About Anxiety From a Local Seattle Therapist
The experience of anxiety can make you feel like you can’t even take a step towards your future because you’re paralyzed in tension, worry, and the unknown. In this week’s blog post, I’ll take you through all you need to know about anxiety.
Image from Pexels by Cottonbro
What is Anxiety?
Firstly, anxiety is a normal human emotion needed to alert you to possible dangers or harm. The experience of anxiety exists on a spectrum, including duration and intensity. In my experience, it’s helpful not to completely pathologize emotions that are needed for humans to function safety in their environment. Due to a variety of genetic, environmental, and contextual factors, your brain and nervous system can get confused and experience stimuli as threats when they aren’t.
What Part of the Brain is Responsible for Anxiety?
The amygdala is the part of your brain that can be thought of as the ‘fire alarm’ Just like fire alarms in your house, you know they can go off at times when there isn’t a fire. Maybe you’re pan frying something or burnt your toast and then suddenly, your fire alarm is waling. Your brain can be like that too. Just like your fire alarm at home, your amygdala may experience something as a threat when it really isn’t. In this example, the fire alarm is technically ‘working’ but could use a re-design in its detection abilities. Thankfully, your brain can form new habits and pathways, getting it better at addressing threats.
What’s Human’s Negativity Bias?
As humans who continue to evolve to survive, your brain hasn’t caught up to how relatively safe modern day to day life is currently. Yes, there is a lot of messed up stuff in our world and there still exists many harms and dangers, especially for people will less privilege. However, most of us aren’t running around stressed that a lion is going to eat us by the next bush we pass. Over history, it’s been more important for your brain to remember when bad things happen than good things. I give the example that it’s evolutionarily more advantageous to your survival to know Bob got eaten by the blackberry bush than to remember Bob once ate some amazingly delicious blackberries there one summer. This natural negativity bias, which has historically been an adaptation to help humans survive can get you into trouble sometimes. The negativity bias can lead to you disproportionately seeing negative experiences leading to life narratives that assume threat, trouble, or suffering. In highly simplified terms, this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of pain.
What is Anxiety Trying to Tell You?
It can be helpful to think of emotions and physical sensations as little flags that your system is sending up to pay attention. The experience of anxiety is a type of data or signal. It’s something to pay attention too, while at the same time the intensity of it is also significant. Remember, the experience of anxiety is a spectrum of normal human emotion. In some cases, anxiety can be motivating because it’s highlights what you care about. For example, if a loved one doesn’t feel good, you’d worry about them and want them to get checked out. Or perhaps you are worried about doing well on a test because you want a good grade. So, anxiety can be motivating, it can show you what you care about, it can identify a threat and, in some cases, become debilitating and unhelpful.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Each person may describe how they experience anxiety in their body. Generally, people report is feels tense and on edge. People report feeling really tired and have a hard time focusing. Many folks feel irritable and end up treating others in ways they don’t love. They have short fuses. Anxiety can wreak havoc on the body and create muscle tension, soreness. This can show itself through a wide variety of ways, some including stomach aches, headaches, fatigue and more. People often describe challenges falling or staying asleep and even when people do sleep it doesn’t feel restful.
Image from Unsplash by Nik
What Are Different Types of Anxiety?
A variety of diagnosis fall under anxiety disorders. The most common I see in my practice is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD presents with generally worry, stress, and anxiousness. Other anxiety disorders include:
· Separation Anxiety
· Specific Phobia
· Social Anxiety Disorder
· Panic Disorder
· Agoraphobia
On top of the anxiety disorders listed above, the following are common types of anxiety I see in my practice:
· Occupational anxiety
· Reproductive health milestones (fertility, pregnancy, menopause)
· Health anxiety
· Medical anxiety
· Existential anxiety
· Relational anxiety
Perinatal Anxiety
I’m listing perinatal anxiety here separately because it can look different than traditional anxiety. Perinatal refers to the time from conception to one year postpartum. Both gestational and non-gestational parents can experience perinatal anxiety at any point during their perinatal journey. Perinatal anxiety often is experienced as irritability. The anxiety is often (not always) specifically around the safety of the baby and it’s wellbeing. The person may worry their doing something wrong, worry the baby isn’t going to be healthy or safe, or may not trust others around the baby. Intrusive thoughts are common, although distressing to many people which can lead to more worry. Perinatal anxiety, like other forms of anxiety is highly treatable!
Causes of Anxiety
Like many mental health challenges, there is no one cause for anxiety. Like mentioned earlier, anxiety is a natural human emotion that exists on a spectrum. When it becomes unhelpful is when it becomes a problem. A variety of biological, psychological, and social factors can influence the experience of having challenges with anxiety. Some examples include but are not limited to the following:
· Trauma
· Family history of anxiety
· Social expectations/pressures
· Stress
· Life changes
· Gender
· Discrimination
· Health challenges
How to Reduce Anxiety
It’s important to talk to a trusted doctor or therapist about specific ways to tackle the anxiety you are feeling, as every person is unique. The following suggestions are foundational for wellbeing and are accessible to start today.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is so important when it comes to regulating your mood.
Move Your Body
Getting out excess anxious energy is helpful in allowing your system to find peace. This can be small movements or big. If you’re unable to move your body, sometimes imagining moving your body can help, and take advantage of other tips.
Breathe
Breathing is the most immediate way you can impact your nervous system and signal safety. Slow, deep breathing slows your heart rate and tells your body it’s time to relax.
Get Outside
Research shows nature has a calming effect on humans. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours, get outside for some fresh air!
Image from Pexels by Luis Dalvan
Be Around People You Trust
Social isolation is a risk factor for anxiety, so make sure you’re spending time with people you trust regularly to have fun or catch up.
Find Joy
As adults, it’s easy to fall into the monotony of daily life. When was the last time you played or did something just for fun? Get out of your head and into an activity that you love.
Create a Mindfulness Practice
The three tenants of mindfulness are 1) Awareness 2) In the present moment 3) Without judgement. For most people the hardest aspects it the ‘no judgement’ piece. But you can start cultivating a mindfulness practice today. Start with 30 seconds and observe what your mind is telling you. You don’t have to change it, just notice. There! You already started. Over time, committing to this simple practice can create Steller impacts on your mind and it’s ability to re-direct awareness and cultivate observation without getting ‘stuck’ to all the content.
Externalize and Name the Anxiety
You are a whole and complete person who may also struggle with overwhelming feelings of anxiety sometimes. Does that feeling have a name? If it was an object, what would it be? What size, shape, color is it? How heavy is it? Describing the feeling can help you relate to it differently.
Thought and Emotions Aren’t Always True
When thoughts are loud and emotions are big, it can be easy to take them at face value. It’s important to not always buy into the first thought or emotion you’re experiencing. People tend to get hooked by thoughts and believe them to be ‘BIG T’ TRUE. Just because I have a thought the sky is purple doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because I have a thought that I’m a horrible person, doesn’t make it true.
Therapy
As mentioned earlier, therapy is an important tool to help you navigate your unique experience with anxiety. We know multiple forms of therapy that have evidence to help with anxiety. Some include but are not limited to: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.
Medication
Medication may be an option when facing severe symptoms. We know that the combination of therapy and medication typically result in the best outcomes. I don’t shame or judge anyone for either taking medication or not taking medication. It’s a personal choice, and all options, risks, and benefits should be discussed by your providers.
Contact Your Seattle Anxiety Therapist Today
You don’t have to stay stuck in your head, feeling overwhelmed and frozen trying to decide what next step to take. Anxiety and its different ways of showing itself are manageable with some help and time. Get back to being the boss of your life instead of anxiety hijacking it, schedule a free consultation today.
Learn more about Chelsea’s specialties: grief, anxiety, infertility, pregnancy loss, chronic illness, menopause, medical trauma
Learn more about Chelsea
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