You have that familiar tingle in your chest — and this is not a good feeling.
Sure, it is familiar, but in a way that you dread. You tell yourself to ignore the feeling and push it down until it goes away. You feel yourself getting worried and you think, why does this always have to happen to me? What if someone notices me breathing this way and they think that I am weak and I cannot handle x,y,and z?
You do not want to embarrass yourself, so you excuse yourself. After a couple of moments in the bathroom stall, you are able to go back to work and be productive. The only thing is, as the year progresses, you find yourself having this same reaction. More recently, you are experiencing these uncomfortable feelings when you are at home with your family.
I often asks clients about their knowledge pertaining to anxiety and the most common answers are as follow: constant feelings of worry, nervousness, and disturbed sleep.
When asked about management of symptoms, many clients disclosed that they avoid situations that they believe cause their anxiety. Avoidance is a behavior that becomes the bedrock of many anxiety disorders.
In the above mentioned scenario, the individual exited the situation that he/she believes causes anxiety symptoms. In turn, the person may experience some sort of temporary relief and at the same time he or she has learned that avoidance is an accurate way to alleviate anxiety symptoms.
Additionally, a person may begin to believe that specific situations cause their anxiety rather than realizing that the way they are thinking about the situation is likely one of the main causes of the anxiety symptoms. Consider, what is the likelihood of an individual effectively learn how to manage his or her anxiety symptoms if he or she avoids situations that are believed to cause anxiety?
If you are looking for more effective ways of dealing with anxiety symptoms, consider embracing uncomfortable feelings. Anxiety can cause people to feel vulnerable, unsettled, and overwhelmed; all of which are feelings that individuals typically avoid. When these feelings arise, most people desire to feel differently as quick as possible. When one ignores the uncomfortable feelings, the individual often tenses up and cause more anxiety symptoms to arise.
Effective Tips for Dealing with Anxiety:
- Challenge your thoughts: Many times, individual constantly worry about stories that are not true. How often are you challenging you anxious thoughts to learn if they are accurate?
- Consider the Likelihood: How often are you worried about things that may almost never happen? Anxiety is oftentimes someone responding to a story that they have constructed in his or her head. An individual oftentimes have anxious feeling associated with the story that they have constructed and not the situation that they are currently in.
- Give yourself credit: People typically cope with situations much better than what they give themselves credit for. This is because people often construct the worst case scenario stories (and the situation is oftentimes better than the constructed story).
If you are struggling to manage anxiety or you would like to process life stressors, Methodist Healthcare EAP is here to assist. Methodist Healthcare EAP offers free and confidential counseling to you and members of your household. Please call us today at (901) 683-5658 or toll free 1-800-880-5658 to schedule an appointment.
Kima Richard, LPC
Counselor
Kima Richard is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a designation of Mental Health Services Provider. She is a graduate of Our Lady of Holy Cross College, where she earned a Master of Arts in Counseling. She has experience working with individuals and groups to address issues such as stress, anxiety, grief and loss, substance abuse, and depression. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with family.