An Anxiety Therapist's Advice on Coping with Anxiety
Anxiety can show up in a many different ways in someones life.
It can look like restlessness, irritability, racing thoughts, ruminating, or feeling isolated. However, it can also present through physical symptoms such as poor sleep, change in appetite, tense muscles, and shortness of breathe.
Anxiety can be caused by millions of different things. Everything from changing a job, heading off to college, money or food insecurity, our health, and so much more.
The emotion of anxiety can cause a change in our physical and mental state.
It can be very distressing and interfere with our daily lives. However, there are ways you can cope with anxiety and learn how to manage it.
Here is my advice as an anxiety therapist
In some circumstances people find themselves existing in “emotion mind”. This is a state of mind defined in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as being governed by our moods, emotions, and how we’re feeling. It’s essentially when we are acting based on the urges that arise from our emotional state, rather than any sort of thought out plan.
However, using both Reasonable Mind and Emotion Mind simultaneously would be more effective.
This is a state that would be identified as Wise Mind, which is the synthesis of reasonable mind and emotion mind. It’s where these two states of mind overlap. It takes into account both the rational and emotional, our logic and our feelings.
However, anxiety and other strong emotions can often prevent people from using their logic.
This can cause anxiety to last longer and create a longer term impact on the worried/anxious individual. That’s why it’s important to learn to observe events or experiences in a more balanced way.
Skills to manage anxiety
Utilizing Distress Tolerance skills can allow for some soothing from the chaos that anxiety may bring in your life. Distress tolerance skills help you reach a more manageable emotional place when things begin to feel overwhelming.
One of the most important skills is Radical Acceptance.
It teaches us that sometimes there are situations in life we can not change, can not control and probably are outside of our circle of influence. In Radical Acceptance, you don’t have to approve or like something, but accepting it will allow you to feel peace and provide you with the space to move on.
Radical Acceptance acknowledges that we all have choices, and it sometimes comes down to choosing whether or not we are going to accept the reality of our situations. To put it bluntly, you can choose to stay miserable about a situation or you can choose to accept it and move forward. However, this is easier said than done, which is why gaining support from a therapist can help.
How Anxiety Therapy Can Help
Working with a therapist can help you learn and practice skills like these more frequently, and incorporate them in your daily life.
Reading information like this on the internet or hearing it in a video is useful. However, it’s not the same as talking through situations with a therapist and learning how to make change in your life.
Having a therapist hold you accountable can be the extra push you may need to manage your anxiety more effectively.
Changing your behavior isn't as easy as we all want it to be, it takes persistent practice and intention, and a strong “why”. Try not to become too discouraged if you try these or other skills and need longer term support to see their effectiveness. It’s okay to reach out for support.
Begin working with an anxiety therapist in tampa, fl or broomfield, co
If you’re looking for support in managing your anxiety, therapy can help! Working with a therapist that specializes in anxiety can help you understand your anxiety and how to manage your symptoms. At WellMinded Counseling, we offer anxiety therapy in Tampa, FL and Broomfield, CO. We’re also able to offer anxiety therapy to anyone living within Florida and Colorado through online counseling.
If you are interested in getting set up with a therapist at WellMinded Counseling, you can follow these simple steps:
Contact our counseling office to schedule a free 15 minute consultation
Meet with one of our anxiety therapists and learn more about our therapy services
Gain support in managing your anxiety
OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only service we offer. WellMinded Counseling offers the following counseling services: