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Medically reviewed by Aura, Psychologist
What is Anxiety & How to Manage it
Maybe you’re driving, walking into work, out with friends, or doing something completely random, and it happens: your chest tightens, your heart races, and you feel sick. Your mind slings thoughts at you faster than you can catch and there’s this terrible feeling that you have to do something, but you’re not sure what.
Anxiety is a terrifying feeling that attacks the mind and the body and can feel impossible to escape from. Whether you experience it all the time or just under certain circumstances, you’re acutely aware of the lasting effects of it- the exhaustion, self-doubt, and dread that can accompany anxiety after the fact are almost as debilitating as the anxiety itself.
Fitcy Health’s Online Anxiety Therapists want you to know that you’re not alone. More than 280 million people around the world experience anxiety ranging anywhere from inconvenient to debilitating. Whatever your anxiety is like, it is treatable. You can be matched with an affordable, online therapist today and start your recovery. Click here for more information.
What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety? Do I have Anxiety?
If you experience anxiety then you might have had someone tell you: it’s all in your head, you just need to stop worrying so much, or that it’s not a big deal anyway.
These statements are wrong at best and harmful at worst. Even when we can consciously acknowledge that our anxiety is irrational, that doesn’t stop our bodies and minds from acting like it is. And telling someone to “just stop worrying” is pointless- anxiety won’t let you stop, it’ll hardly let you rest! Anxiety is a big deal, and it’s not just in your head. If you or a loved one recognizes one or more of these anxiety symptoms, help is out there.
Symptoms of Anxiety:
- Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
- A sense of danger or panic even in times of rest
- Exhaustion and lethargy
- Difficulty focusing
- Racing thoughts – can jump between multiple or fixate on one or two thoughts
- Rapid heart rate and breathing, may be accompanied by chest pain or the feeling of throat closing up
- Insomnia
- Changes in eating patterns
What are the Different Types of Anxiety?
There are many types of anxiety disorders. Each one has its own unique diagnosis and treatment. Fitcy Health Online Anxiety Therapists are adept at diagnosing and treating all anxiety disorders. As an overview, here are the six most common types of anxiety-related disorders:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – The most common form of anxiety, this is when the feeling of anxiety is prevalent throughout your day. It may ebb or flow, but it is relatively consistent and does not spike drastically.
- Phobias – Anxiety spikes under very specific circumstances. Common phobias are animals, flying, driving, crowds, storms, heights, or blood (although there is no limit to what a phobia can be)
- Social Anxiety – Occurs in social situations. Some experience social anxieties across all social situations, and some over a select few situations like public speaking, eating in public, public transportation, crowds, meeting new people, and more.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – a very specific anxiety disorder that is characterized by invasive thoughts and compulsive actions.
- Panic Attack Disorder – While panic attacks can be a part of any anxiety disorder, Panic Attack Disorder is a very specific mental illness that defines the existence of multiple panic attacks without a direct cause.
- PTSD – Another specific anxiety disorder that is the result of traumatic event(s). It is a very complex mental illness and deserves its own page. Head over here to learn more.
- Unmanaged Stress or Low-Level Anxiety – Anxiety doesn’t need an official diagnosis to make it difficult to enjoy life. If you feel your stress levels rising into anxiety, don’t wait to get help. Stopping anxiety as soon as it forms is the best way to prevent it from developing into something worse, and to ensure your day-to-day life is filled with peace and contentment.
Whether you relate to one of these definitions or not, Fitcy Health Online Therapy is here for you. Don’t wait for your mental health to get “bad enough” to start seeking therapy. If you are unhappy with your life in any way, online counseling can help. Therapy is for everyone, wherever they are at.
How Can I Manage My Anxiety?
Anxiety is a very individualized disorder and requires an individualized approach. What works for one person might not work for another, and while our online psychologists will be with you every step of the way, we understand we cannot be there 24/7. For the times when you need anxiety relief but can’t reach your therapist:
- Try to locate the root thought that is causing your anxiety. If you can, rationalize this thought. Remember that at the end of the day, you are in control of your own thoughts even if you aren’t in control of your emotions. Changing our thoughts change our emotions, so work on positive, confident thinking, and you might see your anxiety begin to ebb.
- Work on calming your body. Try breathing, walking, or talking through the worst of it. Calming your body will calm your mind, it’s called the mind-body connection. A calm body equals a calm mind, and vice versa.
- Move your body in a way that is fun and stress-relieving.
- Write down your thoughts. Thoughts often become less burdensome when they are on a page.
There are other techniques that professional anxiety psychologist might use. During an Anxiety Therapy session your counselor might use:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Addressing negative, untrue thoughts and replacing them with positive, true thoughts.
- Exposure Therapy – Exposing you to the cause of your anxiety is a safe environment and working through anxiety in real-time.
- Expressive Arts – A way to vent negative emotions and thoughts through art, resulting in healing the mind and building confidence.
- Mindfulness – The practice of being aware of both your emotions/thoughts and your external surrounding with the goal of acceptance and letting go of things we cannot control.
- Fitness and Nutrition – The treatment of anxiety through fitness and nutrition is an important step in full recovery because of how related out mind and body is. Our fitness and nutrition specialists can work with you to decrease your anxiety through natural methods.
Anxiety can be a harrowing and lonely experience. You deserve to have someone by your side. Fitcy Health offers affordable, immediate therapy entirely online. You can find anxiety relief today. To learn more about our therapists and schedule your initial session, click here.
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