Articles
A
Formula for Managing Anxiety
By:
Maureen O'Donnell, M.S., LPC
Research
conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that
anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem among
American women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse among
men.
There
are many different types of normal anxiety to life events. A driver
may become anxious when almost hit by another car. That is normal
anxiety that is healed by a nice hot bath and deep breathing. The
anxiety addressed here is beyond normal anxiety; anxiety that does not
go away when we take the time to “calm ourselves." It is
anxiety that feels like it has gotten out of control to the point
where the individual feels powerless. Secondly, it is anxiety that
interferes with our ability to carry out our daily functions and
tasks.
If
you are interested in what level of anxiety you experience, then go to
our Anxiety Checklist in our
screenings section. If you want a definition of the different types of
anxiety, then go toTypes of Anxiety in our articles
section.
The
following is a formula for managing your own anxiety. Above all, there
are several dispositions that are necessary in managing your own
anxiety.
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The
first is to acknowledge that there is a problem.
Especially with cumulative stress, anxiety is a condition that
can grow over time, remaining unrecognized until a “panic”
episode occurs. It is at that time that a person asks
themselves, “What is wrong with me?” In order to recognize
cumulative or growing anxiety, a person needs to develop the
habit of tending to self, asking “How am I doing?” or
“What do I need?”
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Second,
a person needs to see him or herself as responsible for
themselves vs. a powerless victim of society or any
person in their past or present life. Many terrible things
have happened to many different individuals that experience
anxiety, yet it is in the belief that one can change that one
does change. Increased self-value can often have a positive
impact on increasing personal responsibility.
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Third,
to know what works and to implement it is two different
things. Implementing change comes from increased motivation
and increased motivation comes from an increased commitment to
self. Women especially are taught to value everyone else
before themselves and are prone to thinking that making a
commitment to their own health is selfish. However, the
opposite is true. Actually, increasing your own health
increases your ability to affect others, even serve others
with more strength.
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A
Formula for Managing Anxiety:
Access
support – Part of changing your own problem is to openly
acknowledge it with people in your life who will be a strong support
to you. This produces a form of caring accountability. Many people
talk with trusted friends, see a counselor or join a support group.
The main ingredient here is to open up vs. keeping yourself isolated,
since it is within isolation that problems grow and we become
hopeless.
Making
an ongoing personal commitment to yourself - Once again, realizing
that practicing “staying power” with yourself is one of the most
important elements to managing your anxiety over time. In alcoholics
anonymous, individuals come quickly to realize it is a lot easier for
many people to quit than it is to stay quit over time.
Breaking
out of your comfort zone – It is impossible to create permanent,
long-lasting personal change and remain comfortable all at the same
time. The best changes come when we allow ourselves to enter into the
unknown with purpose and faith.
A
defined vision – We learn from the field of sports that defining
an exact vision of how we would like things to be different, then
creating measurable steps between how things are now and this desired
outcome is powerful and effective. It is critical to define how your
own life will be lived without anxiety, how you will act, how
you will communicate and how you will believe about yourself and the
world around you.
A
Balanced Approach:
The
best approach to managing anxiety is a balanced approach which
includes focusing on all of the following areas of your life:
Mental
– Increasing self-talk
that is positive, comforting and calming. It is a way of strengthening
your own confidence in the face of fears, worries or concerns ,
meanwhile decreasing negative self-talk, especially eliminating the
tendency to doubt ourselves.
Social
– Spend time in
supportive, caring relationships in which you can trust, be open about
your anxiety and be held accountable for change in positive ways.
Spiritual
– Pursue and practice
your spiritual beliefs and practices on a regular basis including
prayer, reading and meditation.
Creative
– Engage in whatever
creative form of expression that fits your personality and passions.
See Multiple Intelligences for
determining your ways of thinking creatively. For example, spend time
playing the piano, drawing, sculpting, writing poetry, dancing, doing
something physical or playing. This creative form of expression is a
form of nonverbal healing and is powerful.
Physical
– Engage in activities to
purposely calm yourself. This may include breathing exercises (see Breathing
Exercises in Solutions and Strategies), a regular exercise of deep
relaxation, regular aerobic exercise or nutritional improvements.
Family
– Spend time connecting
with your family or other loved ones. Time spent with others in
healthy and caring ways lends tremendously to our health.
Medical
– Some people may have to
be reviewed for medication in their quest to manage their anxiety. If
you wonder if this is true, then give us a call at the EAP and we will
assist you in setting up a medical review.
Even
though you learn about managing your
anxiety, many questions may still remain. If you have any questions
about yourself or someone you care about, please give us a call. If
you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, treatment is available.
Call
Employee Assistance for a free consultation!
1-402-330-0960
or 1-800-922-7379
Copyright
© 2004 by Arbor Family Counseling Associates
