Quick Anxiety Help

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America and affects 40 million adults. This is about 1 in 5 adults that are affected annually. While Anxiety disorders are very treatable, less than 40% reach out for professional help. In order for the anxiety to be considered a problem, it usually causes some physical, mental, social, family, or career difficulties before person acts.

The following are some basic characteristics of anxiety:

• Feeling nervous
•  Inability to stop or manage worry
•  Excessive fear about many items
•  Difficulty relaxing
•  Physical restlessness
•  Frequent irritability
•  Fear about future events
•  Being easily fatigued
•  Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
•  Muscle tension
•  Sleep problems (too much or too little)You may use a Likert scale, say 1-5 (1 indicates no problem and 5 indicates a severe problem). The higher you score, the more your anxiety is a problem.

Here are some potential anxiety management strategies:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is my specialty. Here are some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy steps that help most people:

•  Recognize that we start getting anxious when our negative self-talk takes over.
•  Recognize then that breathing accelerates, adrenaline is secreted, and our heart begins to race (flight or fight), which is needed to run away from a life-threatening problem
•  Challenge your negative self-talk (for example, I’m never going to resolve this problem, etc.)
•  Change the negative to a true thought such as the following:
• I will get through this
•  I can do this
•  I can feel my heart rate slowing down
•  This feeling will pass
•  I am feeling anxious now, but I have the power make calm myself
•  Do not move to catastrophe mode
•  See what could go right
•  Do not beat yourself up
•  Tell yourself something that might be likely, truthful, and positive

You may also try items like the following:

• Muscle Relaxation
•  Diaphragmatic Breathing
•  Positive Self-talk

We can go over details regarding each above in future communications if you wish.

Jim