Psychological Therapies For Anxiety
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, seeking professional assistance is recommended. Psychological therapies can assist in understanding the source of your anxiety and teaching new coping mechanisms to better manage symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular treatment for anxiety disorders. Through CBT, patients learn to identify their negative thoughts and replace them with more realistic beliefs. Furthermore, CBT teaches them how to evaluate those fears by questioning the evidence behind them and testing whether they are true.
Medicines can also be prescribed to treat anxiety disorders. These may include benzodiazepines, antidepressants and sedatives; however they should only be prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional.
Other treatments often combine medication and family/relationship therapy. These can assist someone suffering from anxiety disorder in healing relationships with family and friends. Furthermore, they work closely with a therapist to hone social skills and express themselves more fully.
Energy psychology is an alternative treatment option for anxiety. This form of therapy integrates Eastern subtle energy healing with Western psychological techniques like exposure therapy and CBT, manipulating our body’s subtle energy system to reduce anxiety-producing thoughts and boost self-belief.
Some types of therapies also involve a support network or exercise. These activities can be beneficial for people with anxiety, as they promote relaxation, release chemicals that reduce stress and promote positive emotions, as well as improving one’s self-image.
Medication is often the last resort for those suffering from anxiety disorder, and may only be used when other therapy methods have failed or the symptoms have become unbearable. It’s essential to remember that while medications can be helpful, they also have addictive potential and may cause side effects.
A therapist will guide you through each step of the therapy process and may suggest some exercises to help combat your anxiety. The most crucial steps involve recognizing irrational and damaging beliefs about fear, replacing them with more realistic ones, and learning new ways of managing anxiety.
Understanding your anxiety is the first step to conquering it. Gaining knowledge about anxiety will enable you to craft better coping strategies and increase your comfort level when faced with stressful circumstances.
Challenging negative thoughts is the second step of therapy. Your therapist will teach you to identify and challenge irrational, inaccurate, and hazardous thoughts about what causes you anxiety so that these feelings do not control you.
Practice recognizing and challenging your anxiety-provoking thoughts by asking yourself questions like, “Is it possible for me to do this?” or “What is the likelihood that this will occur?” In addition to challenging your thinking, you can use other strategies such as imagining that you have successfully navigated an anxiety-provoking situation in the past.
By consistently practicing these techniques, they will become second nature and less stressful to remember. You also stand a better chance of avoiding anxiety-provoking scenarios that could trigger a panic attack by applying these strategies beforehand.
