Anxiety Counselling In Treatment For Anxiety Disorders

It’s common for people to feel anxiety. Occasional bouts of anxiety are part and parcel of the human experience. After all, life is inherently uncertain. While a person can know how things will go, things don’t always unfold as people expect. Anxiety is natural, but it passes, and the mind quiets itself.

But there are some people for whom the mind doesn’t quiet down. In these cases, anxiety is constant. When a person’s anxiety is chronic, then it can have a debilitating effect on their life and can even lead to physical health complications. 

Luckily, whole anxiety disorders can be difficult to live with. There are various treatments available that mental health professionals use to relieve symptoms. Counselling is one such treatment.

What is an Anxiety Disorder? 

An anxiety disorder is, at its core, a mental health condition characterised by uncontrollable and often severe feelings of anxiety. There are different types of anxiety disorders that a person can be afflicted with. Some of these disorders include:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalised Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is a mental and behavioural health disorder characterised by excessive and uncontrollable worrying about things. Sometimes, this worry may not even have a trigger, and a person may just be worried for no good reason.

Panic Disorder 

Panic attacks characterise panic disorders. It should be said that not everyone who has a panic attack has a panic disorder. Panic attacks come with recurring panic attacks.

Social Anxiety Disorder 

People with this kind of disorder have severe anxiety in social situations. They may be fine otherwise, but everyday acts such as speaking to a shopkeeper can cause intense panic. Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD, can make it hard for people to form and maintain relationships.

Phobia Related Disorder

People who have specific phobias are intensely terrified of certain things, sometimes irrationally. 

Symptoms of Anxiety  

People with anxiety disorders can have several symptoms. One common symptom is difficulty concentrating. Some people can get so anxious that they may be unable to focus on anything other than worrying. They can have trouble making decisions because they will constantly second-guess themselves.

Physical symptoms can also include heart palpitations, ulcers, and chest pains. Many may also feel restless or irritable and have difficulty falling asleep.

Sweating, trembling, and shaking are also possible signs of anxiety. Some people may also have nausea as a result of their anxious feelings.

Therapies To Treat Anxiety Disorders 

There are a number of effective treatment options that can help with anxiety symptoms. Some of the ways that people can reduce anxiety include:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of treatment that can be used to help people identify and address the thought patterns that can contribute to feelings of anxiety.

Eye Movement and Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a form of therapy that uses bilateral stimulation to help people process traumatic memories. The brain can process this memory using bilateral stimulation while focusing on a targeted memory and lessening its emotional impact. This can help with anxiety disorders if a patient’s mental health struggles are rooted in a traumatic event.

Exposure Therapy 

Exposure therapy is a type of psychological treatment wherein a person is gradually exposed to things that they’re afraid of. A mental health professional does this in a safe and secure environment. Exposure therapy may be effective at treating phobias.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

MBCT is a type of therapy that combines CBT with meditation to cultivate a state of mindfulness. The goal is for patients to ground themselves in the present moment without judgement. 

Other Treatments to Help Manage Anxiety 

Therapies are not the only things that can help a person manage their anxious feelings. Other forms of anxiety treatment include:

Lifestyle Changes 

Specific lifestyle changes have been known to have positive effects on disorders such as anxiety and depression.

For example, exercising regularly has been shown to help improve and regulate mood. This doesn’t have to be going to a gym and lifting weights. It can be as simple as going outside for a walk. However, people who go for walks outside should also wear sunscreen.

Caffeine intake should be limited, as long-term caffeine consumption has been linked with anxiety.

Sleep is closely linked to a person’s mood and the brain’s ability to function well. Getting adequate sleep can help regulate a person’s mood and help the brain operate optimally.

Medication

Numerous medications can be used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Valium can be used to help patients relax, and their effects occur rather quickly after ingestion.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are often prescribed to treat depression. They work by stopping by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with mood regulation.

Beta-blockers can also be used to help people with anxiety, but they’re generally used as an off-label treatment. Beta-blockers are often prescribed for people with high blood pressure or heart problems. They help reduce the effects of adrenaline and can be used to ease some of the physical symptoms associated with anxiety.

Hypnotherapy 

Hypnotherapy is an alternative treatment that involves putting a person into a relaxed state and making them more open to suggestions. A hypnotherapist then makes gentle suggestions to help the person change their behaviour. Hypnotherapy is effective at treating anxiety when used as part of a patient’s treatment programme.

Coping Skills

There are a number of coping skills that help a person with anxiety manage their symptoms. Breathing techniques and grounding skills can help people calm themselves down and be especially vital when their feelings begin to disappear.

One grounding technique that can help is focusing on present stimuli and identifying them, such as naming five things that can be seen.

Helping Someone Who is Struggling With Anxiety 

Many people have loved ones who struggle with anxiety. Some of the ways to help a person with an anxiety disorder include:

Validation

People who have anxiety can worry that their mental health makes them a burden to others. Loved ones can let them know that it’s okay that they’re struggling with their mental health and that their feelings are valid.

Similarly, telling someone feeling particularly anxious at a given moment to just calm down won’t help them. Doing so can invalidate their feelings.

Help Them Focus on Controllable Things

Some things in life are out of a person’s control, but some things are in a person’s control. If a person has anxiety, a loved one can help them focus on the things that they can control rather than worry about the things that they can’t.

Finding a Counsellor That Will Help You

 An important part of treatment is finding a therapist. Now, anyone with a smartphone can go online and find directories and contact information for mental health professionals. But finding the right therapist is key. 

Before beginning treatment, a person must understand their goals. Knowing what they want from treatment will help mental health professionals craft a treatment plan tailored to their case.

While anxiety can often make people second-guess themselves, it’s still important for people to trust their guts when they’re meeting with therapists. If they have a good feeling about a particular counsellor, that is a sign that they have found someone to help them meet their recovery goals.

Treatment For Anxiety at Sivana Bali

People who have anxiety may question themselves. Some people will be told that there’s nothing wrong with them and that they’re just dramatic or want attention. Some will be told to calm down. Some will be told that mental health disorders aren’t real conditions.

Anxiety disorders are very much real, and they can be debilitating. But they can also be managed. At Sivana Bali, we offer comprehensive treatment options to help people manage anxiety and other mental disorders. Contact us now to learn more.