Successfully Overcoming Anxiety and Stress

As human beings, we all experience some degree of anxiety and stress in our lives. Meeting tight deadlines, speaking in public, first dates, and rush hour traffic are just a few of the many everyday occurrences that can cause us stress and anxiety.

Mild anxiety and stress in circumstances such is these shouldn’t be seen as bad. In fact, anxiety is a normal response that stems directly from our natural survival instincts. Anxiety can help us become more focused and alert when faced with difficult, challenging, or dangerous situations.

That having been said, not all anxiety or stress is benign or beneficial. Unlike the mild or situational anxiety and stress we all experience from time to time, ongoing or severe anxiety can greatly interfere with one’s ability to function effectively in all areas of life.

Severe anxiety can affect virtually anyone and can be triggered by numerous events. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 20% of the U.S. population suffers from some form of anxiety disorder in any given year.

Fortunately, a variety of treatment options are available for those who’re suffering from excessive and recurring stress and anxiety. While many people turn to prescription drugs to help them manage the symptoms of anxiety, you needn’t commit to a lifetime of popping pills in order to regain control of your life. In fact, professional anxiety counseling and therapy is all many people need in order to cope, recover, and move forward again in life with optimism and confidence.

Should You Seek Anxiety Treatment?

Before you begin seeking treatment for anxiety, you should first consider the severity of the difficulties you’re experiencing as well as the options available.

The symptoms of severe anxiety and stress are almost as varied as the individuals experiencing them. Drastic changes in appetite, oversleeping, insomnia, restlessness and a general lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, frequent headaches, and mood swings are just a few common symptoms of severe anxiety.

Extreme anxiety can also adversely affect your personal and professional relationships. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from excessive anxiety attempt to conceal their problems and deal with them in isolation. This leads them to withdraw from social contact as well as from friends and family members they once enjoyed spending time with.

Because severe and recurring anxiety can quickly escalate beyond our ability to control, if you believe you’re suffering from excessive anxiety you should seek professional help as soon as possible.

The Benefits of Anxiety Counseling and Therapy

While numerous anxiety treatments are available, seeking the assistance of a professional therapist who specializes in providing anxiety counseling can help you:

• Determine the severity of your anxieties;
   
• Understand the underlying causes of your anxieties;
   
• Learn effective coping strategies so you can minimize the adverse effects of anxiety and move forward again;
   
• Help you decide whether or not you need professional counseling, prescription medications, or both;
   
• Work towards resolving the beliefs and behaviors that trigger your anxieties; and
   
• Improve your self-confidence and self-esteem.
   

By helping you understand and overcome the underlying causes of the anxiety you’re experiencing, effective anxiety counseling and therapy goes far beyond the simple treatment of anxiety’s symptoms that is offered by prescription medication alone.

That having been said, it is important to understand that no one anxiety treatment works for everyone and none of them work instantly. Anxiety counseling and therapy need to be tailored to each individual and you should understand, and be comfortable with, the therapist and treatment being proposed from the outset.

Severe anxiety and recurring stress are debilitating in their own right. If left untreated, they can easily lead to other emotional and behavioral problems such as depression, alcoholism, or substance abuse. If you’re experiencing anxiety or stress regularly, suffer from panic attacks, have unresolved phobias or other anxiety disorders that are impairing your professional and personal relationships and responsibilities, you owe it to yourself to seek professional help.

There is little question that anxiety therapy, whether or not it is used in conjunction with medications, can help you restore balance, regain control, cope with, and recover from, severe stress and anxiety disorders, and move forward in life with optimism and confidence.

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