WHEN TO SEEK THERAPY FOR ANXIETY

Sometimes in life, we have the difficult experience of dealing with overwhelming anxiety and stress. Most people find it difficult to recognize when to seek therapy for anxiety. Most people who would benefit from the early support of a therapist will not get the help.

According to a research study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one out of five American adults is suffering some form of emotional distress. Only about 45% to 65% that have moderate-to-severe difficulty, is receiving treatment. Most people will deal with some form of anxiety problem in their lifetime.

Having any form of distress and not opening up to someone, particularly an expert, will most likely make the problem worse. The earlier someone seeks help for anxiety the easier it is to solve his/her problem. Less time, stress and strain is needed to change the situation.

Many people don’t seek help due to the stigma attached to seeing a therapist. Most people see a therapy center as a place meant only for people who can’t handle life or are failures. Some believe that seeking anxiety help shows a sign of personal weakness. Others think that going for anxiety therapy will just be too time-consuming or fail.

But all these excuses are not true. Seeking anxiety therapy is a true sign of courage and shows an inner strength to take a chance to change. Most outpatient therapists see patient one to two hours per week. It is not that much of a time investment if you want to feel better. Clients often begin to feel relief after two or three sessions.

Here are some signs indicating that it might be the right time to seek anxiety therapy. They are as follows;

A traumatic experience keeps resurfacing.

Experiences like the death of your loved one, loss of a job or a relationship breakup can be traumatizing. Most people tend to think that these painful feelings will one day fade away on their own, but that is not always the case. Such grief can have an adverse effect on your daily life and can even affect the way you relate to others. If you discover that you’re no longer engaging well with life and people around you are beginning to notice it, then it may be an ideal option to speak to someone or seek the counseling.

You’re feeling angry and intense at all time.

People tend to get angry sometimes, but how often does that happen for you? Is it affecting your behavior towards people? How do you react to unforeseen challenges when it occurs?

If you’re always consumed by anger and irritability this could be a sign that you are actually struggling with anxiety. Often we deal with underlying anxiety by getting angry.

You’re having a recurrent headache, fever or your immune system is run down.

If you’re having an abnormal recurrence of some ailments like a headache, fever, stomach ache etc, then it might be a sign that you need anxiety help. Whenever you’re anxious for long periods, it can affect your entire body system. Research had confirmed that anxiety and stress can manifest itself in the form of a vast range of ailments, from a chronic stomach ache to headaches, fever or frequent colds. It can even diminish your sex drive. Neck pain or muscle twinges that seem to come from nowhere can be signs of emotional distress and anxiety.

You’re supporting your life with an addiction.

If you’re beginning to use drugs or involve in binge drinking more often — or you’re having the thought to start taking a substance to ease off stress, then this is definitely a sign that all is not well. You are most likely trying to numb anxious feelings that need to be addressed.

Using food, sex, or gambling to numb the anxiety is a strong sign that you need help. If you start to notice that you don’t have an appetite to eat or overeat, are signs that you’re struggling with the desire to take care of yourself.

You no longer have an interest in activities that you previously enjoyed.

If you discover that you no longer enjoy activities that interested you in the past, or you have lost your previous feelings of happiness, it is a sign that something is amiss. If you’re always in a state of disillusion, having the feeling that your general sense of joyfulness is gone, seeking a therapy for anxiety could be what you need to regain your joy.

You’re having problems in your relationship for no just cause

If you notice that you’re always feeling irritated when you’re interacting with your partner or loved ones, can be a sign of underlying anxiety. Often our relationships suffer because we have such a short fuse due to all the anxiety.

Therapists can help empower you to make right choices in how you handle your relationship.

You are overly worried what others think.

You may struggle with social anxiety. You are constantly thinking about how others are seeing all the things wrong with them. After a while, you find that you have stopped going out. You may have a fear of having a panic attack in public so you tend to stay where you feel safe.

You can’t seem to stop worrying about everything.

A strong sign that you need to seek help for anxiety is that you can’t stop worrying about everything. You find that you are always thinking about the future or are always reliving past events is a sign of anxiety. Most people can put these thoughts on hold and start to think of solutions. People with anxiety get stuck in the worry part and don’t begin to problem solve.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms then reach out for help. Evidence-based treatments like cognitive behavior therapy or dialectical behavior therapy can help. The sooner you get anxiety therapy the easier and better the outcome.

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