Anxiety is tough and if you are reading this I think you know what it is. We have all felt anxiety over time and some worse than others. Anxiety is that keyed up feeling or sense of dread, fear or being out of control. It can cause a person a lot of suffering if it is not handled effectively. Many people suffer from anxiety disorders which often time leads to depression. There are many ways that anxiety and depression for that matter can be treated. Therapy and medication have been quite helpful.
I am not promoting medication in this article. It is realistic to see that there is therapeutic value of medication especially benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin and the like) for treating anxiety. However I also see how it is over prescribed. Those types of medication are designed for a very short period of time and many mental health prescribers not all of course feel that they are the end all, cure to anxiety and that is just not true.
Below are 5 common myths to anxiety that I typically discuss with people. These are myths and I am going to bust them. Ever see that show, Myth Busters 🙂 well it’s a really cool show so let’s give it a whirl.
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Anxiety will go away by itself
Anxiety typically will not go away by itself. In fact, if not addressed it can worsen. One must identify what is the underlying fear/theme. Many times people can explore this with a therapist. Therapists are great because they are not sitting smack dab in the middle of your anxious thoughts. They are non-judgmental listeners who can help you identify what is that underlying thought that is causing the issue and how can a strategy be built that can correct it.
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Unwinding with a drink will help anxiety go away
In the short term, sure alcohol is a depressant. It relaxes you and chances are if you are really anxious it will relax you and make you feel tired. However, alcohol is tricky because it can become a habit or the brains automatic go-to thought when a person wants to relax.
Think of it this way have you ever met a person that said “Hey, let’s be an alcoholic or maybe a drug addict.” Of course not, addiction doesn’t work that way. It sneaks up on a person little by little. It’s more effective to find a different way to relax the mind like listening to a guided meditation. When you focus totally on the guided meditation, anxiety will leave. Remember the brain can only do one thing effectively at a time.
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If you are anxious, you should avoid what is making you feel anxious
This seems realistic right? If I avoid what makes me anxious, I will not be anxious anymore. Nope, total myth and here is why. When you avoid something that you are dreading, the brain goes into a sort of safety mode. It is saying…..”whew…. we avoided that and now we are safe.”
Well the problem with that is that the brain is also very good at making difficulties seem a lot more threatening than they typically are. If I keep avoiding the fear, then it becomes bigger and unrealistic for the most part. The anxiety associated with the fear increases. Phobias are like that. They are very misleading but to the person suffering from them, they are very debilitating.
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Some people are just worriers and will always be that way
Like anything else, anxiety has been linked to heredity. Basically if your parents were worriers or very anxious than there’s a more likely chance you will be too. That statement which is interesting because sure, there is more chance because aside from the genetic factor there are environmental factors.
Have you ever been around someone who is very anxious and then find yourself becoming anxious? Yep, I have for real and my mother was anxious. I think some of our responses to various situations have a genetic and environmental component but does that mean they are set in stone.
Of course not, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT has been proven to be quite effective in learning to cope with anxiety issues. This type of therapy focuses on changing or challenging thoughts and negative thinking patterns. It focuses on identifying and solving the problem.
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Anxiety is bad for a person
Well all anxiety is not completely bad for a person. However, it can feel pretty darn awful at the time you are feeling it. If you challenge the anxious thoughts and persevere through to the other side of the fear, I guarantee you will feel more confident, accomplished and better.
I have experienced anxiety, well we all have, and I don’t like it. I have found that when I acknowledge it, calm down and push through it, I have been more confident and overall felt better. I also have found with my own anxiety that I typically have made the issue/fear whatever it is way more bigger than it actually is.
When I view the underlying issue realistically, it is a completely irrational viewpoint. This is how I conquer feelings of panic and anxiety when they occur, which they do from time to time but not as often as they used to for real. I stop, breathe and say to myself, “Ok, you have calmed down before and you will today. This thought or feeling will pass. All problems will work out the way it is supposed to work out.”
Key Take Aways
So some key take-aways from this post are: anxiety has an underlying theme/fear that needs to be identified; anxiety can be conquered and most importantly you are not alone or flawed for feeling anxiety. We all have felt anxiety at some point in our lives.
Please comment below about any anxiety myths you have heard and how you busted them. You never know you may be able to help someone else.
Also if you find that anxiety is causing you to stay stuck and unable to move forward towards goals and such, please reach out for the free session. Justs fill out the form on this page and I will be in contact with you shortly. No obligation I just want to help others move forward. I can help you determine the next best step to help you conquer this and move forward to achieve your goals.
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