Anxiety is one of those words we throw around when we’re describing a general feeling of nervousness. However, anxiety is a little more complex than simple nerves, though it is an incredibly common experience shared amongst a vast majority of people.

Anxiety can range from intrusive thoughts that spring out of nowhere to chronic, debilitating worry that lasts for years. It affects millions of people worldwide, often leaving them feeling trapped and overwhelmed.

However, the good news is that anxiety doesn’t have to run your life. With the right understanding, tools, and support, it is possible to break free from anxiety's grip and embrace a life of growth and resilience. In this blog post, we will explore various anxiety disorders, their effects, and provide practical strategies for managing anxiety and fostering personal growth.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders:

Anxiety disorders come in various forms, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobias. These disorders can manifest as persistent worrying, intense fear in social situations, sudden panic attacks, or irrational fears. Recognizing the specific anxiety disorder, you may be facing is an essential step toward finding effective coping strategies.

In all of the anxiety disorders, there’s a common through line which is: The relationship (or response) to anxiety itself. Let me explain.

In all of the disorders mentioned above, what you’ll find is the tendency to overestimate danger and perceive the presence of anxiety, or intrusive thoughts, as highly distressing, thus leading a person to develop coping strategies in the hopes that it will make the anxiety go away forever. Sadly, what ends up happening is these coping strategies really become like avoidance strategies, which only serves to perpetuate the anxiety itself.

The reason why avoidance doesn’t work is because it essentially communicates to the brain that whatever you are reacting to must be really bad, so we better stay hypervigilant to it and make sure that whenever it shows up, we alert you to is presence so you can fight it off. The problem with that is that it not only amplifies the anxiety, but it sets you up to be looking for the thing that makes you anxious! Talk about a mind fuck!

The Treatment:

In anxiety disorder treatment, much of the techniques are going to be paradoxical in nature. As a therapist who works with anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder, I have found that utilizing exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), along with mindfulness, self-compassion, and acceptance and commitment therapy, is the most effective. Why? Because it’s foundational practice is all about facing your fears and responding differently to them.

ERP is all about gradual exposure, however. Let’s say you had a phobia of snakes. In the first session, we absolutely would not expose you to a real snake, but we would have you create a hierarchy of fears/triggers and start at the lowest one. The reason for that is to habituate you to your fear, which is to say to get you sensitized and used to facing your fears without avoiding them. In the case of snake phobia, we’d start with having you literally just write the word snake, observe your anxiety, and continue looking at the word until the anxiety lowers. It sounds so easy, but it’s hard! And it’s vital you do this work with a therapist.

The benefit of exposure therapy is that each successful experience in facing your anxiety will build confidence and desensitize you to anxiety triggers.

One of my favorite tools for working with anxiety is basic mindfulness. Now, before you click off this blog because you’re sick and tired of hearing that word, let me explain what I mean by using mindfulness in anxiety treatment. You wouldn’t be the first person to equate mindfulness with a practice of emptying your mind and trying to exude a Zen like state. What mindfulness actually is, in this case, is the practice of observing your mind without getting pulled into the contents of what your mind is focusing on.

Have you ever laid on the grass as a kid and just watched the clouds above shift and change? In that state, you’re accepting of the fact that clouds change. In one moment, a cloud looks like a bunny, in the next moment it looks like a spear, and then shortly after that it turns into a weird looking tree.

The point that I’m making here is when we can observe our minds in the same manner, we stop attaching so much meaning to what our thoughts are doing. We learn to accept that thoughts are: weird, nonsensical, boring, neutral, scary, happy, etc. And by being able to observe the mind in this way, we get a chance to let our thoughts just be without assigning anything to them.  

Focusing on the Present:

In a nutshell, mindfulness practices help you have a passive awareness of your thoughts while also helping to bring you back to the present moment. You can both go, “wow, that was a weird thought” and return your focus to what’s happening now. Sometimes that can look like focusing back onto your breath, your immediate environment, the conversation you’re having, or whatever else is connected to this moment.

It’s so important while you’re going through anxiety treatment to building a support system. Reach out to trusted friends, family members, or a therapist who specializes in anxiety disorders. Having a support system provides validation, guidance, and a safe space to talk about your experience, while also seeing that you’re not alone. Support groups or online communities can also offer valuable insights and a sense of belonging.

While self-help techniques can be super helpful, it's important to remember that seeking professional help can make a huge difference in your quality of life. Luckily, there are amazing mental health therapists out there who specialize in anxiety disorders and know all the best treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, and mindfulness-based practices.

Overcoming anxiety requires patience, self-compassion, and a willingness to embrace temporary discomfort for long term growth. By understanding anxiety disorders, cultivating self-awareness, and implementing practical strategies, you can break free from the chains of anxiety.

Remember, healing takes time, and setbacks will absolutely occur because that’s just part of being human! Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and be kind to yourself throughout the journey. You got this, and with some persistence and support, you can reclaim your life and unlock a future full of growth, resilience, and inner peace.

 Please note: this blog post should not replace therapy or medical advice.