Suffering From Increased Anxiety? What Therapies Can Help?
With more and more news outlets subscribing to the "if it bleeds, it leads" theory and highlighting many of the most anxiety-inducing aspects of modern society, it can be hard not to feel stressed or anxious about events happening on both a micro and macro scale. However, if your high levels of anxiety are beginning to affect the way you live your daily life, preventing you from spending time with others or causing you to engage in repetitive or compulsive habits, it may be time to seek professional treatment. Read on to learn more about some types of therapy that can be specifically beneficial for those dealing with generalized anxiety, as well as some of your options if this treatment just isn't enough to help you live a normal life.
What are the best types of therapy to help treat anxiety?
Often, your anxiety may seem to arise from innocuous situations or those you're forced to encounter on a daily basis -- from driving in traffic to shopping at a grocery store. Because avoiding the situations that bring you anxiety may not be feasible, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is often the best option to help you get on with life. This therapy involves working to interrupt the stream of thoughts that bring you anxiety, redirecting your mind to more positive input and stopping any feelings of anxiety in their tracks.
Another therapy option you may find helpful is talk therapy. This is the therapy most frequently portrayed in media and pop culture, and allows you to narrate your thoughts and receive input and feedback from your therapist without judgment. Often, talk therapy can let you get to the root of your anxiety and deal with the events or feelings that have led you to where you are now.
What should you do if therapy isn't as effective as you had hoped?
In conjunction with therapy, your psychiatrist may prescribe you an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication to help ward off an anxiety attack in high-stress situations. Antidepressants can help your brain chemistry reach equilibrium by increasing your serotonin levels, keeping your feelings of anxiety under control rather than allowing them to overpower your thoughts. You'll need to take these medications on a daily basis to allow them to build up in your bloodstream and take full effect. Anti-anxiety medication can be taken intermittently, whenever you feel your thoughts beginning to spiral toward panic. Talk to a doctor, like Dr. Stephen Brown & Associates, for more help.
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