Peter Miller, LCSW, DCSW 609-921-6070
Do You Suffer From Anxiety?
Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
– Arthur Somers Roche
In our modern world with so many stresses bombarding us every day, it can feel like we are in a permanent state of anxiety. Anxiety is a basic part of the human experience. It is what we feel when we have a sense of impending danger. When we sense danger, our brain signals our bodies to release hormones that get our bodies ready for action. This takes the form of fight or flight. Sometimes in more extreme situations, our bodies will freeze in temporary paralysis. When the danger has passed, our bodies should return to a normal state. Anxiety is adaptive to our environment to help us deal with problems that must be solved and avoid or escape dangerous situations. Sometimes anxiety can become overwhelming or happen so often that it effect our ability to function and enjoy our lives.
Anxiety can take many forms such as panic attacks or obsessions and compulsions, but one of the most common forms is worry. Worry is concerned with the future and towards trying to avoid bad things happening. We start thinking and planning to avoid these future catastrophes. The worry should stop once we’ve come up with a plan to solve the anticipated problem. Sometimes, the worry keeps going even though we’ve come up with a few plans. It seems to take on a life of its own and can become a way of life. It can overwhelm our ability to cope and leave us feeling constantly stressed and unable to relax or let down our guard. This tends to happen easily in our busy modern life with work, school, child and family issues, and the constant pressure to get everything done. We can feel chronically on edge, feel irritable, have difficulty sleeping, have trouble concentrating and feel exhausted and worn down. When people struggle with these feelings, it may be an Anxiety Disorder.
Fortunately, Anxiety Disorders can be treated. Psychotherapy involves understanding how the anxiety disorder developed and how it maintains control over a person. Psychotherapy intervenes with the thinking, feeling and behavioral patterns that people use to cope with anxiety that often make the anxiety worse. Working with a skilled therapist can help a person to understand these patterns and to devise and practice different patterns that lead to healthier coping skills and a more peaceful body/mind connection. With treatment, most people feel a relief of symptoms and an increase in functioning and ability to make positive changes in their life.
If you think that you or a loved one suffers from anxiety, don’t suffer any longer than you have to. Call us today for an evaluation and get started on your road to recovery at 609-921-6070.