Anxiety

Anxiety has been used a lot online and has become a buzzword in some ways. You’ve likely seen tons of people saying they “have anxiety” or that something “triggered” them. Because of this, anxiety is becoming pathologized. Pathologizing means treating something like a disease or assuming it automatically means something is wrong.

The problem with this is that anxiety isn’t a disease — it’s a feeling. There are recognized medical conditions such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder, each with specific symptoms. Anxiety can also overlap with other experiences like depression or PTSD.

Anxiety is a feeling that is natural and can be useful.. It gives us information and can help protect us. The problem comes when anxiety stops us from doing safe things we want or need to do. For example, walking into a new place where you don’t know anyone can feel scary or uncomfortable. That’s normal. That feeling helps you look around, understand what’s happening, and figure out where you feel safe.

Sometimes our bodies tell us something is unsafe even when it isn’t. It’s okay to feel this way — and it’s also okay to do things that feel uncomfortable. Sometimes we need to process these emotions and slowly build tolerance for them.

Anxiety, like other emotions and feelings can give us good information if we take some time to think about it and where the feeling is coming from. It may have been due to a previous experience or it might be a sign there are things in our life that need to change.

Having anxiety doesn’t mean you’re broken or that you can’t do things. It means there are things you can work on. The process can be slow and uncomfortable, but it is possible.

Some of the things that can be done to help with anxiety includes medication and psychotherapy. Keeping track of when you feel symptoms and what is going on around you can give you some clues. Basic mental wellness steps can also help — good sleep, time outside, connecting with supportive people, balanced nutrition, and limiting social media. In therapy, we can explore what your triggers are and question the thoughts that come up.

At Root & Renew Therapy, we also use virtual reality to help with specific anxieties. For example, if someone is afraid of spiders, we can create a VR environment where they see spiders in a safe, controlled way. Together, we work through the emotions that come up and learn how to manage them. With virtual reality, we can easily adjust the exposure and build it up as needed, switching between challenging moments and calm, safe spaces.

Some things to remember:

• Anxiety is a feeling

• You are not broken, the feeling is not permanent

• Make note of what your are feeling, what happened before and when it started to get better

• Make a note about how things are with regards to your sleep, eating, stress level and exercise

• If there is a pattern, try to work on those by using curiosity to see what you can change.

• Don’t hesitate to reach out for help, check in with your doctor or a therapist.

Reach out for more information, we can work on this together.