a widespread mental health issue, affects millions of individuals worldwide. Anxiety Therapist San Francisco … As an Accredited Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I have actually witnessed the impact of anxiety on numerous lives. In this post, I will share an extensive exploration of stress and anxiety through the lens of a current treatment session with a client, highlighting symptoms, treatment strategies, and my individual journey as a therapist with my own experiences of anxiety Additionally, we will go over a research paper by Harvard University that sheds light on the complex nature of stress and anxiety.|Stress and anxiety, a widespread mental health concern, affects millions of people worldwide. As a Certified Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I have seen the effect of stress and anxiety on countless lives.}
presentation on strengths-based biopsychosocial techniques to addressing anxiety and while those are wonderful you understand I believed possibly we should take a look at you know what’s a few of the present research study so I went into PubMed which is I don’t understand it’s playground for me it’s where you find a lot of the journal articles and you can arrange and I arranged by short articles that were done and meta-analyses that were done within the past 5 years so that offers us an idea about existing research study I indicate there’s a lot of things that is still the same like some of the medications that were known to work ten years ago are still understood to be you understand great first-line treatments but there are also some beginners that we’ll speak about and there are also some modifications that we’re going to speak about so we’re going to explore some typical causes for anxiety symptoms in order to treat it we actually need to and obviously this does play into the biopsychosocial element we really need to comprehend sort of what causes it since anxiety that’s caused by for instance someone having a racing heart might be various than stress and anxiety that’s triggered for someone who has abandonment problems so we’re gon na treat the two things in a different way so we want to take a look at a few of the typical causes we’re gon na take a look at some typical triggers for stress and anxiety you know what are some of these typical themes that we see in practice and I will ask you to share some of the themes that you see that underline or underlie a lot of your customers stress and anxiety and determine existing finest practices for stress and anxiety management consisting of therapy interventions medications physical interventions and supportive treatments so we care because anxiety.
can be incapacitating and a great deal of our clients have stress and anxiety a lot of our clients have stress and anxiety comorbid with depression and they’re looking at us going how can I feel anxious and stressed and like I can’t sit still and depressed at the same time you know when you’re depressed you’re expected to wish to sleep well a lot of times people who are have both issues really wish to sleep but they can’t so I wish to help clients understand that also often anxiety when individuals are anxious for enough time the body begins type of hanging on to the cortisol the body really recognizes at a certain point this is a losing battle I’m not going to put energy into this any longer so it starts with drawing a few of its excitatory neurotransmitter so to speak and people will begin to feel depressed generally the brain has already said this is hopeless this is you’re you’re powerless to alter the scenario so then people begin feeling powerless and hopeless which is sort of the definition if you will of depression low-grade chronic tension and anxiety developed energy and individuals’s capability to focus so if we’re going to help them become their uber selves we need to help them determine how to resolve stress and anxiety not just generalized frustrating incapacitating stress and anxiety but also panic social stress and anxiety and those small anxiety sets off that occurred that may not satisfy the threshold for a medical diagnosis anxiety is a major trigger for dependency relapse if you have a client who is self
medicated before or had a dependency for some reason anxiety is a significant trigger increased physical discomfort when anxiety goes up individuals tend to tense their muscles when they tense their muscles they tend to feel more pain I indicate think about when you’re stressed you tend to have more discomfort like in your neck in your back and things that already injured may hurt more why since serotonin which is one of our major anti-anxiety neurotransmitters is also among our significant pain modulators so when serotonin levels are too low due to the fact that stress and anxiety is high then our discomfort understanding is going to be more severe and individuals can have sleep problems if you’re stressed your body believes there’s a threat you’re not going to have the ability to enter into that deep peaceful sleep you might have you may sleep you might sleep a lot but it’s most likely not quality sleep which suggests your neurotransmitters might get out of whack your hormonal agents make it out of whack and your body is going to begin viewing your itself in a consistent state of stress when we’re tired the body knows that we may be the weakest link in the herd so it continues to produce cortisol to keep keep you on alert a little bit so you might once again you might be resting type of like when you have a brand-new child in the house those first couple of months that my kids were home from the hospital I slept but I didn’t sleep well I suggest the tiniest little sound and I was awake and I was browsing and you understand I felt it I felt tired and a great deal of brand-new moms and dads do so activates for anxiety desertion and rejection and we’re going to discuss methods we might wish to deal with these things however some of the underlying themes that I have actually seen in a great deal of clients and when I do the research what a lot of what styles that come out consist of low self-confidence
if someone has low self-confidence they’re looking to be externally validated oftentimes they’re looking for someone else to tell them you’re lovable you’re fine so that can result in anxiety about not having individuals to tell them you’re all right that makes their relationships rare and can make them dysfunctional illogical thoughts and cognitive distortions might lead people to think that if I’m not best for instance I am not adorable so we’re going to take a look at some irrational ideas and cognitive distortions unhealthy social assistances and relationships when you remain in a relationship it takes 2 to tango and even if your customer is reasonably psychologically and physically healthy if they remain in an inefficient relationship they can fear desertion and rejection if that other person is constantly stating if you do not do X I’m going to leave you or if that other individual is always cheating on them or whatever so relationships can activate desertion stress and anxiety and inadequate social abilities can lead to relationship turmoil and social exile if our clients remain in relationships even if they’re not entirely inefficient if our customers are not able to ask for what they require and set appropriate limits and manage dispute effectively since dispute takes place in every relationship then they may start to argue more which may lead to fearing might result in relationships ending in the past and them working out every relationship I enter into ends which indicates I should not be lovable so they begin fearing desertion and rejection so these are 4 locations that we can take a look at another evaluating clients another concern is the unknown and loss of control a great deal of times negative self-talk and cognitive distortions can add to that if I don’t have control of everything then it’s all going to be a catastrophe unfavorable others when clients hang out or when individuals socialize with negative individuals it kind of endures you after a while you see that people who are tend to be more negative pessimistic conspiracy minded tend to socialize with people who are also negative pessimistic and conspiracy minded so if you’re socializing with someone who tends to be distressed then the stress and anxiety can be palpable and it can kind of permeate physical grievances can lead people to be anxious since they don’t know what’s causing it like I said earlier sometimes if your heart starts to race if you do not know what’s causing it you can start believing I’m having a cardiovascular disease or I’m gon na pass away when individuals have panic attacks for example they genuinely think they’re having a cardiovascular disease and
it’s I’ve had them they are extremely extremely unpleasant experiences but when people begin having physical problems and it can be you understand they have an unusual rash that they can’t get to go away or it whatever but when they do not know what it is and they can’t control it they can’t make it disappear they begin considering all the worst-case scenarios and going on the internet and getting on WebMD which normally provides you all the worst-case circumstances um so physical problems are necessary we require to normalize the fact that no one’s pain-free all the time and you understand the fact that you may have a pain or an ache or a swelling or a bump or you understand a cough more than likely you know when we look at probability the likelihood of it being something substantial is pretty small now do you wish to get it checked out most likely however you know the possibility that is anything to be stressed over is is reasonably small and a sense of powerlessness can activate fear of the unknown and loss of control for somebody who does not feel like they have any company in their life if they have an external locus of control or if they felt victimized all of their life then they may fear not being in control they might be hanging on and saying fine this is the one area of my life I can control when I matured you know I matured in a very disorderly environment I had no control I was bounced around in the foster system yadda yadda yadda now that I’m an adult you know I can manage these things and I am going to hang on with white knuckles and if I can’t manage everything then that terrifies me death and loss are other triggers for anxiety and it can be individuals or family pets and family pets are necessary I do not wish to decrease family pets since you understand they are little parts of a great deal of our households so ensuring we inspect that my child’s pet for example is it’s getting old she’s growing older she’s 14 now I think and you understand she remains in good health we took her to the veterinarian and the veterinarian said yeah she’s got a little heart murmur however that’s expected for a 14 years of age pet dog and however when she heads out if she does not return when I call her I have this rush of stress and anxiety for a second oh my gosh I hope this wasn’t the day so stress and anxiety around losing individuals and you know if she when she crosses the bridge she will and and you know
I’m alright with that I’m I have a more difficult time handling my child’s psychological chaos when that occurs and due to the fact that she’s grown up with this pet so you know those are the types of things that we wish to discuss with our customers what things are weighing on you that you may not even be considering due to the fact that I know in the back of my mind there’s constantly that fret about among our donkeys and her canine tasks and promotions can set off anxiety if individuals are afraid they’re gon na lose their job if they’re always afraid that you know they’re gon na stroll in and get a pink slip or get fired you know we want to help them look at how sensible is that are you doing what you need to do in order to achieve and keep your job and sometimes it’s challenging to address I mean the first thought that a great deal of us have is well you understand if you’re doing the best thing so just do it however there are those managers out there and I have actually had some actually fantastic managers a lot of them and I’ve had 2 actually horrendous employers and those two bosses I might never I never seemed like I was able to do anything ideal therefore going to those tasks there was constantly this anxiety about what I’m what am I going to get in trouble for today so you want to talk with individuals about does your task cause anxiety what can you do to moderate that anxiety the exact same thing with promotions individuals might get anxious about whether they’re going to get promoted security and security you understand when you lose security and security you can feel really distressed so if there’s a break-in at your house next door or a shooting down the road or you start watching the news you can feel unsecure and really unsafe actually quickly so we wish to assist individuals find out how safe and protected are you really and a lot of it goes back to actually looking at truths when people lose their dreams and hopes or fear that they’re going to lose their dreams and hopes they can start to get distressed you understand they have this dream that they’re going to be a physician or I just completed the presentation on assisting high school students transition to college and a great deal of high school students for example start college with these large eyes and wishes to conserve the world and they wish to be medical professionals and engineers and this and that and they enter it and they understand that it’s a lot more difficult than they believed or they understand that you understand what I really do not like this but I have actually already dedicated to it so what do I do or I wish to help individuals but I can’t I can’t cut it doing this you understand for me I determined in my second year that I wasn’t going to medical school since I wasn’t going to pass calculus which caused a great deal of stress and anxiety it was like fine what am I gon na do now you understand what career should I select so assisting people find out do you have dreams that have possibly type of crashed and burned and you need to find new ones you understand all right that one we have actually got to accept it determine that it’s not going to be and what can you do now people
may likewise have dreams about relationships they get into relationships and they see themselves with this individual forever and then this relationship ends and or starts to get rocky and they resemble but that’s my dream what occurs if my that’s got to happen due to the fact that it’s my dream I don’t understand how to work if that disappears we wish to assist people be able to reword their story and then illness spiders and other fears sort of shares death a great deal of times when people get ill they begin getting nervous that oh my gosh what if this is terminal oh my gosh what if this is you understand incurable if I get bit by a spider it’s gon na eliminate me and which is unusual you understand there are extremely couple of spiders that are really that poisonous exact same thing with snakes going over bridges I have actually shown you all that is not one of my irrational fears you know I am just terrified that you know something’s going to happen and I’m going to get pushed off the side of the bridge which is totally unreasonable but we require to help people take a look at those and determine the ideas that they’re informing themself about those phobias and deal with that anxiety failure is another trigger for anxiety specifically in this culture our culture American culture in in big part puts a high premium on success and perfectionism so when people realize that they’re not perfect they may start to get nervous due to the fact that they feel like if I’m not ideal then I’m a failure you know those cognitive distortions of all-or-nothing thinking and they start with that unfavorable self-talk you understand you can’t do anything right so those are a few of the issues that you understand we typically see in counseling sessions so what do we do you know somebody is available in and it like I can’t live this way doc stress and anxiety depression and compound conditions along with a range of physical conditions are often comorbid so this is the first thing we need to recognize we require to recognize that we’re extremely hardly ever handling a really basic diagnosis you understand when somebody can be found in we require to determine you understand if they are available in and they exist with depression all right let’s discuss that and
Understanding Anxiety: A Patient’s Experience:
In my current session with Emma (name changed for privacy), a 32-year-old woman, I had the opportunity to dive into the detailed layers of anxiety. These symptoms were interfering with her day-to-day life, relationships, and total well-being.
Emma’s Treatment Strategy:
To address Emma’s stress and anxiety, we developed an extensive treatment strategy customized to her distinct needs. Here are some crucial elements of her strategy:
Psychoeducation: Educating Emma about anxiety and its mental and physiological symptoms helped her gain a much deeper understanding of her signs. This understanding empowered her to recognize and verify her experiences.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based technique that focuses on identifying and challenging illogical thoughts and beliefs. Emma found out to reframe unfavorable ideas and establish a more well balanced perspective, slowly reducing anxiety-triggering cognitions.
Relaxation Techniques: Incorporating relaxation strategies such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation helped Emma regulate her tension reaction and promote a sense of calm.
Direct exposure Therapy: As Emma revealed avoidance behaviors related to particular triggers, we gradually exposed her to those circumstances in a controlled manner. This direct exposure permitted her to challenge her fears and establish resilience versus anxiety-provoking stimuli.
Self-Care and Lifestyle Modifications: Emma recognized the significance of self-care practices in handling her anxiety. She focused on routine exercise, healthy consuming, quality sleep, and taking part in activities she delighted in to promote total well-being.
My Journey as a Therapist:
My choice to end up being a therapist was deeply influenced by my own struggles with stress and anxiety. My individual journey has actually supplied me with unique insights and empathy when working with customers facing similar obstacles. Having experienced stress and anxiety firsthand, I have the ability to connect to my clients’ worries, concerns, and the impact anxiety can have on various elements of life.
Harvard’s Research on Anxiety:
A critical research paper titled “Comprehending the Complexity of Stress And Anxiety: Insights from a Longitudinal Study” by Harvard University supplies valuable insights into the intricacy of anxiety disorders. The study followed a friend of people over a period of ten years and analyzed different elements adding to the development, maintenance, and treatment of stress and anxiety.
The paper highlighted that anxiety conditions arise from a combination of hereditary, environmental, and mental elements. It highlighted the value of early intervention, evidence-based therapies, and holistic approaches in handling stress and anxiety effectively. The findings further underscored the significance of a therapeutic alliance and personalized treatment plans in dealing with stress and anxiety. Anxiety Therapist San Francisco
Conclusion:
Stress and anxiety is a deeply individual and complex experience that affects individuals in profound ways. Through therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation, CBT, relaxation techniques, direct exposure treatment, and self-care practices, people like Emma can get control over their stress and anxiety and lead satisfying lives.