Anxiety management counselling
“Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” – Mariska Hargitay
Anxiety is one of the most common human reactions to stressful situations. All of us worry and feel nervous under occasional trying circumstances. Moreover, the anxiety disorder can be further segmented and compartmentalised into generalized anxiety and panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder, various phobias and more.
Anxiety disorders are extremely difficult to manage and can severely impair an individual’s judgement, and lead to difficulty in operating the most basic situations. They may also become the source of conflict in the various relationships one has with others, whether it is with friends, partners, family, or anyone else.
In India alone, the latest study shows that more than 45 million people suffer from different kinds of anxiety disorders. However, fortunately, these disorders can be easily treated with customized combination psychotherapy and medications.
What are some of the symptoms and signs?
But before beginning anxiety management counselling, it is a necessary prerequisite for patients to be able to differentiate and acknowledge anxiety disorders. Some of the first markers common to all disorders are as follows:
- Repetitive panic attacks
- Feeling continuous stress, fear and/or nervousness
- Hyperventilation and increased heart rate
- Insomnia
- Repetitive nightmares
What does it mean to go through anxiety management counselling?
Anxiety management counselling is not an easy process to go through with. It is a form of psychotherapy which simple as it is complex, as most anxiety disorders may differ from each other, but all of them often have similar intersectional foundations. Thus, counselling for different disorders may vary but always overlaps at one point or another. People suffering through such disorders often find themselves drowning in emotions, especially negative ones when faced with stressful, traumatic, or triggering circumstances and situations, making therapy extremely sensitive in nature.
They prefer to avoid such circumstances as previously indicated or bottle up and suppress emotions, which more often than not does more harm than good. Psychologists with training in anxiety management counselling help patients process these emotions in a healthier manner and cope with them.
Psychologists help individuals not only identify the root of their disorders but also help in moving away from thought patterns, people, and situations that act as triggers or contribute to their anxiety disorders.
Hence, anxiety management counselling is aimed at therapists and patients working together to identifying major concerns and roots of those behavioral patterns, followed by building strong techniques and responses for coping with such anxiety. Such counselling is done both personally and in groups on a regular basis.
The main motivator of group sessions is the ability of individuals with similar disorders coming together and sharing their experiences of successes and failures. A few sessions with close friends and family members are also beneficial for all parties involved as it helps them understand the triggers and problems each of them is facing as a result of such anxiety.
But the most important thing to remember is that anxiety orders can easily be treated and a life without fear and worry isn’t as utopic as it seems. But taking the first step is to ask for help. Contact a psychologist today.