How to deal with Anxiety How do you deal with anxiety? Anxiety is normal. Everyone has anxiety from time to time. But it’s uncomfortable and no one likes it. At Thrive Counseling, we see anxiety every day and work with our clients to reduce and manage it. Anxiety counseling is very effective; you don’t have to suffer with it.             Normally counseling for anxiety starts with exploring the symptoms and causes of anxiety, and then moves into dealing with anxiety using coping tools, specific strategies and also understanding each person’s triggers for anxious thoughts and feelings. Physical Symptoms of Anxiety             Everyone has felt anxiety to some degree. We feel it in our minds and bodies with our nervous system responds to a trigger. Anxiety manifests in the body in several ways. Here are the most common physical symptoms of anxiety: Pounding heart Sweating Headaches Shaking or trembling Dizziness Shortness of breath Upset stomach Low appetite Muscle tension or twitches Shortness of breath Insomnia (difficulty sleeping) Anxiety can look different in different individuals, however. Here’s some less common physical symptoms of anxiety: Ringing in the ears Brain fog or feeling ‘spacey’ Difficulty concentrating Numbness in hands or feet Stomach cramps Frequent urination or diarrhea For most people, anxiety counseling reduces or eliminates all of their physical symptoms. For some people, adding anti-anxiety medication to counseling will be the best treatment option.   Causes of Anxiety             In anxiety counseling, one of the first things we do is pinpoint the causes of anxiety. This can vary from person to person, but there are some commonalities. Causes are also sometimes called triggers. Identifying your own triggers for anxiety can put you back in control of your feelings, and can help you know when to use coping tools.             We can break the causes of anxiety into two categories: internal and external. Internal causes are related to what’s happening inside your body. External causes of anxiety are those that come from the external world. Internal causes of anxiety include: Poor sleep habits or insomnia Poor eating habits (eating too much or not enough, or not eating regular balanced meals) Not getting enough movement or exercise Genetics (anxiety can run in families) Medical condition that causes anxiety (such as a thyroid condition) External causes of anxiety include: Stress at work or school Witnessing a traumatic event Being threatened by someone Instability in your living situation Financial stress Problems in relationships Use of drugs or alcohol             Usually, there is not just one cause of someone’s anxiety; there are many causes, and many layers and nuances to anxiety and our response to it. Extreme Anxiety             Do you feel like your level of anxiety is just too much? Do you feel panicky and on edge most of the time? Do you feel a chronic, everyday low-level sense of anxiety or dread? If this is the case, it’s time to talk to a counselor and get evaluated for an anxiety disorder.             Everyone feels anxiety from time to time, but when anxiety gets in the way of living your life, you may have an anxiety disorder . We treat anxiety disorders all the time at Thrive Counseling; it’s one of the most common issues clients come to us with.             The good news is that an anxiety disorder, or extreme anxiety, is very treatable. Usually within 10-12 sessions with a counselor, anxiety is under control and clients feel like themselves again. If you’d like to talk to a counselor about extreme anxiety, contact us and we will get you right in for an appointment. How to Deal with Anxiety             There are many effective strategies to deal with anxiety when it pops up in your life. Here are a few coping tools that counselors teach their clients in anxiety therapy. Mindfulness skills for anxiety Mindfulness skills teach you how to slow down, be in the moment, slow your thoughts, and calm your body. Ultimately, you learn how to respond to what’s happening around you and inside you, rather than simply reacting to it. You can learn mindfulness skills on your own through a book or e-course, or work with a counselor one-on-one. Analyzing your thoughts This is a common technique in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to deal with anxiety. The basic idea is you learn to observe your own thoughts and the common patterns and narratives you use. Sometimes our thoughts are calm and rational. Sometimes, if we really look at them, our thoughts are overreacting or not serving us very well. If you’re anxious, take some time to write down your thoughts. Are they true? Do they sounds calm and rational? If not, is there another way of looking at this situation that’s more in line with reality? What would your best friend say to you in this situation? Try to reframe your thoughts in a calmer way. Regulate your body             A very simple way to deal with anxiety is to block the causes of anxiety. The tope three things you can control that will regulate your body and stop anxiety is to have good sleep, eat a balanced diet, and move your body every day.             When we sleep well, eat well, and get some exercise our whole nervous system tends to calm down. We feel much less anxious and are able to deal better with the problems we encounter during the day.