When to Seek Professional Help for your Anxiety
Methods for dealing with anxiety can make an anxiety episode more manageable. However, there is a point at which these coping mechanisms cease to be helpful. This is difficult for some people to determine. The individual may feel that they are handling their situation without assistance. Anxiety, however, affects almost every aspect of a person’s life. It can greatly interfere with an individual’s ability to accomplish their goals. Even as the person perceives that they are able to handle their anxiety, the anxiety will continue to negatively affect many aspects of their life. This point generally indicates that it is time to seek professional help.
Anxiety is a normal and adaptive emotion that can be motivating and energizing during times of pressure, and can help us complete tasks on time. However, when anxious thoughts become intrusive, all consuming, and overwhelm daily life, it is necessary and helpful to seek support.
At times, one of the biggest worries of people for whom we provide treatment for anxiety symptoms is determining whether they need treatment for their symptoms. The following guide should help individuals with anxiety symptoms determine whether their levels of anxiety are “too much” and whether they could benefit from professional help.
1. Feeling of ongoing anxiety which makes you feel like you can never calm down. This is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety and can cause you a lot of stress.
It is normal for people to experience some worry from time to time. However, when worry becomes persistent and overwhelming, it may indicate an anxiety disorder. Some people with an anxiety disorder will obsessively think about the same worst-case scenario even when there is no apparent reason for concern. Uncontrollable worry may be a sign of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which is characterized by excessive anxiety more days than not for at least 6 months.
Do you live with a constant feeling of tension and worry that never seems to let up? Are you unable to shake the feeling that disaster is always just around the corner? You may have found that ordinary situations suddenly become triggers for your worst fears, making it hard to enjoy even the simplest moments. There’s a good chance that you’re dealing with what Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners call Generalized Anxiety, a condition that acts like a steady “drumbeat of dread.”
2. Physical Symptoms Are Impacting Your Body
Stress, Cortisol and Weight Gain: How Do They Relate to Me?
Stress, and the body’s stress response, plays a large role in symptoms like insomnia, digestion problems, low energy, and weight gain. This stress response system is often referred to as the “Cortisol Connection”. Your body is wired to respond to stress with increased levels of this important hormone. When experienced occasionally, it is not typically problematic; however, when stress is chronic the typical result is weight gain. Learning effective stress-reducing strategies and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can support balanced cortisol levels. If symptoms persist or worsen, treatment may also include a psychiatric evaluation and medication management for people with symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Physical Symptoms of Anxiety and Panic Disorders.
3. Anxiety Is Interfering With Daily Functioning
One of the clearest clinical thresholds for treatment is functional impairment. Consider that in some cases, even after cognitive-based, anxiety-reducing interventions, individuals may exhibit persistent anxiety. When this anxiety translates into marked functional impairment, the clinical evidence suggests that exposure and/or acceptance-based interventions are most effective. Are you avoiding work, school, or social situations? Are simple tasks taking much longer than usual to complete? Is your productivity or concentration declining? When anxiety takes over your life, it can become a serious matter that may require the help of an expert Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Psychotherapist using techniques proven to be effective.
4. You Are Avoiding Situations to Prevent Anxiety
Avoidance is a diagnostic feature of many anxiety disorders, but it has important limitations in providing relief from anxiety and related distress. In the short term, avoidance may reduce discomfort, but it is a shortsighted tactic which prevents individuals from confronting and learning to manage their anxiety. Avoidance includes:
• Avoiding social interactions due to fear of judgment
• Skipping appointments or responsibilities
• Limiting travel or leaving home
This pattern is also typical of individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder as well as other panic related conditions.
People with social anxiety avoid places, situations, or activities that trigger their anxiety. Because they are motivated to reduce their anxiety, they often go out of their way to avoid situations in which they fear they might appear anxious. Sometimes they’ll even give up activities they enjoy in order to escape feelings of anxiety. For example, someone with social anxiety might skip a party because they worry that other people will notice they’re nervous.
5. You Are Experiencing Panic Attacks
Symptoms of panic attacks include:
• Trembling / shaking all over
• Sweating / flushing (feeling hot)
• Dizziness / lightheadedness
• Choking / having a lump in the throat
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Feeling like you are losing control or dying
• Tensing up
If you have panic attacks in the absence of uncontrolled worry, you may be suffering from Panic Disorder, which is a very treatable condition. These sdymptoms can sometimes point towards serious physical conditions, so a thorough psychiatric and medical evaluation is often indicated.
6. Your Sleep Is Significantly Affected
Sleep disturbances are a common symptom of anxiety and can actually contribute to worsening anxiety. We are happy to announce that we place a great focus on adequate sleep at Pima Behavioral Health! It is important to distinguish between those sleep problems that are affected by emotional dysregulation, and those problems that are independent of it and contribute to anxiety. Several sleep problems are chronic and are mediated by emotional dysregulation, thereby increasing anxiety.
7. Coping Strategies Are No Longer Working
Many people find that regular exercise, mindfulness practice, and journaling can greatly reduce their anxiety. But there is a point at which these tools are not enough. If you find that:
• Your usual coping mechanisms are ineffective
• Your anxiety continues to escalate
• You feel stuck despite your efforts
You may benefit from treatment with medication management and / or therapy.
When to Seek Help
Is my anxiety a problem that I need to seek help for? Is my anxiety severe, getting worse, affecting my life, relationships or interfere with my daily activities? If the answer is yes, it is never too early to seek help for any level of anxiety. Early intervention is a key element in preventing more severe and debilitating mental health problems in the long term.Pima Behavioral Health provides full psychiatric evaluations and medication management as well as referrals for evidenced based therapies to support each individual’s treatment.
Take the Next Step Toward Relief
You don’t have to face anxiety alone. Anxiety is a very common and very treatable condition that can bring a marked reduction of symptoms and improvement in functioning with support. Getting your anxiety under control can be a game changer for many people and significantly improve quality of life. It is time to take your life and body back under control! Call Pima Behavioral Health at 520-355-1122 now to book an appointment.