What’s The Deal With Anxiety?

Get your copy of Joyful Journeys Counseling Anxiety Body Cues Workbook here.

It seems there is no escape of anxiety. Demographics from comfortable to hand-to-mouth seem to encounter the negative effects of General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and related disorders. Painful symptoms are experienced by young children to middle adulthood and beyond. Untreated anxiety not only creates individual symptoms, but it can compound problems for those who suffer with the disorder. Lost sleep, poor work or school performance, absenteeism, and negative social consequences are common consequences when anxious symptoms go unchecked.. As “the most common of all mental disorders” (WHO, 2023, para. 2), many clients seek relief from panic disorder, social anxiety, GAD, phobias, and obsessive compulsive disorder through counseling.

Read JJC Founder, Lytle’s expert article on Hormones & Anxiety here.

Causes for Anxiety

Anxiety can be activated by any number of factors. These can be physical in nature, psychological, or physiological mechanisms that contribute (Bathla, Singh, & Relan, 2016). As leading providers in treating anxiety, Joyful Journeys Counseling clinicians have compiled data on sources of anxiety. These include:

• fear of separation
• physical ailments or pain
• unmet expectations
• career stress
• low self-esteem
• conflict or disagreements
• uncertainty and doubt
• communication challenges
• fears (insects, driving, vomit, etc.)

It Starts in the Brain

Anxiety starts in the brain. The amazing amygdala gets activated (what neuroscience refers to as firing). This signals the hypothalamus (Harvard Health, 2020), and as a result, cortisol surges through the blood stream. The body responds to the amygdala as though it is an air traffic controller. The body responds as though deviations from commands by the amygdala would prove lethal. Oxygen is redirected and the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) becomes secondary to your fight or flight survival mode. Blood flow is diverted from the brain to the muscles in the extremities. 

The Brain Cues the Body

How can you tell if this is taking place? Sensations that occur physiologically can be difficult to pinpoint for many individuals who are first learning to manage anxiety symptoms. After some time, however, you can begin to discern where stress, tension, and anxiety shows up in your body. Work with your counselor to uncover the physical ways anxiety manifests for you individually. Here are common sensations.

• shortness of breath
• shallow breathing
• tightness in the chest
• accelerated heart rate
• butterflies or upset stomach
• tense muscles
• unexplained sweating

Sensations as Cues

Learning your bodies cues can take some time. With time, effort, and a willingness to learn and make some changes, you can begin to manage the symptoms. This is not to say that you have been doing anything wrong. In time, you can become an expert and decrease the effects of anxiety. Working with a skilled professional therapist may even help you uncover the reason anxiety became a coping skill in the first place.

Want to discovery your individual anxious symptoms? Grab this free anxious body cues worksheet free from Joyful Journeys Counseling. This is a supplemental resource. It is not a diagnostic tool and should not take the place of proper treatment. Treatment is done with clinical counseling, medication management with a psychiatrist, and/or with the support of your Primary Care Provider (PCP) or family doctor.

Managing Anxious Responses

Some anxiety coping strategies include: 

• Mindfulness and meditation: These techniques connect the mind to the body and help alleviate some of the physical symptoms produced by an anxious response.
• Exercise: Exercise can reduce cortisol levels. It has long been touted as a form of free therapy. (Unless you join a gym or exercise group . . . which may also beneficial hormones due to the socialization components of group activity.)
• Sleep hygiene: Good sleep habits generally are induced by rituals or activities that lead up to sleep. The rituals or activities, like using your favorite scented lotion before bed, help you fall asleep on a schedule.
• Play and creativity: Tap into inner creativity through play and creative outlets. Spontaneous fun, creativity, and play help reduce anxious symptomology (Abbing et al., 2019). This article offers practical tips for parent and teen connection.
• Journaling: Journaling can be an effective method of processing emotions (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2But005). Use a guided journal like The Balanced Mind to support healthy coping or use a simple notepad to express thoughts and feelings. These tips for journaling in a busy season may prove helpful!
• Nutrition and health maintenance: Healthy nutrition and quality caloric habits are related to anxiety levels (Stanikova et al., 2019). 
• Social support: Connections and relationships frequently lower anxiety levels (Seppala, 2014). Offering support to others is equally beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety so consider regular volunteer roles in your community. Many experience the truth in reaping what you sow when giving philanthropically or to meaningful causes. Read here how to make connecting possible for the social teens in your life.

Coping Through Anxiety

While anxiety can be managed, there is no cure. Regardless of the cause, anxiety symptoms are treated through a variety of techniques. The most efficacious anxiety treatment is used at Joyful Journeys Counseling by our specialized and highly trained team.

Some common treatment options for anxiety include:

• Relaxation: A good dose of R&R or self-care can help with managing anxious symptoms. When anxiety is related to stress, reducing personal stress is a legitimate coping skill for the management of symptoms.
• Medication: Anxiety medication may be long-term while others choose to seek medication as temporary. Clinicians at Joyful Journeys Counseling do not have prescribing privileges. However, our policy is to provide free reports directly to your primary care provider. Ask your therapist how to get this great added value service.
• Somatic therapy: Somatic therapy marries mindfulness, physical action, and counseling. JJC providers will often incorporate some somatic tools when a client is comfortable with this technique.
• Cognitive behavior therapy: The professional team at JJC provides this gold star standard for treatment. Fair warning that participants will need to be open to approaching this form of counseling as a student. In-session learning, called psychotherapy, homework, and review of homework and progress are all components of quality CBT therapy.
• Dialectical behavior therapy: DBT for anxiety utilizes behavior modification.
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness for anxiety treatment combines breathwork and other techniques like grounding.
• Meditation: Meditation is where prayer and worship collide. I heard this at a Pure Freedom event.

Professional Anxiety Treatment

It’s time to seek professional help for anxiety symptoms when it is interfering with daily life. If people who know you well and care about you have suggested it is time to get help, try an evaluation. Joyful Journeys Counseling offers specialized treatment for those who want to turn the corner and leave anxiety in the past. We have walked with several individuals who need unique solutions and methods. Our staff will work with you to discover best methods that you can use again and again. Schedule a free consultation today to see if one JJC is right for you.

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Sources

Abbing, A., Baars, E. W., de Sonneville, L., Ponstein, A. S., & Swaab, H. (2019). The Effectiveness of Art Therapy for Anxiety in Adult Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01203

Baikie, K. A. & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 11(5):338-346. 10.1192/apt.11.5.338

Bathla, M., Singh, M., & Relan, P. (2016). Prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among patients with hypothyroidism. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 20(4), 468–474. 10.4103/2230-8210.183476

Harvard Health. (2020, July 6). Understanding the stress response. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

Seppala, E. (2014, May 8). Connectedness & health: The science of social connection. Stanford medicine. https://ccare.stanford.edu/uncategorized/connectedness-health-the-science-of-social-connection-infographic/#:~:text=People%20who%20feel%20more%20connected,trusting%20and%20cooperating%20with%20them.

Stanikova, D., Luck, T., Pabst, A., Bae, Y. J., Hinz, A., Glaesmer, H., Stanik, J., Sacher, J., Engel, C., Enzenbach, C., Wirkner, K., Ceglarek, U., Thiery, J., Kratzsch, J., & G., S. (2019). Associations Between Anxiety, Body Mass Index, and Sex Hormones in Women. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 466996. 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00479

World Health Organization. (2023, September 27). Anxiety disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders#:~:text=An%20estimated%204%25%20of%20the,all%20mental%20disorders%20(1).

Featured Image

Ratoca. (n.d.). Anxiety (211127302). https://www.dreamstime.com/creative-design-anxiety-illustration-image211127302