Anxiety/Panic

Everyone gets anxious sometimes, but if your worries and fears are so constant that they interfere with your ability to function and relax, you may have heightened anxiety. It involves constant worrying, nervousness, and tension. It is a general feeling of dread or unease that can color your whole life. Anxiety can make normal life difficult and relaxation impossible. It can be mentally and physically exhausting. It drains your energy, interferes with sleep and wears your body out. You often worry about the same things that other people do but, you tend to take these worries to a new level. Sometimes just the thought of getting through the day produces anxiety.

Emotional symptoms of Anxiety include:

Constant worries running through your head
Feeling like your anxiety is uncontrollable; there is nothing you can do to stop worrying
Intrusive thoughts about things that make you anxious; you try to avoid thinking about them but, you can't
An inability to tolerate uncertainty; you need to know what's going to happen in the future
A pervasive feeling of apprehension or dread

Behavioral symptoms of Anxiety include:

Inability to relax; enjoy quiet time or be by yourself
Difficulty concentrating or focusing on things
Putting things off because you feel overwhelmed
Avoiding situations that make you anxious

Physical symptoms of Anxiety include:

Feeling tense; having muscle tightness and body aches
Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because mind won't quit
Feeling edgy, restless, or jumpy
Stomach problems, nausea, diarrhea

The use of Internal Family Systems and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy are particularly helpful treatments of anxiety. IFS looks at the part of the person that is presenting as anxious and understand what is causing it to feel this way to help settle it back. CBT examines distortions in the way the person sees their world and themselves and helps them identify automatic negative thoughts that contribute to the anxiety.