Am I Just Feeling Anxious or Is This An Anxiety Disorder?
Fear is a part of life
Before an upcoming procedure, my doctor once asked me,“Are you nervous?” to which I chuckled and replied, “Of course I am!”. He looked perplexed and responded, “Why? You are a therapist?!”, implying that as a therapist I must have cracked the code to overriding being human. His rationale was akin to an idea that a doctor should never catch a cold, never get injured, or need surgery because they understood physiology, biology and immunology. The fear response is part of the autonomic nervous system, the immediate threat-risk response that is instinctive.
Our nervous systems respond to threat, perceived or real and prepares us for survival. Without it, we would be vulnerable to danger. The way that doctor pathologized my autonomic response, illustrates the common social tendency to pathologize fear. Because of this, we can learn to intellectually override our normal responses and suppress them. This is also where the understanding of anxiety and anxiety disorders can be misunderstood.
Mind-Body Experience of Anxiety
When you experience anxiety, you become aware of how the mind and body are connected. You may feel the sweat on your brow or your palms, the beating of your heart as it thumps in your chest, your breathing becoming rapid or shallow, or you may have the desire to run out of the room or to be very still. This process is what happens when we sense danger and our system prepare us to quickly react. Our system assesses the options: Should I run? Can I fight the threat? Should I freeze and stay real still? Do I need to submit or fawn and play along? This immediate assessment of the options and the educated guess of what we can do given our circumstances is hardwired. If we didn’t have this function, we likely wouldn’t have fared well evolutionarily.
There is a tremendous amount of energy we internally feel when we are responding to threats. When we suppress that energy for many legitimate reasons (for example, when it isn’t safe to let it out) it tends to build up inside us, like a pressure cooker. It can feel scary when there is all that energy inside and it feels like it will overtake you. It can feel like dread, despair, panic, etc.
Anxiety disorder
Of course, there are things that are inherently scary in life, but when we get stuck in that scared, that is where feelings such as panic attacks, phobias and disorders can come into the picture. Anxiety becomes an issue when it takes over and floods your system and impacts more than one area of your life. Individuals with anxiety disorders may adapt by avoiding things, places, or people. This avoidance can make their world feel significantly smaller. Folks struggling with anxiety tend to describe feeling like their world feels constricted because feeling like they need to manage their panic or overwhelm.
When to reach out for therapy for anxiety
Sometimes you can find a way to work through anxiety on your own, with tools and resources that support you. You might have a system that works and even though you feel anxious or scared, you can manage it as it comes up.
For folks that feel stuck in their anxiety or feel like the waves of anxiety never seem to ebb and flow, an anxiety therapist can help with their skills and expertise to help you find new ways to work with your system. An anxiety counselor can help you to move through the feeling, rather than getting stuck, when the fear comes up and can work with you to be with it, work with it and to find ways to let it go.
Anxiety Disorder Therapy
As a somatic anxiety therapist, the work is to tune into what your body is feeling, trusting the wisdom it brings, while also supporting your body in understanding and recognizing it is safe in the present moment. Although this sounds simple enough, it is a complex process, especially when there is a history of trauma, high anxiety, or difficult lived experiences. The work is to understand and to work with your system, one piece at a time, in a way that doesn’t feel too overwhelming. For anyone who experiences panic, they of course want it to just go away immediately. This is a totally reasonable want. However, anxiety takes time to work with, because there can be many things to unpack around it.
Feeling anxious from time to time, is part of our human experience. If you find that you are feeling anxious most of the time, it may be time to consider reaching out to an anxiety therapist. As a Somatic Psychotherapist, I am skilled in working with anxiety and how it shows up in the mind-body connection. We can work together to understand and find ways to support you to feel more grounded and resourced when anxiety shows up. If you are interested in scheduling time with me and live in California, please click the link below for a free phone consultation to discuss your needs.
This blog is for general information purposes only. It is not meant for a substitution for medical or mental health advice or treatment. Please see a licensed professional for medical or mental health advice and/or recommendations specific to your needs.