What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety occurs when your brain and body believe that there is some kind of danger happening around you. In that moment it can feel that the danger is life or death, even if that danger is social in nature, your brain and body can’t always tell the difference. Once your body senses that something is wrong, it sends a signal to your brain to help you get to safety. Sometime, the brain can take it into overdrive – sending out thoughts about worst case scenarios and looking for ways to flee/fight/or freezing. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, it is a normal response to stressful and uncertain situations. However, those who have anxiety disorders, experience significant anxiety that impacts their daily functioning. Here’s what you need to know about Anxiety Therapy Seattle.

Symptoms Of Anxiety:

Shortness of breath
Muscle tension
Stomach pain or nausea
Restlessness
Rapid heart rate
Feeling hot or sweaty
Rapid breathing or hyperventilating
Trembling
Nervousness
Racing thoughts
Obsessive thoughts

Performing certain behaviors over and over again
Catastrophizing
Worrying
Feeling out of control
Poor concentration
Irritability
Intense fear or panic
Avoidance behaviors
Rigid rules
Perfectionism

Types Of Anxiety Disorders?

At Anxiety Therapy Seattle, we treat many different types of anxiety disorders. To know if you have an anxiety disorder, you will need to meet with one of our licensed professionals for an assessment. They will ask you questions about the onset, frequency, and duration of your symptoms and behaviors and how these present in your day-to-day life. They will also try to determine the impact of the anxiety and how it may be getting in the way of your daily functioning. Below are a few common anxiety disorders that you healthcare provider can help you understand better:

Agoraphobia: Fear and avoidance of certain places and situations that cause one to panic and make them feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Excessive, exaggerated worry about everyday life events for no obvious reason. People with symptoms of GAD tend to always expect a disaster and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that they feel the urge to repeat over and over.
Panic Disorder: Unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. These episodes occur “out of the blue,” not in conjunction with a known fear or stressor.
Social Anxiety: Symptoms of anxiety or fear in situations where one may be scrutinized, evaluated, or judged by others, such as speaking in public, meeting new people, dating, being on a job interview, answering a question in class, or having to talk to a cashier in a store.
Specific Phobias: Intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity, or person (i.e. snakes, spiders, heights, blood, flying, elevators, etc). Usually, the fear is proportionally greater than the actual danger or threat.

Treatment for Anxiety:

Treatment for any mental illness, including anxiety, is unique to the individual’s needs. Most therapists will be able to provide multiple forms of therapeutic intervention to best fit the individual’s needs and circumstances. Below are some common therapeutic interventions that Anxiety Therapy Seattle uses:

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT):

CBT is possibly the most well known treatment for anxiety and it is very effective. As the name suggests, CBT is a therapy focused on identifying the individual’s thoughts (aka cognitions), emotions, and subsequent behaviors. The therapist and client talk through the connection between all three elements, patterns and cycles that keep the client stuck, and ways to change one or multiple elements in order to effect positive change in the client’s life. Worksheets, journaling, and homework assignments are commonly used in this modality.

Mindfulness:

Jon Kabat-Zinn, a current world leader in mindfulness, says that Mindfulness is awareness that arises through “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” This practice of controlling where and what your mind is focused on is an incredibly helpful way to manage and limit anxious thoughts. Mindfulness teaches you how to stay in the present moment, rather than dwelling in the past or worrying about the future, which is common with anxiety. Mindfulness also teaches you how to be present in the body, which can help you become aware of and regulate physical responses to anxiety. This therapy will focus on practices added into the daily life including meditations, brief check-ins on the body and mind, and observing external and internal sensations.

Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT):

ACT uses mindful approaches to awareness and acceptance of the present moment with a pragmatic approach of identifying your values and making committed action towards those values. It works to help the individual accept their symptoms of anxiety, rather than avoiding or fighting against it, and then moving forward with practices focused on change, self-care, and self-compassion.

Somatic Therapy:

Somatic Therapy, such as yoga, mindfulness, and felt sensing, are practices that help the individual use their body as a guide and are great for managing physical and cognitive symptoms of anxiety. These practices work to quiet the mind by focusing on breathing, releasing tension from the body, and creating connection to the body’s sensations through gentle movement.

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Medication & Anxiety Therapy:

There are many different medications available to treat anxiety, including anti-depressants, benzodiazepines, and beta-blockers. The most common medications for anxiety disorders are benzodiazepines, which include Xana, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan, and many more. These are fast acting drugs that can provide relief in about 30 minutes. However, they do have some significant side effects that are important to consider, including drowsiness, dizziness, poor coordination, slurred speech, memory problems, confusion, blurred vision, and others.

Anti-depressants called Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are also a great option to manage anxiety. These include Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil, Wellbutrin, and many more. SSRIs tend to work very well, but they do take time to see an effect, usually about 4-6 weeks.

Medication is not a one-size-fits all. If you choose to take medication you will need to work closely with your prescriber to find the right fit. Please make sure to take your medication as prescribed.

If you are unsure about medication or if it is right for you, please speak with your healthcare providers (a therapist or primary care physician) to learn more .

Our team of licensed therapists who offer anxiety therapy, cannot prescribe medication, but they can provide you with education and referrals for medication support in the community.