Anxiety can be challenging and debilitating for many in today’s society. Being able to understand how one’s brain is wired, how we respond and to what, and how to effectively manage anxiety symptoms can greatly eliminate the negative impacts of anxiety over time.
Anxiety is a diagnosable mental health issue. It is NOT a choice. Because of heredity, how the brain works, or how the body reacts, one may have to deal with the challenges of anxiety in many arenas of their life. Having others recognize and support, without judgement, can help.
Those with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and OCD have a similar brainmap, or how their brains are wired to see and interact with the world. They are more likely to engage in rigid, inflexible thinking, black and white thinking, or thinking in extremes. Being able to gain flexibility in thinking, increasing perspective or points of view can be helpful. They may be prone to catastrophizing or worst case scenario thinking. They might be perfectionists or procrastinators. It’s highly likely they dislike change, uncertainties, or lots of stimuli.
Ways to address anxiety symptoms
- Recognize the symptoms or responses
- Look at where those responses are coming from
- Choose a healthy way to respond differently
Let’s say someone doesn’t like change. They may become agitated or resistant to change, have emotional meltdowns, or simply refuse to cooperate. They are not doing this to be frustrating. They are doing it because, in some way, they feel unsafe or not at ease and may not understand how come. Helping them to recognize how come they don’t like this change will help you choose the best response.
How come they don’t like change? Is it because they had a bad experience, they don’t know what’s going to happen and they’re catastrophizing the worst or they feel out of control? Each reason may need a different skill to manage it effectively.
Being able to talk about bad experiences and looking at things with fresh eyes from a new perspective might help eliminate that response in the future. Being able to ‘de-catastrophize’ or use logic to talk them out of the worry may be useful. Or giving choices to help them feel in control may be a helpful skill. The skill is often determined by the reason or the problem. This is NOT a one-size-fits-all illness.
Recognizing that anxiety responses come from a biological basis, framed by unique concerns and perceived threats, one can see how important it is to treat anxiety individually based on what works for each person. It’s like finding all the pieces of a puzzle and then figuring out how they best fit to make the best picture outcome.
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