Early Warning Signs of Anxiety
Do you find yourself becoming aware of your anxiety, only after you have lost minutes or even an hour out of your day? Early warning signs of anxiety can help before worry and fear becomes overwhelming. Recognizing the early warning signs associated with anxiety is key to overcoming problematic anxiety. By learning how to monitor your breathing you can become aware of when changes in your breathing occur. A change in respiration is just one of a host of physiological changes associated with increased feelings of anxiety. In addition learning how to recognize muscle tension, for example when you tense your shoulders or lock your jaw are also warning signs to be aware of in terms of controlling and monitoring your anxiety.
Therapy and Anxiety
In addition to physical changes you can observe, learning how to identify changes in your thinking patterns associated with anxiety is also an invaluable skill in terms of managing day to day stressors and problematic anxiety. Learn to associate, “What if” as a red flag to catching anxiety. For most people who struggle with stress and anxiety what follows, “What if” is a chain of thoughts that are often negative predictions and worst case scenarios. With the help of a therapist people can learn to identify and challenge these unhelpful thoughts before they loose control of minutes or even hours of your day.
Coping Skills for Anxiety
Watching people regain control over their thoughts and behaviors as a result of learning effective coping skills for managing anxiety and stress is a very rewarding part of my job as a therapist. Helping people be able to plan trips they never thought they could take as a result of driving or flying fears or helping client’s decrease social isolation as a result of anxiety are just a few of the areas where I have helped people learn and implement effective coping skills to combat anxiety. As a result of managing anxiety, many of my client’s report an increase in their self-esteem as well as renewed energy both in their work and home life. If you are someone who has lost sleep due to racing thoughts and inability to, “turn off” your mind or are tired of hearing from people who do not understand the weight of anxiety I encourage you to connect with our office.Want to find out more about how you can manage anxiety? Call today to set up an appointment with a therapist that can help you practice and master coping skills for managing anxiety. Charlotte, NC 28204 P: 704-680-6414 mail@kaleidoscopecounselingpllc.com