Anxiety isn’t just feeling nervous or being unable to relax. It is also second guessing everything you do, being unable to follow a conversation, procrastinating on your tasks, needing reassurance, and criticising yourself for the tiniest mistakes. It is so much more than a feeling as it impacts every little thing you do. If you resonate with these descriptions, you are not alone, and your struggle does not define you. At Resting Tree, we hope to provide you with a safe holding space for your difficulties as we work together on equipping you with skills for  managing your anxiety. 

What is an anxiety disorder?

When fear becomes irrational and excessive to the point where you feel tense most of the time and struggle with managing day to day tasks, you might be struggling with an anxiety disorder.

Difference between Worry and Anxiety 

Worry:

• Stays in our head, does not manifest itself through the body

• Thoughts are realistic not catastrophic 

• Tends to be specific and temporary

• Does not affect work, relationships or day-to-day activities

Anxiety:

• Presence of physical symptoms such as heart racing, shortness of breath, muscle tension, light-headedness, nausea 

• Thoughts are irrational and intrusive

• Tends to be generalised and prolonged

• Affects your ability to work, study, socialise or manage daily activitiesCommon types of anxiety:

Common Types of Anxiety

Anxiety Disorder

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Is characterised by excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities occurring for more days than not over a period of at least six months with symptoms below:

• Inability to control worries

• Muscle tension

• Feeling restless or on-edge

• Concentration issues / mind going blank

• Poor sleep

• Avoidance of activities or situations that may trigger excessive worries 

• Constantly seeking reassurance or over-preparing 

High Functioning Anxiety

Anxiety may be well-hidden especially by high-functioning individuals. Appearance may not always reflect reality. You may seem like you’re excelling at work or school and fulfilling all your responsibilities. You may feel like an “imposter” because what people see is so different from  what you truly feel. You may be able to juggle many things and be very diligent but you also struggle with restlessness and don’t know how to relax. Your outer world may be a contrast to your inner world, and only you know it.

Social Anxiety 

Social anxiety disorder happens when everyday interactions during work, school or other social activities trigger feelings of fear, anxiety, self-consciousness and embarrassment because of the fear of judgement from others. As a result, avoidance of certain social situations might occur as well.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is when unexpected, recurrent panic attacks occur. Additionally, there is also either constant worry about having another panic attack or avoidant behaviours for fear of having panic attacks. A panic attack refers to a sudden feeling of intense fear that peaks within minutes and it usually comes along with physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, trembling, choking, or sweating etc.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder refers to having both obsessions and compulsions that significantly impact your daily functioning. Obsessions come in the form of thoughts, impulses or images that may be intrusive and irrational. In order to counter or ease off these obsessions, we respond with compulsions (thoughts or actions) eg., hand-washing, checking, rearranging, or mental acts such as praying, counting or repeating statements. 

Health Anxiety

Health anxiety occurs when there is preoccupation with one or more somatic symptoms (bodily sensations) or having a medical condition. Somatic symptoms may be misinterpreted as evidence for illness and as a result, there is a significant fear surrounding health issues. 

Contributing Factors to Anxiety

Depression and anxiety disorders appear to be affected  by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. These can include:

• Stressful / Traumatic life events 

• Family history of mental health conditions

• Childhood developmental issues

• Personality traits 

Attachment styles

• Alcohol or substance abuse

• Medical problems 

How Therapy Works

Depending on the severity of your anxiety, medication in combination with therapy may be the most effective way of treating anxiety. Social support, healthy lifestyle habits, and self-care all play a part in contributing to your healing.

Initial Session

On our first meeting, it is important to establish understanding of your personal history, presenting issues and symptoms. We also invite you to think about some concrete objectives and goals for therapy. A treatment plan would then be developed and discussed.

Follow-up sessions

There is no hard and fast rule as to how often we should meet, and depending on your needs and severity, it may be  more beneficial to meet on a more regular basis for the first 3-6 months, afterwhich, sessions can be held less frequently when you experience increased confidence with managing your anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Internal Family Systems are common techniques used for Anxiety. Again, depending on your personal history, issues related to trauma might need to be processed, as such, a trauma-informed approach such as EMDR may be used to help you heal from past wounds from those stressful experiences.

Do take time to consider how therapy may be able to help you with your anxiety. When you are ready to take that first step, we are here for you. Contact us at info@restingtree.ca or book your free consultation today.