There are different types of chronic anxiety disorders that can affect your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, if you have panic attacks, unrelenting worries, any type of phobia or obsessive thoughts, you might be suffering from anxiety disorder. You don’t have to suffer or wait until it is very late for you to look for treatment. Instead, treatment should be your priority because there are proven treatment methods that can help you deal with this problem e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy.
Chronic anxiety disorder can manifest itself mentally and physically depending on the disorder you are suffering from, how long you have had it, the measures you are taking/you are taking and where you live. However, these are some of the signs and the symptoms that might prompt you to look for anxiety disorder treatment:
• Trembling or shaking
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness or a tingling sensation
• Stomach upset e.g. nausea
• Restlessness
• Sleeplessness or sleeping poorly
• Intrusive thoughts
• Lack of concentration
• Inability to relax
• Feeling tense
• Muscle tightness and/or body aches
What treatment options are available?
i. Therapy
According to research, therapy is the most effective treatment method when it comes to chronic anxiety disorder because it treats more than the symptoms. It is important to understand that anxiety disorders differ considerably from one person to another and hence therapy could also be different depending on what you are facing or suffering from. It is also important to understand that the type of therapy to be used as well as the length of the therapy will depend on the severity of the anxiety attack. However, you don’t have to be worried because therapies are short term with 8 to 10 being the average to treat anxiety disorders.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy are leading treatment therapies. The two therapies are proven and guaranteed to have positive effects on patients. Depending on the type of disorder you have, each therapy can be used alone or several therapies can be combined together to achieve desired results. Furthermore, since therapy sessions are supposed to be regular, you can have a therapy session alone or in a group of people who have similar anxiety problems.
For instance, CBT mainly focuses on helping you recognize and understand your thoughts and patterns when it comes to experiencing negative thoughts. When you get to understand and recognize the pattern, you will be able to focus on coping skills to ease the anxiety feelings. On the other hand, exposure therapy tends to help you relate with the anxieties you are facing bit by bit via exposure. These therapies are conducted by professionals who are skilled and experienced in this field.
ii. Medications
There are anxiety medications which can help you relieve the signs and the symptoms you have been experiencing. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety and sometimes sedatives are used depending on your condition and how long you’ve had it. The doctor will start by examining you before administering or prescribing any dosage to ensure that the medication will work on you.
To some people, medication is more effective than therapy and vice versa. Nevertheless, other people combine medication and therapy because they find the two to be more effective. Regular exercises, engaging in stress management practices such as yoga or meditation as well as eating healthy food are behaviors that can help you manage anxiety disorder. Finally, you should not miss your medication or therapy sessions to avoid having a reoccurrence of the same signs and symptoms.
Chronic anxiety disorder can manifest itself mentally and physically depending on the disorder you are suffering from, how long you have had it, the measures you are taking/you are taking and where you live. However, these are some of the signs and the symptoms that might prompt you to look for anxiety disorder treatment:
• Trembling or shaking
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness or a tingling sensation
• Stomach upset e.g. nausea
• Restlessness
• Sleeplessness or sleeping poorly
• Intrusive thoughts
• Lack of concentration
• Inability to relax
• Feeling tense
• Muscle tightness and/or body aches
What treatment options are available?
i. Therapy
According to research, therapy is the most effective treatment method when it comes to chronic anxiety disorder because it treats more than the symptoms. It is important to understand that anxiety disorders differ considerably from one person to another and hence therapy could also be different depending on what you are facing or suffering from. It is also important to understand that the type of therapy to be used as well as the length of the therapy will depend on the severity of the anxiety attack. However, you don’t have to be worried because therapies are short term with 8 to 10 being the average to treat anxiety disorders.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy are leading treatment therapies. The two therapies are proven and guaranteed to have positive effects on patients. Depending on the type of disorder you have, each therapy can be used alone or several therapies can be combined together to achieve desired results. Furthermore, since therapy sessions are supposed to be regular, you can have a therapy session alone or in a group of people who have similar anxiety problems.
For instance, CBT mainly focuses on helping you recognize and understand your thoughts and patterns when it comes to experiencing negative thoughts. When you get to understand and recognize the pattern, you will be able to focus on coping skills to ease the anxiety feelings. On the other hand, exposure therapy tends to help you relate with the anxieties you are facing bit by bit via exposure. These therapies are conducted by professionals who are skilled and experienced in this field.
ii. Medications
There are anxiety medications which can help you relieve the signs and the symptoms you have been experiencing. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety and sometimes sedatives are used depending on your condition and how long you’ve had it. The doctor will start by examining you before administering or prescribing any dosage to ensure that the medication will work on you.
To some people, medication is more effective than therapy and vice versa. Nevertheless, other people combine medication and therapy because they find the two to be more effective. Regular exercises, engaging in stress management practices such as yoga or meditation as well as eating healthy food are behaviors that can help you manage anxiety disorder. Finally, you should not miss your medication or therapy sessions to avoid having a reoccurrence of the same signs and symptoms.