5 Ways to Treat Anxiety

Anxiety, when felt occasionally, is a normal part of our lives. However, we should look more closely at the symptoms when people

5 Ways to Treat Anxiety

Anxiety, when felt occasionally, is a normal part of our lives. However, people with anxiety might experience continuing or excessive feelings of nervousness, tension, doom, restlessness, or worry.

Signs of anxiety like these can escalate rapidly into anxiety attacks or recurring episodes of intense fear or panic that peaks within minutes. The condition can often cause physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, breathing fast, shaking, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating and wanting to avoid triggers.

Knowing how to treat generalized anxiety disorders is important because up to 40% of adults in the US experience it. Let’s look more closely at 5 ways we help patients manage this condition effectively.

#1 Self-Care

There are several ways to help yourself decrease the effects of mild anxiety and the frequency of episodes.

What are 5 coping strategie for anxiety?

-Regular exercise
-Eating regularly
-Eating healthy foods
-Minimizing caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol
-Journaling

Journaling, in particular has been particularly helpful in managing multiple mental health conditions. We often equate medication to buying the book, but journaling is like reading a book about yourself and what's worrying you and that can help deliver insights that can help quiet the mind. Getting started is easy. These easy some journal prompts can help you learn this new and valuable skill.

Techniques like breathing exercises, guided meditation, visualization, and setting a 2-minute limit on worrying can also be helpful.

#2 Psychotherapy

When self-care techniques are not helping, or the anxiety is affecting your work or relationships, it’s important to reach out for help. A skilled therapy provider can use different talk therapy techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Behavioral Therapy or another therapeutic style to help you reduce your symptoms. These therapies can be done either in-person at our clinic or over telehealth, whichever is more comfortable and convenient for you.

#3 Medications

There are several types of anxiety medications that are useful in treating anxiety. Anxiety medicine can include some commonly prescribed antidepressants, which have been proven to be effective.

What are common medications for anxiety?

Depression medications such as buspirone can be effective both for anxiety and depression. Short-term medications include drugs like hydroxyzine, beta-blockers, or least attractively, benzodiazepines.

While benzodiazepines can be effective, they are also habit-forming, can cause a withdrawal syndrome when stopped, may be less effective over time, and have been shown to increase the risk of dementia and cancer.

#4 Ketamine Treatment

Ketamine is a commonly used anesthetic medication that has been found to be effective in treating mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. This treatment is reserved for people that have not found relief with other treatments or for those that want to try something new.

#5 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

TMS is a newer and exciting way to heal the brain and reduce the symptoms of many mental health disorders. This FDA-approved method of treatment uses magnetic energy to increase or decrease the activity of key areas of the brain. This technology has proven very effective in treating these and other mental health conditions, and is typically approved by most commercial insurance companies for treatment-resistant conditions.

The disorder can make it hard to think clearly, engage in regular activities, and sometimes interfere with work and personal relationships, especially those with separation anxiety or social anxiety disorders.

The great news is that your life does not have to be taken over by this condition. There are many techniques you can use to help decrease symptoms on your own.

If self-care techniques aren’t working for you, it may be time to reach out for more help. A therapist or psychiatric provider can help provide more options, including medications for anxiety. There are also treatments such as ketamine and TMS that can help treat anxiety when other treatments fail.

If you’d like to learn more, visit TMS or call 720-802-0609.

Additional Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml