Dealing with Anxiety in San Francisco Bay Area
Another one of the troublesome emotions that our clients ask for help with is anxiety. An array of symptoms can be caused by anxiety. Among the most common are fatigue, muscle tension, worry, sweating, elevated heart rate, irritability and difficulty concentrating. I f you have symptoms such as these, it is always important to have a thorough medical evaluation in order to rule out any physiological causes of these symptoms. Once this is done, there are several things that you can do to supplement your treatment.
Evaluate the level of support you have in your life
Do you have people who you can be honest with? Do you talk about what is really going on for you? In general, the more closeness and intimacy that you have in your life, the lower your anxiety level will be. Fear and anxiety are natural human feelings, and can be greatly reduced by having high quality, healthy relationships with friends and family. In fact, just like a child who instinctively grabs his mother's hand or clings to her leg, anxiety is reduced when we have others to be close to.
Take good care of yourself physically
One of the most important things that you can do is to take good care of yourself physically. Getting plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and reducing caffeine intake can make a huge difference in your level of anxiety. If you’re tired every day, your resilience is lowered. If your body is stiff and feels bad, you probably will be less able to tolerate potentially anxiety producing events, such as being stuck in a traffic jam.
Relaxation Practice
Another very helpful tool is having a relaxation practice. Whether you choose meditation, conscious breathing, visualization, yoga, self- hypnosis or some other mind/body technique, practicing once a day is important to your progress. Regular practice helps to reduce the level of tension in your body and is helpful for reminding us how our bodies feel when they are at ease. This is important because many people have become so used to feeling anxiety that they don’t even notice when it is there.
Keep a symptom diary or log
If this is the case with you, you may benefit from keeping a symptom diary or log. Simply writing down any thoughts and body sensations that you have can help to rebuild the connection with your body and emotions. For example, you may notice that your stomach feels tight every day when you go to school, or your jaw may clench whenever you talk to your neighbor. Keeping track of the subtle, early effects of anxiety can help you to stop the anxiety cycle before it builds. Clients who attend our groups consistently rate this as one of the most important tools in their recovery process.
Exercise regularly
Finally, it is important to be sure that you are exercising regularly. You have probably heard of the "fight or flight" response. When we think or unconsciously believe that we are in danger, our bodies release a wave of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These biochemical reactions were originally intended to give us a burst of energy to move quickly should we be confronted by a life threatening event such as tiger or a bear. Exercise helps to burn off some of the energy of stress and return our bodies to a more physiologically balanced state.