There are many great aspects of life that can bring enjoyment and happiness to individuals. Despite the many joys in life, we all know that there are mental struggles and challenges that can make it hard for some to truly enjoy their life. One of those is anxiety, which can cause a lot of fear or worry in an individual’s life. Most people will experience anxiety at some point in their lives but for some, it can really start to consume them and negatively impact their mental state. Due to the struggles, even when life is really good, it can be hard to feel good and enjoy life. At The EFT Counseling and Education Center, we want to help you enjoy your life to the fullest. Even with anxiety, we want to help you find ways to manage and do all the things that you want to!

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a natural and normal emotional response to stress or danger. It’s a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. When anxiety becomes excessive, prolonged, or occurs in response to situations that may not be needed, it can become a mental health disorder. Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobias, involve persistent and often irrational feelings of anxiety that interfere with daily life.

Common Symptoms of Anxiety

When it comes to anxiety, it does not look the same for all those who experience anxiety. Each individual may have different symptoms compared to others who are experiencing anxiety. Even at different stages of your life, you may experience anxiety in a different way than you have felt it previously. Anxiety is a complicated feeling and the way that it is felt is truly unique to each person. Some of the common symptoms that come with anxiety include, but are not limited to the following:

• Excessive Worry: Persistent, intrusive, and uncontrollable worry about various aspects of life, including health, finances, work, or relationships.
• Restlessness: Feeling on edge or tense, making it difficult to relax or sit still.
• Muscle Tension: Experiencing muscle tension, which can lead to physical discomfort or pain, especially in the neck, shoulders, or back. It is not uncommon for individuals to hold stress in their neck, shoulders, or back.
• Irritability: Feeling easily irritable or agitated, often leading to difficulty managing daily stressors.
• Fatigue: Feeling tired or fatigued, even after a good night’s sleep, due to the mental and emotional strain of anxiety.
• Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restless, anxious dreams.
• Racing Thoughts: A rapid stream of negative or anxious thoughts that may be hard to control and to stop. This can be a cause of sleep disturbances.
• Physical Symptoms: Physical manifestations of anxiety, such as a racing heart, sweating, trembling, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
• Gastrointestinal Issues: Anxiety can lead to digestive problems like stomach aches, nausea, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Avoidance Behavior: Avoiding situations or places that trigger anxiety, which can limit daily activities and social settings.
• Catastrophic Thinking: Engaging in catastrophic thinking, where individuals anticipate the worst possible outcomes in various situations.
• Hypervigilance: Being excessively alert and watchful for potential environmental threats or dangers.
• Difficulty Concentrating: Finding it challenging to concentrate, make decisions, or remember things due to racing thoughts and worry.
• Panic Attacks: Sudden and intense episodes of fear or panic, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as a racing heart, sweating, and trembling.

There are so many ways that you can experience anxiety and none of them are that enjoyable. If you are experiencing one, a few, or a handful of the above symptoms, it is a good time to seek out help with what you are experiencing. Our team at The EFT Counseling and Education Center wants to help you regain control and figure out effective ways to manage your symptoms.

Benefits of Seeking Help with Anxiety

If you are experiencing anxiety, you know that it can affect a lot of different components of your life. That is why getting help to learn how to cope and hopefully manage your anxiety can make a huge difference in your day-to-day life. When you seek help it provides you with a safe and supportive space to express your thoughts and feelings, while helping to reduce the sense of isolation that you may often feel with anxiety. Professional help, through therapy, equips individuals with effective coping strategies and tools to manage anxiety symptoms, such as worry, panic, and fear. This can lead to a reduction in the severity and frequency of anxiety episodes. When you are proactive about your mental health struggles with anxiety, you will have the opportunity to stay ahead of these feelings in order to start feeling better faster. Additionally, seeking help early can prevent anxiety from worsening and potentially developing into more complex mental health issues. Seeking help for anxiety is a proactive step toward achieving better mental and emotional well-being. It allows individuals to regain control over their lives and engage more fully in the activities and relationships that matter most to them.

Choose The EFT Counseling and Education Center

Any individual who deals with anxiety knows that it can be exhausting and that it can take control if you are not aware and take action. The wide range of symptoms that can occur with anxiety can make it hard to know exactly what you are experiencing and can make having anxiety miserable. At The EFT Counseling and Education Center, we want to help you gain back control of your life and learn how to manage and cope with your anxiety. Our team is full of trained, knowledgeable, and caring professionals who are ready to listen to all of your concerns. Please call us if you have any questions about how we can help you with your anxiety and hopefully decrease the symptoms that you experience with your anxiety. We want to help you so that you can focus on the things in life that bring you joy!