– The 4 Things You Are Doing (But Probably Shouldn’t) When Dealing with Anxiety

Last Updated on May 15, 2021 by Chris Roberts

MOST OF US NATURALLY USE THESE 4 COPING STRATEGIES WHEN DEALING WITH ANXIETY, BUT THEY TYPICALLY DON’T HELP

By: Chris Roberts, MACP, LPC-MHSP (Licensed Professional Counselor) Two Trees Counseling Nashville

Reference: “The Worry Trick.” Dr. David A. Carbonell. 2016. Raincoast Books.

In future articles, we will discuss the difference between chronic worry (or what is more accurately defined as anxiety) versus normal worry or fears. In this article, we will be specifically discussing anxiety, and particularly that frustrating part of anxiety that keeps us stuck in the loop of worry and doubt, we will find out how the green malay kratom products can help us with anxiety.

Most of us have an intuitive or organic response to worry. We don’t like worrying, especially excessively, and so we employ tactics or coping strategies to deal with the worry in the attempt to make it go away. Sometimes, the worry we are experiencing is due to a specific event and we need to take action in the external world to mitigate or resolve the issue. But anxiety contains a certain aspect of worry that isn’t tied to an external event and it is mostly an internal experience of doubt that creates a hamster wheel of repetitive thoughts.

WHAT ARE THE 4 THINGS WE TYPICALLY DUE IN REPONSE TO ANXIETY?

The 4 natural techniques we unwittingly use to address anxiety are:

1. Arguing with ourselves about the issue
2. Trying to simply stop thinking about the issue
3. Trying to do something to protect ourselves from the feared event, and
4. Reaching out to friends or family members for reassurance about the event

From an outside perspective, these are all logical and sometimes helpful methods for dealing with a worry that keeps bothering us. But, if we are stuck in a loop of worrying about a particular issue, these methods actually keep us embedded in the issue and don’t provide a helpful escape.

WHAT DOES “ARGUING WITH OURSELVES” MEAN?

When we are stuck in a worry about a perceived fear, we try to talk ourselves out of the worry with logic. We say things like, “This can’t happen, because it hasn’t happened before.” Or, we say, “This is so silly to keep worrying about, I bet no one else struggles with this fear.” Or, “The chance of this happening is so little, I shouldn’t spend time thinking about it.” Of course, these are all practical and logical arguments to try to convince ourselves that the worry is impractical or illogical. The reason it might not work is that it keeps us talking to, and validating, this fear.

WHAT DOES “STOP THINKING ABOUT THE ISSUE” MEAN?

This one pretty much speaks for itself. We recognize the worry shouldn’t be occupying a lot of our time, so when we start to think about the issue, we tell ourselves to “stop” and think about something else. The reason it might not work is that we are communicating to ourselves this fear is “real” by giving it the power to effect us.

WHAT DOES “DOING SOMETHING TO PROTECT OURSELVES” MEAN?

This means that we actually take action in the external world to keep the feared event from happening. If we are worried about flying, then we don’t fly. If we are worried about leaving the house unlocked, we go back home and check all the doors. If the worry is more about anxiety than an actual fear, then we are giving the worry the power to influence time in our physical lives.

WHAT DOES “REACHING OUT FOR REASSURANCE” MEAN?

When we are worrying about an issue, we call a friend and ask if this worry is “legitimate.” Or, worse, we thoroughly believe the worry is legitimate, and we reach out to a loved one to help us calm down. In either case, we automatically legitimize and validate the worry by bringing in other people to deal with the issue.

HOW COULD NASHVILLE INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING HELP?

While we may initially reach out to a counselor in Nashville to reassure us that the worry isn’t serious, or to help us calm down about the fear, what will happen in the long-run is that we can learn more effective ways of dealing with anxiety. A skilled counselor will be compassionate and understanding enough to empathize with how stuck you may feel in this worry, but will also help you find better, more effective ways of dealing with the anxiety.

If you find that your current coping skills for dealing with chronic worry aren’t being effective, then an individual counselor in Nashville could be helpful. Chris Roberts at Two Trees Counseling has many years of working with individuals through counseling to help free them from the frustrating loops of anxiety.   Chris can be reached at (615) 800-9260 or chris@nashvillecounselor.net.