10 Ways to Lower Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common mental conditions in the U.S, affecting close to 40 million Americans each year. Anxiety can present itself in many ways but some of the common signs include, excessive worry, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and troubles with sleep. Left untreated, anxiety can worsen over time and impair your life from your relationships, work, to your physical health. It is critical to receive the appropriate care and treatment in order to lessen the impact of anxiety.
Tip #1-3: Mindfulness Techniques
Daily meditation: Whether it’s 3 minutes or 45 minutes, set aside purposeful time for yourself to focus on your breath, acknowledging your thoughts as they come up without any judgement.
Mindful Breathing Exercises: Abdominal breathing involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm, allowing the belly to rise and fall with each breath. Square breathing or box breathing is just as it sounds, breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and breathe out for 4 seconds.
Mindful Observation: Focus on the 5 senses that show up either sound, taste, sight, touch, or smell.
Tip #4-6: CBT Strategies
Cognitive Restructuring: Identify irrational or negative thoughts and challenge their accuracy and replacing them with more positive and realistic thoughts also known as “reframing.”
Behavioral Activation: Engage in activities that bring you joy and a sense of accomplishment. Know what behavior works FOR you not AGAINST you.
Mindfulness-Based CBT: Combine mindfulness practices with traditional CBT techniques to stay present and grounded without judgment.
Tip #7-10: Incorporating Psychodynamic Approaches in Online Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy that explores how your unconscious mind and past experiences influence your present behavior and emotions. By gaining insight into these root causes, you have the power and freedom to resolve the internal conflicts and break the patterns that no longer serve you.
Explore Childhood Experiences: Take a stroll down memory lane and notice how your childhood and past relationships shaped you into the person you are today; whether it’s negative, positive, or neutral.
Identify Unconscious Motivations: Using free association and dream analysis, we can gain access to our internal world of our deepest thoughts and feelings to help us better understand who we really are.
Examine Transference and Countertransference: There will be moments during any therapeutic relationship when your past experiences confound your present experience and relationship with either your therapist or your client. Understanding this very phenomenon can be a useful tool so you understand just how influential your past is on your current life.
Reflect on Recurrent Patterns: In summary, understanding the role of your past in your present gives you the power and choice to choose how you mindfully live your life here and now. Shedler explains “the goal is not to uncover repressed memories…it is to expand freedom and choice.