Coping with Anxiety
Written by Refuge Center’s Richard Sanders
Everyone experiences anxiety. Anxiety might come as feeling in a tightening chest as you walk towards the front of the room to address a group of people. Anxiety can be the worrisome sensation as you view your paycheck and compare it to your monthly bills. The stress of life makes everyone anxious. However, for some people anxious feelings begin to pervade every moment of a day. When those feelings begin to disrupt our activities and relationships, it can become so upsetting that it leads to greater anxiety. Excessive anxiety is overwhelming. It can alter a person’s thoughts and life. Some may have feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness. Some have shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, nausea, and heart palpitations.
People who are attempting to cope with excessive anxiety do not have a character flaw or a personal weakness. It can happen to anyone of any age. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics), anxiety affects 40 million adults in the United States. The reasons are numerous and can include uncommon but significant life events, and changes in the brain. Oftentimes, it is confusing for someone to make sense of their experience.
The good news is that therapy has proven to be successful in reducing intense feelings of anxiety. Simply sharing anxious thoughts with a person who is trained to help is in itself calming. Here at The Refuge Center, we have a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of anxiety, and utilize proven techniques that reduce the intensity and occurrence of unwanted worry. If anxiety seems to be taking over your world, the caring and capable staff of The Refuge Center are available to help you change your life.
