Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health diagnoses, meaning there are different types, each with its own set of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
If you have an anxiety disorder, you may experience persistent and uncontrollable feelings of tension, nervousness, worry or unease.
You may also have physical symptoms, such as:
- Sweating
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shaking or trembling
- Trouble focusing or concentrating on specific tasks and activities
As mentioned, there are many different types of anxiety disorder, including the following:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Panic disorder
- Phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Social anxiety disorder
- Health anxiety
- Agoraphobia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
These mental health conditions can cause significant disruption and distress in various aspects of your life, including relationships, work, school and your general health and well-being.
Treatment options for anxiety disorder usually include behavioral therapy, medication, or a mixture of both.
Holistic treatment programs are typically the most effective for anxiety disorder as they are tailored to your specific needs, preferences, and history and involve examining the root cause (s) of your anxiety instead of just focusing on symptom management.
This article outlines six ways to overcome anxiety disorder, including effective treatments that can help.
In the meantime, if you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, you must speak to a mental health professional for further guidance and support.
You are not alone. The team at Tikvah Lake Recovery is always here to lend a listening ear.
How Tikvah Lake Recovery can help
Our specialized team at our luxury treatment center in Florida takes an integrated approach to treating anxiety disorders.
By blending various evidence-based treatments, medication management, and holistic wellness programs, we adopt a ‘whole’ person approach to your recovery, ensuring you get the most out of your treatment.
The clinical team at Tikvah Lake comprises therapists, counselors, addiction specialists, health and wellness coaches, and personal trainers who have decades of knowledge and experience in diagnosing and treating various addiction and mental health issues, including anxiety disorders.
Our treatment programs include the following:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Luxury mental health treatment
- Holistic wellness program
- Relapse prevention
- Aftercare
To learn more about our anxiety disorder treatment program, contact our friendly team today for further support and information.
Six ways to overcome anxiety disorder
There are various ways that you can overcome anxiety disorder to help you enjoy better physical and emotional wellness, including the following:
1. Seeking professional help
Anxiety disorder can cause much distress and impairment, but recovery is possible.
With proper treatment and support from a mental health professional, you can learn to manage your symptoms and adopt healthier coping strategies to help you deal with your condition.
Evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), applied relaxation, and mindfulness therapy are some of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders.
Let’s explore these treatments in more detail.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Behavioral therapies like CBT can help you identify and manage maladaptive thoughts and behaviors that may cause or worsen your anxiety.
This treatment teaches you to view your experiences in new, more empowering ways, which, over time, can help reduce anxious thoughts and behaviors.
Mindfulness therapy
Treatment programs focusing on present-moment awareness, such as mindfulness therapy, can help you observe and accept negative or anxious thoughts without self-judgment, allowing you to regulate your emotions more effectively, thus reducing your anxiety symptoms.
Applied relaxation
Applied relaxation encourages you to relax your body in new, more helpful ways.
When practiced regularly, you will eventually learn to relax your muscles, enabling you to sleep better and concentrate on daily tasks and activities without feeling tense or strained.
Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP)
ERP can be used for various anxiety disorders.
However, it is a particularly beneficial treatment for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
During treatment, your counselor or therapist will teach you to experience any obsessive thoughts you may have, allowing you to view and manage them differently so that they no longer have such a hold over your emotions and behaviors.
Complementary therapies
Complementary treatments such as hypnotherapy, yoga and meditation are excellent conjunctive therapies. These treatment programs are the most effective when used as part of an integrated treatment program for those with anxiety disorder.
Medication
Depending on your symptoms and other factors, your therapist or physician may recommend specific medication to help control your anxiety symptoms.
Some common medications for anxiety include the following:
- Benzodiazepines
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Beta-blockers
Talk to your doctor or mental health professional about any available medication options.
If you want to learn more about how our anxiety disorder treatment program can help you or a loved one, contact our specialist team today and kickstart your journey to lasting health and wellness.
2. Challenging your negative thoughts
Recognizing and challenging negative thought patterns and beliefs can help anxiety sufferers understand and manage their condition more effectively.
One of the ways this can be done is by using cognitive restructuring techniques.
These techniques encourage you to replace unhelpful, irrational thoughts with more realistic and balanced perspectives, helping you to get through an anxious episode without resorting to past, unhelpful behaviors that may fuel the cycle of anxiety.
When practiced regularly, these techniques can be applied more naturally as you train your mind to respond to anxious thoughts and beliefs with a calm curiosity rather than fear and dread.
3. Cultivating healthy habits
Another effective way to overcome anxiety disorder is to cultivate healthier habits in your everyday routine.
This may look different for everyone.
However, experts recommend the following lifestyle changes to help you manage and overcome anxiety disorder.
They include:
- Prioritizing adequate sleep
- Exercising regularly
- Cultivating a nutritious diet
- Limiting your caffeine and alcohol consumption, as these substances can significantly impact anxiety levels
- Keeping a mood diary to help you track your symptoms, which can help you identify your anxiety triggers and what makes you feel better or worse
- Listening to relaxing music
4. Building a strong support network
Cultivating a network of supportive relationships with friends, family, or support groups allows you to share your experiences and receive encouragement, as well as helpful support and assistance to help you cope with and overcome anxiety disorder.
There’s nothing like a good night in (or out) with people who make you feel seen, heard and supported and having this type of support can be invaluable, especially when times get tough.
Studies show that having a sound support system can provide you with a sense of well-being, which may help reduce worry and stress, allowing you to cope with anxiety better.
A robust support system may also contribute to a healthier, longer life, by staving off physical diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
5. Accepting your thoughts
Acceptance is essential to helping people overcome anxiety disorder.
For instance, accepting that not every intrusive thought signals danger or a legitimate reason to worry can help you reframe your perspective, which can help reduce anxious thoughts and symptoms.
Broadly, not every thought is true or accurate and spending your time and energy trying to disprove a specific idea or belief isn’t helpful.
Instead, assistant professor of clinical psychology Deborah R. Glasofer notes that trying an acceptance-based approach can be a more effective way of managing anxious thoughts and beliefs, such as:
- Becoming aware of the present moment when a specific thought or belief occurs.
- Identifying and recognizing the thought.
- Labeling the thought or idea. For instance, you may call it ‘’judgment’’ or ‘’worry.’’
This approach teaches you to observe and accept your thoughts without reacting or feeling the urge to control or fix them.
You are simply letting the thought come and go without focusing on it. (How to Overcome Anxiety, Verywell mind, Deborah R. Glasofer, PhD, November 18, 2021.)
6. Gradually exposing yourself to your phobias and fears
Gradually confronting your fears and triggers through exposure therapy with a trained therapist or counselor is another effective way to help you overcome anxiety disorder.
Exposure therapy is a behavioral therapy designed to help you face your fears.
This treatment helps to break the cycle of avoidance and fear by exposing you to what you are afraid of in a safe environment.
Starting with less anxiety-inducing scenarios and gradually building up to more challenging ones, under the guidance of a therapist can help desensitize you to any feared situations or scenarios.
Exposure therapy can help you to reframe your thoughts and beliefs regarding your fears and phobia, replacing them with more helpful perspectives, allowing you to break free from the cycle of anxiety that may prevent you from living your most authentic life.
To learn more about exposure therapy and its many benefits, click here for further insights and resources.
Anxiety disorder treatment at Tikvah Lake Recovery
At Tikvah Lake Recovery, anxiety disorder treatment is a journey where we encourage you to engage actively in your personalized treatment program, collaborating with your therapist to explore the underlying causes of your anxiety.
Your customized treatment plan will be tailored to your strengths, preferences, and goals, incorporating a range of approaches from holistic wellness practices like yoga and meditation to evidence-based therapies such as CBT and DBT.
Your openness and collaboration with your therapist help ensure that you receive services aligned with your needs, offered in a manner conducive to achieving both immediate relief and long-term wellness.
Our team of experts at Tikvah Lake Recovery is well-versed in treating anxiety disorders and co-occurring conditions, providing comprehensive support and understanding throughout your journey to recovery.
To learn more about our anxiety disorder treatment program and how we can help you overcome anxiety and reclaim control of your life, reach out to us today.
Our admissions counselors are available to assist you in taking the first step towards lasting healing and wellness.
Additional resources
- How to Overcome Anxiety, Verywell mind, Deborah R. Glasofer, PhD, November 18, 2021
- What Is Exposure Therapy? Verywell mind, Sanjana Gupta, November 22, 2023
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