Anxiety is a kind of emotion described by having worried thoughts, tension, and experiencing physical changes. Most people think that anxiety is an emotion felt only during extreme situations that cause distress. Contrary to this, anxiety is usually felt by many every day. That’s why managing anxiety effectively is essential to maintaining overall mental and emotional well-being.

Anxiety was a valuable tool for our ancestors, who needed the fight or flight response to survive in the wild. The fight or flight response triggers when a person perceives potential danger.

Our ancestors had these anxious reactions when confronted by a predator. The same reactions occur when they face a threatening situation in the wild. For modern people, the flight or fight reaction is echoed by the nervous feelings before an important event or in an unfamiliar environment.

However, there are instances when a person experiences anxiety excessively. This is when simple anxiety turns into a disorder. Anxiety disorder does not have a single cause. People with anxiety disorders have thoughts or concerns that disrupt their everyday lives. They cannot function normally because of their thoughts or apprehensions.

Different people can experience various kinds of anxiety disorders. Some people have a particular fear, while others have unrelenting worries. There are some people with an anxiety disorder who have obsessive thoughts. Others have anxiety that escalates into crippling panic attacks.

Whatever type of anxiety a person is struggling with, the most important thing to remember is that there is always a way to cope with stress and fear that trigger anxiety.

As with many mental illnesses, therapy is a popular option for people with anxiety. It is an effective way to deal with the roots of anxiety rather than tackling it at the surface level. Therapy for anxiety equips a person with skills that allow them to gain control of their thoughts and reduce anxiety. However, there are different therapeutic ways to deal with anxiety. Explore these options to find the best method for you.

Managing Anxiety: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It works with the principle that a person’s internal thoughts, not the external event, affect how that person feels. Simply stated, this therapy helps you understand that your feelings are not dictated by what is happening but by what you think about what is happening.

This form of therapy enforces Cognitive Restructuring, which is the process of challenging negative thinking patterns that contribute to a person’s anxiety. It involves identifying the thought, challenging it, and then replacing the negative thought with a positive one. 

Emotional Support Animal

Out of all the different forms of therapies for anxiety, the most rewarding treatment may be working with an emotional support animal or ESA. Yes, having a dog or a cat can be therapeutic. 

For instance, having an emotional support dog for anxiety can have many benefits. One benefit is having a constant companion. An emotional support animal keeps a person from feeling isolated from the world. Another advantage is how calming an emotional support animal can be. Interacting with a trusted animal reduces stress levels, lessening anxiety.

Besides these two benefits, having an animal to care for forces anxious people to move and stay active. To remain healthy and strong, animals need lots of love, food, and exercise. In the process of caring for another, a person with anxiety can find themselves become healthier as well.

Working with an emotional support animal sounds wonderful, but not all those who have anxiety qualify to have an ESA. The first requirement to be eligible to have an emotional support animal is to be certified as emotionally disabled. The certification is only valid if a psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, or licensed mental health professional grants it.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy, as the name suggests, is a process where a person safely faces the cause of their anxiety instead of running away from it. It works within the premise that by being repeatedly exposed to the cause without incident, a sense of control will slowly take over. Ending with a realization that the source of one’s fear is not truly a threat. A therapist can guide a patient through imagining the fear, or it may be confronted in real life. 

Exposure therapy uses the process of Systematic Desensitization. In this process, the treatment starts with a mildly threatening situation and then slowly works up to the patients’ actual fear. As the situation intensifies, the patient has to go through three parts. These parts are Learning Relaxation, Creating a Step-by-step list, and Working Through the Steps. 

Different people have different anxiety stories. No one form of therapy is a cure-all. It is essential to understand that it takes time and commitment to overcome an anxiety disorder. Give yourself the best chance to beat your anxiety by exploring different treatment methods and being more aware of the thoughts and situations triggering your anxious feelings.