Category: Anxiety

3 Things Causing You Anxiety That You May Not Have Thought Of

Have you ever had anxiety and didn’t know why? There’s nothing on your mind, but you feel it in your body. It’s miserable – it’s fear of the unknown, and from that fear comes a sense of dread that you just can’t place. The good news is that anxiety can be managed with the right approach, but to do so you’ll need to identify and address what may have triggered it in the first place.

Sometimes, the cause of anxiety lies in our tendency to overlook certain areas of our lives. You may put off difficult conversations, or not take care of financial obligations that we know need attention. You might even ignore physical symptoms that should be addressed by a doctor. All these things can lead to feelings of guilt and shame, which can manifest as anxiety in both our mental and physical states.

Here are three aspects of life that often go unchecked, yet can be the source of considerable stress.

Lifestyle

It is important that you are taking care of yourself physically in order to also take care of yourself mentally. Aspects such as your sleeping patterns, eating habits, and screen time can play a role in your anxiety levels. If you are unable to pinpoint something that is causing your anxiety you might first want to take a look at how you are currently showing yourself love and care. This could also mean spending more time doing things that you enjoy such as reading, exercising, or spending time with family and friends.

Environment

An unhealthy or toxic environment can cause you to have anxiety. This can range from your house to your workplace. An environment is made up of both people and objects.

Let’s take your workplace for example, if you are surrounded by a boss or co-workers that are degrading or disrespectful this could cause you to become uneasy. Become aware of the people and interactions you encounter because they can play a role in your mental well-being. Another more surprising aspect is how you are keeping your space. Are you organized? Is your trash thrown away around your desk? Do you lose things often? For some, little changes like these can increase your productivity and create a more peaceful lifestyle.

Stress Factors

Stress is a hard topic to tackle because there are so many things in your life that could cause you to stress. Stress can then become a trigger for your anxiety. Some common stress factors include finances, relationships with your friends and family, or your health. It is important that you can find healthy ways to cope with stress in your life in order to keep you from becoming anxious. Coping can look different for everyone. If you are having trouble finding healthy coping mechanisms, finding a therapist can be a great place to start.

Next Step:

If you are experiencing anxiety in your life and are looking for ways to make changes, we CAN help you. At New Vision Counseling and Consulting it is our goal to help equip you with tools to build the life you want. You can reach us at (405) 921-7776

Self-Coping with Your Anxiety

Have you ever felt as though your anxiety would never go away? Maybe you feared that your heart rate would never decrease or that your spiraling thoughts would continue to consume you? It can be a terrifying feeling as you try to take control of your mind or body.

The good news is I will give you two coping strategies that could be beneficial when dealing with your anxiety. These skills are mental activities that will help you feel calmer in the moments where your anxiety has gotten the best of you.

Challenging Irrational Thoughts

Challenging your thoughts can be a great way to decrease your anxiety. Sometimes your worries might not have a lot of evidence behind them and challenging their validity can help you take the power away from irrational thoughts. One way you can do this is by using socratic questioning. This is when you ask yourself questions to determine the logic and validity of a thought.

Here are some socratic questions you can ask yourself:

  • Is my thought based on facts or feelings?
  • How would my best friend or spouse view this fear?
  • What is the likelihood that this is going to happen? (0% to 100%)
  • What is the most likely outcome of this situation?
  • What evidence is there to support that your fear is going to happen?
  • What evidence is there to support that your fear will not happen?

Visualizing

What you think about has the power to change how you feel and behave. For example, if you are thinking about your fear of getting fired at work, it might make you feel insignificant or insecure. Knowing your thoughts have this ability means that you can also use them positively.

Imagining peaceful situations can make you feel at ease when faced with anxiety. When using imagery, you want to use all 5 of your senses. This way you can envision this place in greater detail.

First you will want to identify a place that brings you comfort. Now use all of your senses to take you to that place. You want to be as detailed as possible. For this example I am going to use the beach as my comfort spot.

Sight: I see waves lightly crashing on to the shore, a family eating sandwiches out of a picnic basket next to me, birds flying around, kids building sand castles, endless miles of white sand, a line of tall hotels behind me, and my best friend sitting next to me

Hearing: I hear the sound of the birds chirping, country music playing, the family next to me laughing about the birds trying to take their food, and the crunch of the chip bag as my friend tries to stick her hand in there.

Smell: I smell coconut because of the sunscreen that I am using, the saltiness of the water, my lavender body spray, and the pepperoni pizza that I am having for lunch

Taste: I taste saltiness after swimming in the ocean, marinara sauce from the pizza, and the taste of a yellow gatorade

Touch: I feel the soft sand in between my toes, the sun beating on my face, the water dripping off of my hair onto my back, the wind blowing to the right of me, and the cold gatorade in my hand

Next Steps:

If you found these coping strategies to be helpful and are looking for more ways to reduce your anxiety then we are here for you. At New Vision Counseling and Consulting we have a team of compassionate and highly trained therapists who can help. They will work with you as you become the best version of yourself. The version who lives in peace and not stress and fear. Call (405) 921-7776 to start the process or get more information on how we can help. We are excited to hear from you and begin the journey towards what better looks like for you!

How Anxiety Affects Your Relationships

As a human you were designed by God to pursue and desire close relationships with others. As you are reading, think about the person you depend on most in your life. This might be a spouse, best friend, sibling, or parent. Now think about how you feel when that relationship is in turmoil. It is a dreadful feeling. Even though you desire close relationships it does not mean they are always easy to maintain. Anxiety can affect how you communicate, sustain and connect with your most valued relationships.

If you have struggled with anxiety you know how it can overwhelm how you feel, think, and act. In close relationships it is common for you to experience anxiety. Right about now you may be asking-”Why”? A few reasons are because the thought of losing that person, their affections, approval… can bring you great amounts of physical and emotional distress.

Two ways anxiety can manifest in your relationships are becoming overly dependent on that person or distancing yourself from them. These actions are on two different ends of the spectrum but are both unhealthy ways to cope with the unknowns in your relationship.

Overly Dependent

Being overly dependent on a person can look like many different things. You might be feeling as though you could not live without this person’s love and support. Here are some examples you may be able to identify within your own relationships:

  • Overthinking
  • Replaying past conversations in your head
  • Wanting constant communication and feeling lost and desperate when you don’t get it
  • Need for excessive reassurance
  • Unable to be alone and at peace
  • Planning for the worst case scenario

Avoidance

On the other hand, your anxiety might motivate you to distance yourself from a close relationship. The common underlying belief is that the less you are deeply known the less you can be deeply hurt. You might feel as though you are the only person you can depend on. And although a big part of you may want to grow closer to that person; the fear of getting hurt stops you. Here are some signs that you may be avoiding intimacy.

  • Not wanting to be vulnerable about your inner thoughts and feelings
  • Fear of and refusal to make a true commitment
  • Making important decisions alone
  • Sending mixed signals
  • Withholding love and affection

This is Me .. HELP!

If you feel like you just read a blog about you I want you to know there is hope. Maintaining close relationships can be challenging; especially when you’re experiencing anxiety. The good news is you have already taken at least one step towards better by researching how your anxiety could be affecting your relationships. If you are ready to work through the anxiety and grow closer to the people you love, then reach out today. We can help you uncover the issues keeping you stuck and help you create a path of healing and growth moving forward. A path that includes loving relationships where you are loved and deeply known. We would consider it a privilege to walk alongside you in discovering how to work through the anxiety and strengthen your relationships.

You can reach us at (405) 921-7776 or on the web at NewVisionCounseling.org. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Written by Darby Hargrove and Shawn Maguire, LPC. Shawn owns New Vision Counseling and Consulting and has trained a team of therapists who consistently help their clients achieve life changing results. Because of their success in helping clients heal and come alive they are currently the top rated and reviewed counseling practice in Oklahoma.