Five Anxiety Myths in Maryland: Debunking Myth #1

anxiety mythS With Anxiety Therapy Maryland

Get a clear picture of anxiety with insights from an expert in anxiety therapy Maryland.

As a Maryland therapist that specializes in anxiety treatment, I’ve found that one of the major hurdles in getting folks to start finding relief from their anxiety is that there are so many myths about anxiety and what to do about it that a lot of people aren’t sure what to believe and get paralyzed with inaction, or sometimes engage in actions that are actually just making the whole thing worse. There are definitely more than five myths that come into play here, but let’s just start with a handful for now in this series.

Myth 1: It can’t be anxiety because…..

Let’s start at the very beginning. A lot of people aren’t sure what anxiety really is and assume that just because they aren’t having a panic attack or shaking like a leaf, then it’s not really anxiety. Anxiety can actually look a bunch of different ways.

Anxiety can show up as not only nervousness but also like restlessness, a difficulty in being able to relax, irritability, a lack of concentration or focus, feeling on edge, sleep difficulties, nausea, fatigue, sweating, heart palpitations, feelings of impending doom, an inability to let thoughts or concerns go, headaches, avoidance, or difficulties in adjusting plans. Whew, that’s a bit of a list. You’re probably noticing that a lot of those things can be signs and/or symptoms of other stuff too. Yep, it can sometimes be tricky to pull it all apart and see what’s happening. That’s why it can be really helpful to have a professional do an intake and get a broad picture. If you’ve got an issue with your thyroid that isn’t diagnosed and treated, your fatigue probably isn’t going to improve with some cognitive behavioral therapy. The line between anxiety and attention issues can be a fine one and getting a clearer picture of what’s going on can help guide an effective plan to help get you the results you want.

But I’m not afraid

Anxiety is not the same thing as just being afraid. And you can’t tell if someone has anxiety just by looking at what they are doing. There are plenty of people with anxiety that perform in front of others, go zip lining, participate in karaoke, ask someone else out on a date, and a million other things that not everyone in the world is comfortable or interested in doing. Just like there are lots of introverts that are amazing leaders and public speakers. When you think about the idea of someone with anxiety, what’s the picture that comes into your mind? Chances are, whatever you are picturing is only one possibility out of hundreds of ways that anxiety can look and feel.

Is my Anxiety serious enough to Need Treatment?

Everyone can experience anxiety at times—it’s incredibly common to be nervous before having to do something difficult, new or unusual; it’s completely normal to be worried when we are waiting on uncertain but serious information. The activation of our flight/flight/freeze response in the face of a perceived threat is, evolutionarily, there for a really good reason: we need to be able to respond quickly to danger to save ourselves. On the smaller scale, being concerned about something also keeps us on our toes so we pay attention so we can safely cross the busy road, and finish the project by the deadline, and make sure we leave enough time to get to the airport so as to not miss our flight. So, if we can all expect to experience anxiety at times, how do we know if it’s a problem? Good question! Let’s see how it’s impacting your life. How much of your time is it consuming? What are you avoiding, missing, or struggling to do? How do some of these struggles show up in your relationships? What’s your sleep like? How long has this been going on? Lots of questions like this and more. You can even do a basic screening yourself if you think anxiety is an issue. But here’s the thing—if it’s bugging you and interfering in being able to fully live your life in the way you’d like, treatment can be extremely valuable. You don’t have to score in the moderate or severe range of anxiety symptoms in order to get help and reduce the discomfort or suffering you are experiencing.

Anxiety treatment Maryland

Come back for future posts in this series about five myths about anxiety. In the meantime, please contact me if you are interested in how I work with folks looking for anxiety treatment in Maryland or other services I offer as a Maryland therapist. For now, I leave you with this humorous quote about one way that anxiety can look: “Anxiety is a lot like a toddler. It never stops talking, tells you you’re wrong about everything, and wakes you up at 3 am.” —Anonymous