by Marvin Somers

Created on: April 12, 2010

Small doses of stress and anxiety can actually be good for us, letting us know when we may be in danger and improving our performance of certain tasks. But in large doses stress and anxiety can be debilitating for an individual’s physical and mental health. When anxiety begins to take its toll on a person’s daily life then it is important to face up to the problem and deal with it.

Anxiety occurs when we perceive a threat or a problem. Our bodies have evolved to undergo certain physiological effects in the event of danger, which improved our ability to fight of predators and escape from potentially mortal encounters. Translated into a modern day setting however and that same effect can make us feel tense and agitated in the face of a deadline, or raise our blood pressure when confronted with a phobia.

There are two distinct ways, then, of dealing with anxiety. The first is to address the physiological effects. This is generally achieved through medication, whether manufactured drugs or natural remedies, and involves the introduction of substances into the body that affect the chemistry of the brain. These can be effective at dealing with anxiety in the short term and allowing a person to lead an everyday life, but they do not address the root cause of the anxiety – namely the situation that is producing the stress response in the first place.

The second way of dealing with anxiety is to deal with it at the root; by facing up the situation that has caused us to feel panicked or tense we can reduce the degree to which anxiety affects us in the future. This can be done via cognitive therapy, counselling or self help books and groups, depending on the preference of the individual. In each case, the steps taken are roughly similar:

1. Identify the situation that is causing anxiety. Treatment cannot begin until the patient understands what it is that is causing them to be anxious. One of the most common causes of anxiety, for example, are social phobias – if the patient has difficulties being around groups of people or certain social situations, the patient needs to understand and admit that this is a problem for them before they can begin to heal. A therapist can help a patient to identify such causes if they are not sure themselves.

2. Decide on an action plan for dealing with the situation. This might be as simple as learning a few slow breathing and meditative techniques. Alternatively, confidence anchors can be learned and used via neuro-linguistic programming. Cognitive behaviour therapy can be particularly effective at teaching individuals new ways of thinking and behaving in anxiety-inducing situations that help them to reduce the effects of tension and stress.

3. Face up to the problem. Avoiding anxiety-inducing situations isn’t good for you in the long run as you will inevitably have to face them again at some point. Once you have learned the new techniques for facing the situations, try them out – then return to your therapist or self-help group and discuss how you felt and whether there is anything else that you need to do.

Anxiety is a natural response to pressure situations that can get out of hand in the face of perceived threats or phobias. Dealing with anxiety effectively usually involves a change of approach and way of thinking and cannot happen without the positive input of the patient. Anxiety treatment doesn’t have to involve therapy, but individuals should not be afraid of trying it as professional help can significantly improve an individual’s chances of effectively tackling a problem.

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