If you live in Arizona, you’ve likely heard people ask “How can you be depressed or anxious in a state where the sun shines all the time?” But depression and anxiety disorders are very common no matter where you live. Infact, they are among the most common mental disorders that impact adults all across the US.
It used to be the case that professionals looked at anxiety as starting with thoughts and felt if you could control your thoughts, you could control anxiety. New understandings of anxiety, however, are bringing insight to where and how anxiety begins, and how it affects the body.
Regardless of the root, a holistic approach is still regarded as one of the best methods for working with anxiety. In general, there is no “one cure-all” or even a “one size fits all” approach to managing anxiety and it’s symptoms. Treatment plans can vary from person to person, even day to day. If you’re struggling to find things that help or need to talk to a compassionate professional, reach out to an anxiety therapist in Phoenix near you.
New Understandings of Anxiety
According to the CDC, at the end of 2021 nearly 30% of adults in Arizona reported symptoms of anxiety. It is by far, the most common set of disorders to affect adults not only in Arizona, but across the country. Whether anxiety is new to you or you’ve experienced anxious thoughts and anxiety attacks for a long time, just know you aren’t alone.
If you’ve experienced anxiety before, you’ve probably had a well-intentioned friend or loved one try to tell you “just think about something else”, or “it’s all on your head..focus on the present moment.” To their credit, there may be certain days where that works but other days it doesn’t. Because it’s so common, psychologists and researchers are always trying to learn more about anxiety, where it starts, and what can help.
Anxiety is starting to be understood as a biological response that originates at the core of our nervous system, the amygdala. This is one reason that while yes – anxiety may start in your brain, but it doesn’t simply boil down to what we’re thinking. The amygdala is responsible for assessing our surroundings and anticipating threats. An overactive amygdala may be on high alert 24/7 and unable to properly determine situational threats, or deactivate once a circumstance is determined a non-threat.
That being said, there are many factors that go into how the brain perceives and responds to threats and non-threats, and what can cause or perpetuate anxiety. Because anxiety has a wide range of symptoms and triggers, it’s a good idea to talk with a professional to better understand yourself and your unique experiences with anxiety.
How Therapy Can Help With Anxiety
There are many tools that can help ease symptoms of anxiety. Some people take medication, use CBD, go to therapy, some people exercise, change their diet, do yoga and some people do all of the above. Finding out what works for you is essential to coping with anxiety in a healthy way.
If you haven’t figured out what works, or even if you have and want to take your healing journey to the next level, contact a counselor near you for more support.
