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  • Lesser Known Behaviors That May Be an Indicator of Anxiety

    Is anxiety taking over your life? Does it feel like you can’t control it no matter how hard you try? Do you notice changing your routine to avoid anxious feelings?

    When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy – as opposed to anxiety medication – treats more than just the symptoms to the problem.

    Anxiety and Stress are Normal Human Emotions

    Other words for anxiety are stress, apprehension, and worry.

    Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. Anxiety can be normal in stressful situations such as public speaking, taking a test, or other times when you may be motivated to perform well.

    When Anxiety Becomes Harmful

    However, unmanaged anxiety or harmful anxiety presents when fear, worry, and intrusive thoughts can make it hard to get through the day.

    Constant anxiety can lead to difficulty with sleep, feeling fatigued and tired, and body aches and pains. Examples of harmful anxiety can look like avoidant behaviors such as choosing to miss a test related to fear, showing up to work late related to worry thoughts, leaving events early to avoid thoughts of embarrassment, or canceling plans to avoid anxiety in social settings.

    Anxiety, or stress, can have huge impacts in your personal life, quality of relationships, and behaviors. As mentioned before, low levels of manageable anxiety can be your body’s natural way to get your attention, to notice performance, helpful motivation, or alert you to potential dangers or risk for negative consequence.

    If you find yourself reflected in the examples below, you may be experiencing anxiety that can be managed differently:

    • Procrastination 
    • Perfectionism
    • Disorganization
    • Indecisiveness 
    • History of trauma 
    • Persistent stress during childhood 
    • Difficulty starting new habits or routines that would benefit your wellbeing(ex. Sleep schedule, eating habits, exercise, time management, etc.)
    • Trouble sleeping due to worrisome thoughts
    • Efforts to exhaust yourself to bypass worrisome thoughts 
    • Fear of speaking up for yourself or not communicating your needs 
    • Easily annoyed, irritable 
    • Self-sabotaging behaviors – when you do (or don’t do) things that block your success or prevent you from accomplishing your goals
    • Negative self-talk 
    • Opting out of engaging more in life 
    • Social media used as a distraction 
    • Being busy all the time as a method to avoid 
    • Isolation/social withdrawal
    • Fear of being judged negatively 
    • Imposter Syndrome – feeling self-doubt about your accomplishments or fear being discovered as a fraud

    Therapy can help to uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears, learn how to relax, look at situations in a new, less frightening way, and develop better coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.

    If you suffer from symptoms of anxiety, we invite you to contact us today to request an appointment.  

    Disclaimer:

    The content provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional counseling or therapy. The information presented here is drawn from my professional expertise, personal experiences, and research, but it is not a replacement for personalized mental health advice. Each individual is unique, and the content may not be relevant to everyone’s particular situation. It is crucial to seek guidance from a licensed mental health professional concerning your specific concerns and to receive customized support tailored to your requirements.