Well, it has taken me a while to continue on with part 2 (avoidance?). Alright, where were we? Let’s review our last entry. Triggers (situations) elicit anxiety. We don’t want to be anxious. We avoid triggers that bring on anxiety. What happens? We become more anxious. What is the solution? Stop avoiding and face the pain. If life was only that easy. It’s not! I recently tried Yoga as part of Tony Horton's P90X. He mentioned at the onset that I was going to be uncomfortable for a while. He was right! Tackling anxiety is similar and avoidance is common.
Consider the following the anxiety problems and what people avoid. People with obsessive – compulsive disorder avoid perceived contaminated objects such as sinks, toilets, doorknobs, and money. People with post-traumatic stress disorder will avoid thoughts or memories about the trauma experience. People with generalized anxiety will worry and avoid a lot about a lot of things. People with social anxiety will make sure they have reading material on hand to avoid “small talk” and will have expertise on how to avoid eye contact. People with agoraphobia will avoid crowds and will always know where the exit signs are so they don’t rely on an elevator. People with panic disorder will avoid exercise so they don’t have to deal with their own bodily sensations, that may elevate panic. Each of these problems do require professional help. Read this as encouragement to obtain that help. While it may depend on the problems, 10-20 weeks of therapy with a cognitive-behavioral therapy expert will dramatically improve your anxiety management skills and your overall mental health.
Besides these medical symptoms, let’s take a look at some common problems. I recently talked with a woman who was anxious to begin dating again – she indeed was burned in her last relationship. Just the other day, a man reported that he was anxious to go shopping and relied on his wife to get groceries on a weekly basis. I just visited with a woman who had two major car accidents within the last five years; she avoids driving and refuses to let her 17-year old son obtain his driver’s permit as a result of her own anxiety about driving.
Whether we are talking about dating, going out in public, or driving, becoming anxiety free takes some work (and time). When confronted with our own fears, life has a way of throwing those fears back into our face over and over again. Our avoidance will amplify and heighten anxiety until parts of ourselves are squelched, silenced, or even lost. Sooner or later, we have to face those dogs nipping at our heels.
In our last entry, we mentioned a reflection exercise of identifying a list of triggers that elicit anxiety. Making a list is step #1. As Socrates said, an unexamined life is not worth living. Adding to that, I would say it is very empowering to live the the reflective life.
Step #2 is scaling each trigger from 0-10. 0 is experiencing complete calm and 10 is experiencing maximum anxiety. When you experience that trigger, how anxious does that make you feel? Identify how anxious it used to be and how anxious it is now. Once you have identified a list, scale from a point in the past and scale your anxiety in the present. Here is a shortened list of triggers from an individual who was attacked by two pit pulls.
August, 2008 Now
Sounds of barking 10 7
Seeing a dog 9 6
Loud noises 8 4
A reduction in the anxiety level indicates anxiety tolerance and improved coping.
More common problems that surface involve the tough position of looking for a job, particularly in our current difficult economy and a recently reported 9.4% unemployment rate. Here is an example of a list of anxiety producing behaviors that an individual in the job search may identify. On aside, it is worth noting that this process is often dreaded…..A list might look something like this with scaled anxiety from the beginning point of unemployment (six months ago) and the present….
July, 2009 Present
Updating the resume 8 8
Contacting employers 6 9
Researching jobs 8 8
Sending out emails 8 8
In this example, anxiety may elevate as time passes. Many people report that anxiety lessens when they identify the sources of the anxiety.
Finally, patience is required in the process of getting free of anything that controls any part of your emt
Consider the following the anxiety problems and what people avoid. People with obsessive – compulsive disorder avoid perceived contaminated objects such as sinks, toilets, doorknobs, and money. People with post-traumatic stress disorder will avoid thoughts or memories about the trauma experience. People with generalized anxiety will worry and avoid a lot about a lot of things. People with social anxiety will make sure they have reading material on hand to avoid “small talk” and will have expertise on how to avoid eye contact. People with agoraphobia will avoid crowds and will always know where the exit signs are so they don’t rely on an elevator. People with panic disorder will avoid exercise so they don’t have to deal with their own bodily sensations, that may elevate panic. Each of these problems do require professional help. Read this as encouragement to obtain that help. While it may depend on the problems, 10-20 weeks of therapy with a cognitive-behavioral therapy expert will dramatically improve your anxiety management skills and your overall mental health.
Besides these medical symptoms, let’s take a look at some common problems. I recently talked with a woman who was anxious to begin dating again – she indeed was burned in her last relationship. Just the other day, a man reported that he was anxious to go shopping and relied on his wife to get groceries on a weekly basis. I just visited with a woman who had two major car accidents within the last five years; she avoids driving and refuses to let her 17-year old son obtain his driver’s permit as a result of her own anxiety about driving.
Whether we are talking about dating, going out in public, or driving, becoming anxiety free takes some work (and time). When confronted with our own fears, life has a way of throwing those fears back into our face over and over again. Our avoidance will amplify and heighten anxiety until parts of ourselves are squelched, silenced, or even lost. Sooner or later, we have to face those dogs nipping at our heels.
In our last entry, we mentioned a reflection exercise of identifying a list of triggers that elicit anxiety. Making a list is step #1. As Socrates said, an unexamined life is not worth living. Adding to that, I would say it is very empowering to live the the reflective life.
Step #2 is scaling each trigger from 0-10. 0 is experiencing complete calm and 10 is experiencing maximum anxiety. When you experience that trigger, how anxious does that make you feel? Identify how anxious it used to be and how anxious it is now. Once you have identified a list, scale from a point in the past and scale your anxiety in the present. Here is a shortened list of triggers from an individual who was attacked by two pit pulls.
August, 2008 Now
Sounds of barking 10 7
Seeing a dog 9 6
Loud noises 8 4
A reduction in the anxiety level indicates anxiety tolerance and improved coping.
More common problems that surface involve the tough position of looking for a job, particularly in our current difficult economy and a recently reported 9.4% unemployment rate. Here is an example of a list of anxiety producing behaviors that an individual in the job search may identify. On aside, it is worth noting that this process is often dreaded…..A list might look something like this with scaled anxiety from the beginning point of unemployment (six months ago) and the present….
July, 2009 Present
Updating the resume 8 8
Contacting employers 6 9
Researching jobs 8 8
Sending out emails 8 8
In this example, anxiety may elevate as time passes. Many people report that anxiety lessens when they identify the sources of the anxiety.
Finally, patience is required in the process of getting free of anything that controls any part of your emt
