How We Help Our Clients Beat Anxiety Without Medication

Fear, nervousness, stress, anxiety. We’ve all experienced these feelings at one time or another. But, when these feelings are far more intense than the average experience, or persist in the absence of a stressor, this can indicate an anxiety disorder.

When approaching any mental illness, considering all angles is important. Medication can absolutely be beneficial and part of a holistic approach for anxiety. However, some opt to try an approach without it, which is also 100% valid.

So, how do we help our clients beat anxiety without medication? After you’ve been diagnosed, our first step is to explain the symptoms, types, cycles and treatment options for anxiety. It would look something like this:

 

Symptoms

Anxiety is often characterized by difficulty concentrating, brain fog, muscle tension, trouble sleeping, increased heart rate, and an upset stomach. 

 

Types of Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety: An excessive amount of anxiety or worry in several areas of life, such as job responsibilities, health, finances, or minor concerns (e.g. completing housework).

Phobias: A very intense fear of a specific situation or object, which is out of proportion to its actual threat. For example, a fear of giving speeches, or of spiders, could be considered a phobia.

Panic: An extreme anxious response where a person experiences a panic attack. During a panic attack, the individual experiences numerous physical symptoms, and is overwhelmed by a feeling of dread.

 

The Anxiety Cycle

Anxiety can worsen overtime when individuals get trapped in a cycle of avoidance. Naturally, humans are going to avoid situations that cause unpleasant feelings (such as fear) to arise. Upon avoiding the circumstance, a sense of relief typically ensues. This positive feeling tends to lead to more avoidance, and the cycle continues. 

 

How Do We Treat It?

There are a few options depending on the type and severity of the anxiety. One of the most commonly used treatments is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

CBT entails identifying unhealthy thinking patterns that create anxiety, and challenging those thoughts. This may look like categorizing these cognitive distortions to better understand them. A few categories are:

• • Magnification and minimization: Exaggerating or minimizing the importance of events. Ex) You might believe your own achievements are unimportant or that your mistakes are excessively important.
  • Catastrophizing: Seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation.
  • Overgeneralization: Making broad interpretations from a single or few events. Ex) “I felt awkward during my job interview. I am always so awkward.”
  • Magical thinking: The belief that thoughts, actions, or emotions influence unrelated situations. Ex) “If I hadn’t hoped something bad would happen to him, he wouldn’t have gotten into an accident.”

When this step is complete, often you’ll be asked to find evidence for and against that pattern of thinking, then the aim is to reframe the thought. Think of it as “re-training” your brain to use more rational lines of thought, to reduce instances of anxiety.

Another form of treatment, often used in tandem with CBT, is practicing relaxation skills. These include deep, belly breathing, box breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness techniques. The more these techniques are used, the easier they become to implement over time. This can be an effective way to mitigate symptoms without medication.

Exposure therapy can be used to break that previously-discussed avoidance cycle. After ensuring relaxation skills are solid, we typically use an exposure hierarchy to slowly introduce you to stressful situations. This doesn’t mean diving straight into the deep end! For example, if a client has an intense fear of dogs, an exposure hierarchy may look like this:

• • Stage 1: Looking at pictures of dogs
  • Stage 2: Listening to dogs parking
  • Stage 3: Watching videos of dogs
  • Stage 4: Observing dogs from a distance
  • Stage 5: Standing beside a dog
  • Stage 6: Petting a dog

This helps to form new associations. Rather than dogs being associated with stress and avoidance, they become linked to a happy memory. 

Our therapists are ready to guide you through anxious times, no matter what route you choose to take. To learn more about how we can help, book a consultation here.