Anxiety is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation. Mentally it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into distressing worry, and physically by unpleasant activation of multiple body systems—all to facilitate response to an unknown danger, whether real or imagined.
What Is the Best Therapy for Anxiety?
The first-line treatment for anxiety is some form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Practical and present-oriented, therapy helps people recognize the cognitive distortion that anxiety forces on them, helps them confront their fears safely, and provides techniques for reversing reactivity.
Like all treatment, the goal is to restore calm. But it does much more. It helps people regain control over themselves when worry threatens to overtake them.
Therapy has the added value of taking place in the presence of a real human being. As social creatures, we have nervous systems exquisitely attuned to the influence of others. The presence of a helpful person constitutes a powerful signal of safety, directly and deeply countermanding the (mistaken) alarms of threat that define the disorder of anxiety.
For more see Therapy for Anxiety
Natural Approaches to Anxiety
Anxiety requires active treatment; otherwise it constricts life and tends to become a chronic condition. But that doesn’t mean it requires a prescription or medical intervention. Some of the most effective ways to control anxiety involve lifestyle or behavior changes.
Calming the mind through meditation is an Eastern technique finding favor in Western cultures. Regular activity such as running or walking helps release the muscle tension that creates so much distress. It also changes the brain. One of the most effective measures of all may be deep (also call diaphragmatic) breathing. It has a direct effect on the nervous system , inducing a state of calm and curbing feelings of threat.
For more see Natural Approaches to Anxiety
Explore More About Anxiety
For a comprehensive understanding of anxiety, read our complete guide: