One of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to learn about your own anxiety: your symptoms, what triggers it, and what coping mechanisms have been effective in the past. When you learn what your anxiety is tied to, it can help you be mindful of what’s really happening as well as prevent and mitigate symptoms by processing and working through the issue in therapy. Other strategies that have been shown to help manage anxiety are meditation, challenging anxious thoughts, exercising, and journaling.
On average, people can tend to attend 15 to 20 session of anxiety therapy (five or more months). However, this number is heavily dependent on the type of anxiety that’s being treated and its severity, with many choosing to attend anxiety therapy for a longer period of time to ensure its effectiveness long-term.
The licensed mental health providers at Thriveworks in Odessa, TX offer premium anxiety therapy at affordable prices. The anxiety therapists at Thriveworks use evidence-based treatments to quell anxious minds and allay fears. They can help people who suffer from panic attacks, social anxiety, phobias like agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, general anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more. Reaching out for the first time is sometimes the hardest part. But once you ask for help, you can rest assured that you’re in good hands at Thriveworks. Contact us today for help.
How Does Therapy Help with Anxiety?
Anxiety treatment at Thriveworks in Odessa, TX helps to manage and prevent anxiety by using well-researched, proven strategies like cognitive therapy and psychiatric medication like antidepressants. Mental health providers at Thriveworks may use one or a combination of the following effective approaches:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps to modify maladaptive thoughts and beliefs that can lead to anxiety and panic attacks
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy), which works on an interpersonal level to delve deeper into the triggers for anxiety, among other things
- Exposure therapy, which uses desensitization in a secure environment to treat phobias
- Psychiatric medication prescribed by a licensed Thriveworks psychiatrist, which treats underlying neurochemical issues
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), which uses bilateral movement to ease anxiety
- Lifestyle modifications; for example, cutting back on caffeine and increasing exercise
- Holistic treatments like meditation and deep breathing, which can relax the body and hence relax the mind
- Biofeedback, which focuses on small neurological changes that can make a big emotional difference
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Depression therapy (if someone has simultaneous depression)
- Creative therapies like art, music, and journaling
- Family therapy or couples counseling
- Solution-focused coping strategies
Is There a Way to Overcome Panic Attacks?
To overcome panic attacks for good, a person must ultimately overcome the underlying anxiety that leads to panic attacks. The anxiety therapists at Thriveworks in Odessa, TX can give people the psychological resources they need to nip panic attacks in the bud. When you’re having a panic attack, you may feel like you can’t breathe. You may experience hyperventilation, a racing heart, dizziness, or nausea. You may think you need to go to the emergency room because panic attacks can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack.
Remember that during a panic attack, your brain and your body are in a destructive feedback loop. Your racing heart signals to your brain that something is very wrong, which signals to your heart that it should beat faster, and back and forth, exacerbating your symptoms. So calming either your mind or your body can have a compound effect.
If you’re in the middle of a panic attack, there are some practical tactics you can try to soothe yourself:
- Regulate your breathing. Slowing down and deepening your breathing sends a physiological signal to your brain that you’re going to be okay.
- Focus on something during the panic attack, like an image or an object.
- Repeat a mantra like “You are safe.” or “This will pass.”
- Focus on your physical senses as opposed to your thoughts. What do you smell? What do you hear? This can gently tether you to your surroundings when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Schedule with a Licensed Anxiety Therapist at Thriveworks in Odessa, TX
Call the Thriveworks office in Odessa, TX today and you can often meet with your therapist within the week, and our licensed counselors accept most health insurance.
Find out how Thriveworks can give you the mental health support you’ve always deserved. We look forward to getting you started with an exceptional counselor!
