Few things in life can be as difficult to live with as chronic anxiety. Dreading every experience ahead of you can be limiting, and it can also have some significant ramifications for your health. If you regularly suffer from anxiety, it’s normal to think to yourself: is anxiety curable for me?
The truth is, there are things you can do to cure your anxiety for good, so long as you understand what to look for. But first, it’s important to understand what anxiety is in the first place.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stressful situations. In fact, it is an entirely healthy, even necessary biological response in the right situation. The problem comes when you have an anxious response in an instance when it isn’t warranted or when you can’t get yourself back under control.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety every year, so the condition is far from uncommon. While isolated stressful events cause some level of anxiety, the majority of anxiety disorders can last for six months or occasionally longer if you don’t seek appropriate treatment.
For some people, anxiety can build up to the point that it is entirely irrational and even debilitating. If you find that yourself with a level of stress that compromises your quality of life, it’s time to think about a solution.
How Is Anxiety Treated?
The encouraging news is that there are tons of proven ways to improve anxiety and even banish your symptoms for good… so long as you are willing to get to the cause of your problems.
Most anxiety treatment is separated into three main categories:
- behavioral therapy
- medication
- or a combination of the two.
Behavioral therapy (also called counseling) involves you meeting with an expert and seeking out the source of your anxiety together.
Exposure therapy is also a common technique, as it allows you to confront a trigger for your stress in a controlled environment.
Medication like antidepressants or beta-blockers is also a smart solution for treating the symptoms of anxiety, like hyperventilation or a racing heartbeat. While medicine on its own can’t cure anxiety, it can help you keep your symptoms under enough control that you can benefit from behavioral therapy.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle to Manage Anxiety
Neither medication or behavioral therapy is often enough to provide a lasting solution for anxiety.
For this reason, most people with anxiety benefit from seeking out complementary treatments of the two together, as well as prioritizing a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, a healthy diet, and robust social network.
By making your overall health a priority, you can cure your anxiety, too.
Please get in touch and ask how counseling for anxiety might help.