Shallow breathing, racing heart, chest tightening, thoughts going one million miles per minute. Sometimes it stops there while for others it can lead to physically debilitating symptoms making life seem nearly impossible. You may think this is a physical medical condition being discussed, or maybe you understand too well that we are talking about anxiety.

Anxiety creates mental and physical exhaustion

Everyone faces a degree of anxiousness in their life. It might be that you are feeling anxious about finishing a task you started, or maybe going to work when you know you were late yesterday, and the boss is not going to be happy. It could be that you hate large crowds, and you have to be at your best friend’s wedding this weekend, or possibly that you just don’t like making phone calls and it’s time to schedule an appointment. Whatever the cause, anxiety is uncomfortable. It is important to understand that although there is a spectrum of anxiety, all anxiety can cause significant distress and despair in people’s lives. At times we may begin to even lose sight of what a life would be like without this constant level of worry. This is why it is important to understand what anxiety is, how it affects you, and what we can do about it.

All anxiety can cause significant distress and despair

So, what is anxiety? Anxiety is a thought process in which excess worry and tension fill your mind and body creating both mental and physical exhaustion. Anxiety can present as intrusive thoughts that create levels of paranoia-like worry and lead us to avoid situations we might not otherwise.

How does anxiety affect me? Anxiety can affect people in many ways. It is common to have physical side effects – including but not limited to – heart palpitations, shallow or short breathing, increased blood pressure, visual impairment, or sweating. These are often short-term effects but can become more substantial if anxiety begins to take over your life. Anxiety can also affect your day-to-day living. Many people who suffer from intense anxiety avoid things because they are easily worried or overwhelmed by them. This can make it difficult to build strong social and familial relationships, a happy work environment, and activities of self-care such as going to the doctor, getting a haircut, and eating at a restaurant. Active anxiousness often causes us to lose sleep and become increasingly concerned and stressed out about something bad happening. We lose a lot of time being consumed by this feeling.

What to do about anxiety? Anxiety is individual to each person and there is not a one size fits all approach in how to deal with it. There are many things that can alleviate anxious symptoms and allow you to take back control of your life. Start first with giving yourself grace and understanding that you are not alone. There are many ways to find reprieve and it is likely that with some guidance you can overcome your anxiety.

If you feel like you’re not in the driver’s seat of your own life – reach out today.

By Ashley Bryan MS, LMHCA

If there was ever a time that we could all agree life is overwhelming, its likely been this last year. For some of us, just merely getting up and going can feel like a task and for others it is the buildup throughout the day. To do list: get presentable, take the kids to school (or zoom), go to work (or zoom), clean the house, cook the food, pay the bills, bathe the dogs, and for the love of all things holy DO NOT FORGET YOUR MASK - as if we needed one more thing to add. It is nearly impossible to complete the day’s list, so by tomorrow we add the new tasks on top of the things we were unable to get done today -slowly burying ourselves in unrealistic and oftentimes unnecessary expectations. Then you end the day trying to get some sleep, while consistently playing over in your head how you might have managed your time better today and what you will now have to do tomorrow. We can survive this for a day, maybe two, but eventually it compiles into this feeling of impending doom.

This transformation shifts from feeling stressed to feeling completely overwhelmed. You are not alone in this. You are not alone in having this happen and feeling like you cannot escape sinking into the quicksand that feels like your life. And you are not alone in looking for help in how to overcome this.

We too often mistake our priorities for society’s expectation of us. It is in these moments of feeling overwhelmed that we need to take a step back and evaluate our real priorities. These priorities should align with our internal values, desires, and needs. Will the dog not survive without a bath today? Is the laundry going to cause an actual explosion of the house (not just the couch) if not folded today? Are the dishes going to grow legs and attack us because we left them in the sink, for just one night? Is it more important that you get the to-do list done than being able to take a moment to sit with your partner, friend, or child in a moment of embrace and calm before the day’s end?

Did you find connection today?

To yourself and/or others?

It is easy to interpret our feelings of being overwhelmed as something that happens because of all the things we do or need to do but sit with me for a moment and think of how it might be a result of what you do not find time to do. Did you find happiness and connection today? Did you do something you love today? Did you find time to relax today? Being overwhelmed is a sign from your body. It is an indicator that is time to find balance. Take something off the list, say no, find help, listen to your heart, and allow yourself to stop worrying for a little while. There is tomorrow to get things done, but it starts with finding happiness today.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and stuck, we would love to help you recover your joy and happiness. You do not have to figure this out on your own. Reach out today.

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Overcoming Anxiety

There has to be a better way to do this…