Many people with anxiety disorders frequently feel as though they are alone and unique with their way of thinking.  They also often feel misunderstood as if they should be able to control their anxiety and as if they are somehow weak if they cannot. There are many misconceptions regarding anxiety disorders and the thoughts and feelings associated with anxiety disorders.

The following is a list of things that some people with anxiety wish others understood about their anxiety disorder:

• “It’s uncontrollable.”

• “Anxiety [is] an illness. You can’t just get over mental illness.”

• “It’s paralyzing.”

• “It’s sometimes so exhausting and distracting that I may be forgetful or unproductive, but it’s not me trying to be thoughtless, lazy or make excuses.”

• “I do realize the things I worry about are ridiculous. Even though I’m aware, I can’t just stop it.”

• “My mind is my enemy, so I need you on my side. Sometimes I even need you to fight alongside me.”

• “I’m not crazy.”

• “Saying, ‘you will be fine’ doesn’t help.”

• “I’m not being ridiculous or dramatic.”

• “It’s real. I’m not overreacting.”

• “I don’t want to feel this way.”

• “All the logic in the world won’t keep my heart from hammering in my chest.”

• “After a hectic day, especially after being in crowds or dealing directly with multiple people, I have a ‘people hangover’ the next day. I need alone time to reboot from all the energy used. I have to rest and reset my mind. If I don’t, I will become bone-tired, overwhelmed and moody.”

• “I’m not doing it for attention.”

• “We don’t need someone to look at us like we’re crazy. We need someone to be compassionate.”

• “Even though we look OK on the outside, our anxiety is reeking havoc on our insides.”

• “I don’t always know why I’m anxious.”

• “The smallest things can set me off. The more trapped I feel, the worse off I am. Personal space will always make me feel better.”

• “It feels as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You feel suffocated.”

• “I might look like I’m doing nothing, but in my head I’m quite busy.”

• “Anxiety and worrying are not the same things.”

• “I’m being attacked by something I can’t escape from.”

• “It’s not a choice. You don’t choose to have anxiety. It chooses you.”

• “I don’t just ‘get nervous.’ Heck, half the time I’m not even nervous when I’m having a panic attack — I’m anxious. Sometimes it’s for no reason I can identify. When I’m anxious and nervous I recognize some of it is irrational, but I can’t just snap out of it. My mind and body aren’t cooperating with reason.”

• “Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean my fears aren’t real.”

• “You can’t just stop worrying. There is no ‘on’ or ‘off’ switch.”

• “It’s totally possible to have social anxiety and be a raging extrovert.”

• “Prayer doesn’t make it disappear.”

• “No matter how irrational I may sound, it’s real to me.”

• “Just because I can’t explain the feelings causing my anxiety, doesn’t make them less valid.”

• “Even the simplest tasks can be overwhelming at times.”

At Specialized Therapy Associates, we have several clinicians who have expertise in helping people who suffer from anxiety.

To learn more about Specialized Therapy Associates, please visit us at: https://www.specializedtherapy.com.

The post Anxiety Disorders and related Misconceptions first appeared on Specialized Therapy.

The post Anxiety Disorders and related Misconceptions appeared first on Specialized Therapy.

Anxiety and stress can affect how we perceive reality. We all react to our “imagined reality” of a situation, not the “reality” of it. Imagined reality is our perception of something. If you think that people are thinking negatively about you, you react as if they are in fact thinking negatively about you. This is your “imagined reality.” Of course, unless your name is “The Amazing Kreskin”, or people begin walking around with “thought bubbles” above their heads, you can’t actually read minds. If you believe that you know that something will turn out badly, you will behave accordingly. This too is your “imagined reality.” Again, unless you happen to have a working Crystal Ball or Time Machine, then you don’t really know what will happen in the future. Being able to differentiate between “reality” and “imagined reality” is a very useful skill when trying to manage anxiety.

At Specialized Therapy Associates, we have several clinicians who have expertise in helping people who suffer from anxiety and stress. To learn more about Specialized Therapy Associates, or to schedule an appointment with a clinician to help treat anxiety and stress, call our highly trained intake staff at 201-488-6678. We can match you with a clinician who best fits your needs and offer you a custom plan to solve your problems.

The post Anxiety and stress: Imagined Reality vs Reality first appeared on Specialized Therapy.

The post Anxiety and stress: Imagined Reality vs Reality appeared first on Specialized Therapy.

Procrastination and avoidance can be caused by many different factors including:

• Anxiety – the irrational fear of what might happen
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – difficulties with focusing, sequencing, and prioritizing
• Depression – low energy, motivation, concentration, pleasure, etc
• Low Self Confidence  – the uncertainty of ability to succeed

There are a variety of tools that can be utilized to help decrease avoidance and procrastination. One method which can be useful is to make yourself accountable to someone besides just yourself. We seem to have very little difficulty letting ourselves down but we feel very different when it comes to letting someone else down. Telling somebody else your plan to accomplish something you’ve been avoiding or setting up a concrete deadline with somebody else can help make it more difficult to avoid completing the task.

This is the first blog I’ve ever written. I have been avoiding writing it and putting it off; mostly because I’ve been worrying about it being overly challenging and I’m not sure how to write one. Uncertainty of my ability to write a blog has been the primary factor that has resulted in procrastination and avoidance. After being given a deadline for when this blog needed to be completed, I sat down to write it. My avoidance made the task of writing a blog seem much more intimidating than it otherwise would have been.

Avoidance is often one of the results of anxiety. Helping overcome avoidance is one of the tools used to help manage anxiety.

At Specialized Therapy Associates, we have several clinicians who have expertise in helping people who suffer from anxiety, avoidance, and procrastination.  To learn more about Specialized Therapy Associates, please visit us at https://www.specializedtherapy.com.

The post Avoidance and Procrastination first appeared on Specialized Therapy.

The post Avoidance and Procrastination appeared first on Specialized Therapy.