Have you ever had trouble falling or staying asleep because of racing thoughts or excessive worry? Ever experience heart palpitations, stomach upset, or profuse sweating when feeling nervous or anxious? Maybe you avoided certain people, places, or activities because of anxiety. If you struggle with anxiety, there are effective ways to decrease anxiety. Although it is normal to experience worry and anxiety at times, it can be really hard for those who experience it on a regular basis. Luckily, there are some things that you can do right now to decrease anxiety.
1.Use a Grounding Technique
Since anxiety tends to be future oriented, meaning it hasn’t happened yet, and it may or may not happen, it is difficult to impact. You can only change things in the here and now. A grounding technique can be used to bring your focus back to the present. One of the most effective ways to ground yourself in the moment, is to engage all of your senses. You take a deep breath, look around, and name out loud:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
2. Belly Breathe
There are many different breathing techniques that can be used to help you feel calmer. One of the best breathing techniques to reduce anxiety is belly breathing. Belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, can help you relax almost instantly. When you are anxious, the sympathetic nervous system, our fight or flight response is activated. This can give you the needed adrenaline to run when being chased by a bear. Unfortunately, the body has a hard time differentiating between life-threatening and non-life-threatening stress. When the sympathetic nervous system is engaged, blood pressure and heart rate increase, and digestion slows.
Belly breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which slows the heart rate and blood pressure, and stimulates digestion, producing a relaxed state and feeling of calm. To belly breathe you want to make your belly puff out when you breathe in, and sink in when you breathe out. Sometimes, it is easier to get the hang of it when you lay down and place a book on your stomach making it rise when you breathe in and making it fall when you breathe out.
3. Acknowledge Your Feelings Without Judgment
You are human, and humans have feelings. It is okay to feel any way that you feel. Sometimes when you are feeling anxious, scared, or worried, you might tell yourself that you shouldn’t feel this way. Doing this invalidates how you are actually feeling and adds guilt to the mix. You can acknowledge how you are feeling, it’s just a feeling and you don’t have to judge it. The more you try and minimize or avoid anxiety, the more likely it is to show itself in indirect, often very inconvenient ways. Simply saying out loud how you are feeling validates that it is a normal emotion and helps you to deal with it as such.
The next time worry or anxiety tries to interfere in your life in a negative way, remember there are things you can do that help. If you continue to struggle with anxiety, therapy can help. You can acknowledge how you feel without judgment, use a grounding technique, and belly breathe. Doing these three things can help you decrease anxiety right now.
You’ve done it! You had your phone consultation and scheduled your first therapy appointment. Even though the phone consultation went smoothly and all of your questions were answered satisfactorily, you’re still feeling a little nervous. After all, starting therapy can be a little scary. You’re not quite sure what will happen during the first session. Although it is perfectly normal to feel this way, having an idea of what to expect can help decrease your anxiety. This article explores what to expect when starting therapy.
The First Session Is Different Than Other Sessions
The first therapy session is known as the intake session. This session is about getting to know each other and is about information gathering and determining how to proceed. It is more directive and less therapeutic than other sessions will be. During this session, we will go over the paperwork that you filled out as well as confidentiality and its limitations, and policies and procedures. I will gather a lot of background information and ask you about the reasons you entered therapy. Together, we will create your goals for therapy. I will also answer any questions you may have.
You Don’t Have To Share Everything In The First Session
Counseling is a collaborative effort and you are always the expert on you. Your feedback and questions are important and are valuable to the therapeutic process. While therapy works best when you are open and honest, it is okay to say that you don’t feel comfortable discussing something. It is normal to want to establish trust before sharing something that is deeply personal. Sometimes it takes several sessions before you feel enough trust has been built to start talking about some deeper issues. This is perfectly fine.
It Could Feel A Little Uncomfortable At Times
Therapy can bring up uncomfortable, and or unexpected, emotions. Sometimes sharing information about the past can bring up pleasant or funny memories. Other times, the memories might be very painful. You may have been struggling for some time before deciding to try therapy. Even though you kept these struggles to yourself, sharing them in therapy can bring up a lot of emotions. When some of these memories or feelings are brought up, you might cry. We may cry when we are sad, happy, relieved, or overwhelmed. Crying is a release and is a normal and healthy emotional response. Therapy provides a safe space to express, explore, and process your emotions and responses, although it may sometimes be a little uncomfortable.
At The End Of The Session We Will Come Up With A Plan
When the session is coming to an end, I will check in with you to see how you are doing. You can share how the session went for you, and if you would like to make another appointment. I will answer any questions that you may have and go over the cancellation policy and discuss how we might work together. We will determine what works best for future sessions based on your therapeutic goals and schedule. I will also continue to check in throughout the process to make sure we are in agreement on expectations and duration.
That’s it! Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect when starting therapy. Remember, it is perfectly normal to feel nervous, even when you have an idea of what will happen.
