You wake up at 3 AM, and your mind immediately starts racing. This isn't just normal stress. It's real anxiety. Your mind quickly becomes uncontrollable. You're like a robot that can't be switched off. You feel tightness in your chest and have difficulty breathing. You typically have certain fears that recur. Your thoughts spiral into dark fictions of catastrophic future events. This isn't the occasional worry you experience.

When it comes to "what if" thoughts, anxiety becomes the boss of your life. These thoughts are the directors running your life. It happens to many people every day. A person suffering from dementia may gradually become more anxious. Therefore, counseling provides a solution (i.e., a long-term solution) for anxiety, addressing the problem by getting to its root cause.

What Anxiety Actually Feels Like?

Anxiety manifests differently in different people, but the basic feeling remains the same. Some people can't stop the train of thoughts that run through their minds. They think about things that haven't even happened yet. When they're anxious, they feel even more anxious.

These are some of the symptoms you might experience:

• Obsession with minor everyday events
• Sudden panic attacks with no apparent cause
• Avoiding social situations where others might judge you
• Specific fears that feel very real
• Constant thought loops and repetitive behaviors
• Some traumatic memories haunt you for a long time

Along with the mind, the body is also affected by anxiety. Every part of your body feels it, including the muscles used for breathing. Your breathing might become shallow and irregular. Many people cope with anxiety by avoiding situations that trigger it. Running away might provide temporary relief, but over time, it only exacerbates the problem.

If you are suffering from any neurological distress (such as memory loss and cognitive decline, migraines, multiple sclerosis, dementia, etc.), it is best to consult a neurologist near me.

Why Therapy Works Better?

Telling yourself to "just calm down" or "don't worry so much" is very common advice you give yourself. If it were that easy, you wouldn't need to read this. You need to understand that anxiety isn't an emotion you can simply change with your thoughts. Your brain is very comfortable with certain patterns, and learning new patterns requires help.

This is why therapy is effective: it teaches you techniques that will change how your brain reacts to anxiety. It's not about positive thinking or receiving encouraging messages. It's about understanding the reasons behind your brain's functioning and actually changing your reactivity.

How Different Types of Therapy Help?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most common and effective treatments for anxiety. Unlike traditional methods, such as talking about your past or lying on a couch, CBT is a more practical approach for a troubled mind.

In CBT, you practice becoming a third-party observer of your thoughts, without judging them. For example, if you find yourself thinking, "This is going to be a disaster," you might respond with questions like, "Does holding onto this thought help me right now?" and "Do I have any evidence to support this prediction?" These exercises require regular practice.

Other therapies also work. In these therapies, the goal is not to fight your distressing emotions, but to accept them. While others might gradually expose you to your fears, this step will be taken slowly and in controlled circumstances. The key is to see which treatment works best for your specific situation and then stick with it.

What actually happens in a therapy session?

Your first session with a therapist might be a little stressful. You're sitting in a new place you've never been before and talking to someone you've never met about your thoughts and feelings. Don't be surprised if this happens. Psychologists know that talking about anxiety at the beginning is quite common and can even cause increased anxiety.

As the therapy process begins, you and your therapist will talk to get to know each other's specific patterns. The sessions will cover questions like:

• What common activities or tasks trigger your anxiety? 
• Can you feel the anxiety building in your body before anything else? 
• What kinds of thoughts do you have? 
• What have you tried to do to make yourself feel better?

As time goes on, you'll become familiar with different helpful ways to cope with anxiety attacks. Sometimes, or periodically, your therapist will have you practice these techniques between sessions. This process is challenging. There will be times when you forget what you've learned, and times when your techniques don't work perfectly. This is a normal part of the learning process.

Why Long-Term Change Takes Time?

You might ask yourself why treating anxiety takes months or years, not just a few weeks. The truth is, your brain has been practicing these distressing thought patterns for a long time. That's why you need to change the content of these thought patterns. These patterns are so familiar to your brain that they seem like the only way to react to stress by default.

Consider driving as an example. Most people have to consciously think about every step of driving the first time. Turn the key. Put your foot on the brake. Check the mirrors. Eventually, you'll probably do all of this without thinking. Your brain learned these patterns through repetition. The same is true with anxiety, but in reverse. Your brain has learned to jump to the worst-case scenarios automatically.

Changing negative patterns can only happen through the same process of repetition that created these habits. You repeatedly practice new ways of thinking until they become routine for you. Some days will be easier than others. However, on any given day, someone might feel like they've been pushed back to the very beginning. This doesn't mean the therapy isn't working. 

The Takeaway

On occasion, your anxiety may become so overwhelming that the only help you can rely upon is therapy. Do not be quick to judge yourself when this happens, but understand that you are worthy of comprehensive care. 

A neuropsychiatrist can assist in the decision as to whether any medication could help in managing the symptoms so that you can be more engaged in therapy activities.

People think they are weak or broken when they are on medication. Anxiety disorders can result from an imbalance in brain chemistry. At times, your brain needs more help to stay healthy, just as your fractured arm might need medical care.