How Can I Navigate Debilitating Anxiety?

Debilitating anxiety is generally defined as extreme anxiety that is severe enough to significantly disrupt your everyday life. It may involve both mental and physical symptoms and can result in an inability to function at school, at work, or in relationships, and it may even make it difficult to leave the house or properly care for yourself. This level of anxiety generally requires professional care to address; effective treatment is available. Below, we’ll take a closer look at disorders and life stressors that have the potential to cause debilitating anxiety symptoms. Then, we’ll cover tips that may help you manage symptoms in tandem with receiving professional care. 

A brief overview of anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders are a category of mental health conditions, and someone living with one has the potential to experience debilitating symptoms—particularly if the disorder is left untreated. This type of disorder can take many different forms, but persistent anxiety that interferes with daily functioning is typically a key manifestation. Some types of anxiety disorders include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Separation anxiety disorder
• Specific phobias
• Panic disorder

The symptoms of these conditions exist on a spectrum, potentially ranging from mild to severe or debilitating, and they can be both mental and physical. Physical symptoms of anxiety

may include things like a rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, stomach pain, sweating, trembling, sleep issues, and other signs related to the fear response. Mental symptoms could include things like difficulty controlling worry, feelings of panic, intense, irrational fears, irritability, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, and the urge to avoid things that inspire anxious or otherwise negative thoughts.

What is debilitating anxiety? Mental and physical symptoms

In short, anxiety is generally considered debilitating if it significantly disrupts your everyday life and prevents you from engaging in work, self-care, or other routine activities. As a result of these severe symptoms, your mental and physical well-being, social relationships, and other aspects of life may be disrupted. 

For example, debilitating agoraphobia could cause a person to miss work or school, potentially leading them to lose their job or fall behind academically. Or, debilitating social anxiety could lead a person to avoid social interactions of all kinds—including meeting new people or maintaining existing friendships—which could lead to isolation and the potentially serious health impacts of loneliness.

It’s also worth mentioning that feelings and symptoms of anxiety can be mentally and physically draining, which can cause additional problems. The intense fear and worry can lead to you feeling fatigued and may make it difficult to focus on anything. The knowledge that you’re falling behind on chores, deadlines, or promises can be enough to trigger additional bouts of anxiety too, as well as guilt and shame. This additional stress could lead to physical ailments, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, self-medicating with substances, or suicidal thoughts.

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. Support is available 24/7.

What causes symptoms?

Debilitating or severe anxiety is often linked to a diagnosable anxiety disorder like those listed above—which may be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors—but not always. It can also be caused by a mental illness that’s not classified as an anxiety disorder but includes features of anxiety, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Severe anxiety could also be triggered by highly stressful life events such as the loss of a loved one, sudden or prolonged unemployment, a breakup or divorce, the birth of a child, a natural disaster, or others.

Seeking professional care 

If anxiety is interfering with daily tasks and functions, it’s typically recommended that you seek out a mental health care professional for support in managing it and advice on treatment options. Anxiety disorders are considered treatable. They’re typically addressed through some form of therapy, sometimes in combination with medication. 

To treat anxiety, a therapist could use techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you gradually change your relationship to anxious thoughts by helping you learn the process of identifying those that cause these feelings and shifting them in a healthier direction. Exposure therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are other modalities they might suggest. They can also support you in developing healthy coping mechanisms for when anxious feelings do arise. 

That said, debilitating anxiety can make it difficult or even impossible to locate a provider and regularly attend in-person sessions. In cases like these, online therapy often represents a more convenient alternative. You can use a platform like BetterHelp to get matched with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. A growing number of peer-reviewed studies indicates the possible positive impact of online therapy. For instance, a 2021 study suggests that online therapy created “equivalent overall effects” in those experiencing anxiety compared to in-person therapy.

Tips for reducing symptoms

Again, seeing a therapist to address debilitating anxiety is typically recommended. As you work with them, there may be measures you can take to further reduce your levels of worry or fear and enhance the effectiveness of your treatment. Some examples of strategies for helping manage anxiety are listed below.

Exercise regularly

The health benefits of regular exercise can be significant, particularly for an individual living with an anxiety disorder. When you exercise, your body releases "feel-good" hormones that may help relax you mentally and physically. It can also give you something else to focus on and may help you feel more energized. It may contribute to better sleep as well, which could further help reduce anxiety levels. If fatigue or other symptoms make exercising seem daunting, you might start by taking a walk or engaging in some stretching exercises at home.

Try relaxation exercises

Feelings of anxiety can trigger the fight-or-flight response in the body, contributing to effects like muscle tension and shallow breathing. Engaging in relaxation techniques could help you bring your body—and then your mind—into a calmer state. Examples of some to try include:

• Meditation and other mindfulness practices
• Box breathing
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Yoga
• Visualization or guided imagery

Journal

Without an outlet for anxious thoughts or excess energy, these feelings may compound and come to cause additional distress. Journaling can be one way to release some anxious thoughts and feelings. It can be as simple as writing about additional stressors or situations that made you feel anxious that day or describing what anxiety feels like in your body. One study on the topic suggests that journaling may help reduce stress and anxiety symptoms and improve overall well-being and resilience.

Lean on social support

Research over the years has identified strong links between social connectedness and mental health in general. One study even suggests that having strong social relationships could increase resilience to stress, anxiety, and other challenging feelings and experiences. If you’re living with anxiety, it could help to lean on family members or friends. They could provide reassurance, act as a listening ear, help you connect with resources for support, or simply sit with you during difficult times.