Prioritizing My Mental Health: Overcoming My Anxiety Disorder - Laurie

The following is an honest review from a real BetterHelp client.

Over 40 million US adults live with an anxiety disorder, which is the most common mental illness worldwide. For many, therapy is the first line of defense against anxiety symptoms, and many people have shared their stories to offer hope to others living with similar experiences. If you're living with anxiety, consider reading Laurie's story to understand how therapy benefited her. 

My mental health journey: Overcoming my anxiety disorder and seeking support 

The following is an honest review from a real BetterHelp client named Laurie: 

"Like so many others, my anxiety prevented me from seeking face-to-face therapy. I could never imagine sitting down with someone and opening up about myself and what I have been through. So, I was initially skeptical when a friend sent me the website for BetterHelp. 

Having never done therapy for anxiety before, I thought, "What harm could it do?" I knew I needed to talk to someone about the issues I was going through because I was headed downhill quickly. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't concentrate—I was spinning in circles.

How my BetterHelp journey to battle stress, anxiety, and trauma began

When I first signed up for BetterHelp, I felt lost and out of place. I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere, and everything was overwhelming. I had anxiety, family stress, work stress, trauma, and past abuse issues. I had just returned home from being away for three months, taking care of my parents. When I returned home, I didn't feel like I fit in as my world stood still for three months, but my husband's and son's lives continued while I went back to work and felt the same way. I didn't feel like I fit in there, even though I'd worked there for 26 years. My boss treated me differently, and I felt he was punishing me for being away.

Letting go of the secret I held with me for 45 years

To add to the situation, after I returned home, I told my husband about a secret I had held for 45 years, which had changed my life. A brother sexually abused me for four years, and I never told anyone because of his threats. Finally, with all the stress I was under, I had a breakdown, and everything came out.

Setting goals with my BetterHelp counselor: Overcome my anxiety

My work with my BetterHelp counselor, Kassi Goodman, has helped me confront these issues and many others that have popped up. I have been working with Kassi for about 19 months, and she has been excellent and helpful in my recovery process. Kassi has worked with me using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to assist me in thinking differently about my situation. She provides me with worksheets to complete, gives me resources to look at, and suggests books to read for overcoming anxiety. As a result, I have learned to be more patient when reacting to certain situations instead of initially responding critically. 

The “Laurie” I am today

My confidence level is also better than it ever has been. I have done things during my counseling that I never thought in a million years I could do. Most of all, I learned not to worry about what others think of me, as I have learned to think more highly of myself."

When anxiety becomes bigger than everyday nerves

The term “anxiety” is often used colloquially to describe feelings of nervousness. However, clinical anxiety is typically more severe than everyday nerves. 

Normal anxiety vs anxiety that is affecting your life

Everyone may feel nervous and even experience anxiety from time to time. This can be a normal human response to stress and perceived threats. However, when anxiety is affecting your day-to-day life, it might need to be addressed by a mental health professional. 

Why does the body react with stress hormones

Anxiety occurs naturally when the human body senses a threat in the environment. This is an innate survival mechanism that involves the release of stress hormones known as adrenaline and cortisol. When this occurs occasionally, there may be no cause for concern. However, if you’re experiencing chronic anxiety with no clear sense of the reason why, an anxiety disorder could be to blame. 

Coping strategies to reduce anxiety

If anxiety symptoms begin to interfere with your day-to-day life, there may be some coping strategies you can try. These are simple techniques that can be used anywhere without the need for any special tools or equipment. 

Relaxation exercises

• Belly breathing: From a comfortable place, inhale from the abdomen for four seconds, hold for four, and then release for four, focusing on making your stomach move up and down as you breathe. 
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Starting with the muscles in your head and neck, clench and relax your muscles one by one, from head to toe. 
• Grounding: Name four things you can see, three you can touch, two you can smell, and one you can taste. 

A mental health professional can teach you other effective relaxation exercises to reduce anxiety. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy tools for anxious thinking

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is considered the gold standard treatment for anxiety disorders. 

How cognitive behavioural therapy supports anxiety recovery

A cognitive behavioral approach acknowledges the relationship among a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. With CBT, you can identify unhelpful thought patterns that cause anxiety and reframe them to be less anxiety-inducing. 

Practical reframes for worst-case thoughts

A therapist trained in CBT methods can help you reframe your thoughts so that they’re less likely to cause anxiety. Consider these practical reframes as examples of how CBT works: 

• The thought “They’ll never forgive me” could be reframed as “I’ve made mistakes before and been forgiven. Everyone makes mistakes.”
• The thought “I’m going to embarrass myself at the party” might be reframed as “Parties are meant to be fun social events, so I’m going to focus on enjoying myself.”
• The thought “Bad things always happen to me” can be reframed as “Bad things happen to everyone, but I can choose how I respond.”

Lifestyle changes that support staying healthy

Certain lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and sleep habits, can also keep anxiety at bay in many cases. Consider these strategies to reduce anxiety in your life and better manage it when it surfaces. 

Sleep hygiene

Getting enough sleep is crucial to the body’s overall functioning. When you’re sleep deprived, the brain is less equipped to deal with stress and may become overreactive. Moreover, the more stressed you become, the harder it is to sleep, creating a vicious cycle. 

Prioritize sleep to break the cycle. Try to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time to create a healthy routine. 

Diet and anxiety

Your diet can either help calm anxiety or exacerbate it, depending on the food choices you make. It would be best to choose healthy foods such as lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables. You may also want to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and other substances that worsen anxiety. 

Building emotional support and knowing when to seek help

When dealing with anxiety, whether generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or another type of anxiety disorder, it can be beneficial to have a support system in place. Having a trusted friend or family member to talk to when you’ve had a tough day can make all the difference. There may be times, though, when this type of emotional support isn’t enough. 

When to seek professional support

Signs you may need to see a mental healthcare professional for anxiety symptoms include: 

• Severe anxiety attacks or panic attacks
• Anxiety that disrupts school or work
• Anxiety that persists for more than a few months
• Avoidance behaviors
• Substance misuse as a way of coping with anxiety

Counseling options: Coping with physical symptoms, mental health, and emotional symptoms  

Therapy can make an enormous difference in your life. Online cognitive behavioral therapy, mentioned in Lorie's review, has been clinically proven to help people with mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Online therapy is also discreet, and many people say they can open up in online therapy in a way they may be unable to do in person. 

To try an online therapy platform, consider signing up with a website like BetterHelp, which offers access to a growing database of over 30,000 therapists. Like Lorie, you may be able to find a therapist who is a specialist in the concerns you're experiencing. In addition, with an online platform, you can choose between phone, video, or live chat sessions and message your therapist outside of scheduled sessions if you have questions or concerns.