Where to get help for anxiety?

There are several different options when seeking help or treatment for anxiety. When looking at these options, you need to understand the differences in anxiety and the impact it has on your everyday life.

Anxiety is not all bad. There is a difference between good anxiety and bad anxiety. For example, if you have a big job interview, or you have a test coming up. It is normal to feel a little bit of stress and anxiety under those circumstances. If you're experiencing some mild anxiety due to major life events but understand it is more due to the circumstances of those life events, then most likely, you may not need any treatment or help. Anxiety in those kinds of situations is also normal.

So, when do you need to seek out support or treatment for anxiety? If your anxiety is interrupting your daily life and lasts for a long period of time, then you may need to seek some outside help. Some common symptoms of anxiety are inability to sleep, not eating, feeling restless; you're having a hard time concentrating or can’t focus, upset stomach, tightness in your chest, dry mouth, and feeling of panic.

Your primary care physician (PCP) is one option to help you with your anxiety. Usually, your PCP will assess the severity of your anxiety and give you different options. Those can range from medication, looking at how to improve your diet and exercise routine, evaluating your stress levels in your life to seeking out a therapist.

Therapy is a great option for those with a specific anxiety disorder and who need more coping skills to help manage their anxiety long-term. A therapist will be able to diagnose your anxiety type and work with you on specific triggers. They will teach you how to live with anxiety by showing you the different coping skills related to your specific triggers. The more you can understand your anxiety, the easier it will become to cope on a long-term basis.

There are all kinds of resources for anxiety online as well. However, if you feel that your anxiety has gotten worse over time and you are having a hard time coping, reaching out for support with your doctor or a therapist first would be your best option. More often than not, when your anxiety has reached a level that you are no longer able to cope with and is impacting your daily life, getting professional help should be your first choice.