Treatment for Anxiety
Living with fear and worry can be difficult, but the good news is that anxiety can be treated. Sometimes just talking through worries with a counselor can be helpful. This form of "talk therapy" can also include:
Relaxation training. A doctor or therapist may suggest ways to feel calm again.
Try this relaxation exercise: Find a comfortable spot and turn off the lights.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a place where you feel happy: perhaps the ocean, the mountains, or the forest. Think of a place you know or one you've always wanted to visit.
Start by curling your toes as hard as you can. Keep them curled for about 10 seconds, then release them. Let them go until they almost feel as if they are floating. Do this again.
Now bend your ankles and bring your toes up toward your knee. Bend your ankles very tightly. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Now release your ankles until it feels as if your feet are floating. Do this again.
Next, do the same thing with your fingers. Curl them and relax.
Last, take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Do it again. Stop and see how relaxed you feel.
Practice at home two or more times per day. When you begin to feel anxious, you can start to relax just by thinking about your "relaxing time."
Cognitive therapy. This form of therapy helps people replace anxious thoughts with calm ones.
For example:
- Anxious thought: "My daughter Sara hasn't called me yet. She must have been in a car accident!"
- Calm thought: "Sara is fine. She probably had a long day and just hasn't had a chance to call me. The traffic is also bad at this hour. I'd prefer that she slow down and drive carefully rather than rush to call me and really get into an accident."
Exposure therapy. This treatment gradually brings people into contact with a feared object or situation so that they can learn to face it and not avoid it.
Medication. Anxiety, like depression, can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Medication can help to restore this balance. Doctors commonly prescribe anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs so that people with anxiety can start to feel better.
- Next: Medication
Reviewed by Dr. Maria Llorente, Geriatric Psychiatrist
