ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AS HEALTH-SEEKING SIGNALS -PART TWO
Viewing Our Anxiety Symptoms as Health-Seeking Signals Inviting Us To Heal
In last week’s post on working with anxiety – Part One, I presented a case study to illustrate how anxious feelings and symptoms may at times be acting as a ‘health-seeking signal’, i.e., a ‘wise guide’ inviting us to heal ourselves at a core, root level. In Part Two, I expand on ideas presented in Part One, taking a closer look at how loss of connection with self and others may fuel anxious feelings and addictive processes; the risks associated with anti-anxiety medications; and how those suffering from a generalized / chronic anxiety disorders might benefit from engaging in alternative forms of treatment, including Mindfulness and Meditation practices. I also include links to additional resources pertaining to issues covered in this article.
– Rebecca C. Mandeville, MA
Loss of Connection With Self and Others: Anxiety And Self-Medication
For those individuals like ‘Jeremy’ (refer to Part One, linked above) who experienced turbulent childhoods as a result of growing up in a dysfunctional and/or traumatized family system, the experience of anxiety can begin very early in life, although it is often not noticed by primary caregivers, teachers, the family physician, or others who might be able to appropriately intervene. Children, teens and young adults with undiagnosed anxiety may begin to ‘self-medicate’ with substances such as food, drugs, or alcohol and activities such as excessive TV watching and video gaming in an unconscious attempt to quiet their distressful symptoms without even realizing that they are seeking some kind of temporary or permanent relief.
Adults who did not experience anxiety when younger may develop an anxiety disorder without being consciously aware of it, and they, too, may begin self-medicating with substances. Having worked in several drug and alcohol treatment centers, I can say with certainty that unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated anxiety was often fueling the process of addiction, meaning, the addict began using substances initially to escape a sense of internal discomfort that was not recognized as anxiety at the time. In short, a fundamental experience of disconnection from self and others along with unrecognized anxiety symptoms were identified by nearly every drug and alcohol addicted client I have worked with as being at the root of his or her addictive patterns and behaviors. To learn more about loss of connection with self and others, read my article, below:
Read More About Growing Up In A Dysfunctional, Traumatized Home And Loss Of Connection With Self
- Was It Sub-Par Parenting Or Actual Psycho-Emotional Child Abuse?
Ever wonder if you were were the victim of actual psychological / emotional abuse versus ‘sub-par parenting’ as a child? Many people have no idea that they grew up in abusive, ‘toxic’, and/or dysfunctional environments.
The Pros And Cons Of Anti-Anxiety Medication
As discussed in Part One of this article, medication can relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety, but it doesn’t cure the underlying problem and it’s usually not a long-term solution. Anti-anxiety medications also come with side effects and may lead to a dependence on the medication. With the popularization of psychotropic medications to treat a variety of mental and behavioral health disturbances, most any type of uncomfortable feeling or symptom is viewed by both patients and their doctors as something to be gotten rid of as quickly as possible. It is increasingly common for family doctors to write out a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication after only a brief discussion with their patient regarding the distressing symptoms being experienced, without recommending that the patient also confer with a Mental Health professional, such as a therapist or counselor.
Understanding Anti-Anxiety Medication (Benzodiazepines)
- Anti-Anxiety Medication: What You Need to Know About Anti-Anxiety Drugs
Are anti-anxiety medications right for you? Learn about common side effects, risks, and how to take them responsibly.
The Most Abused And Deadly Benzodiazepines – What Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You
- Is This the World’s Deadliest Pill? | The Fix
Some say it’s not an opiate painkiller like Oxy, but Klonopin. And doctors are doling it out like candy, causing a surge of hellish withdrawals, overdoses and deaths. page #0
Mindfulness Meditation And The Reduction Of Anxiety Symptoms
While taking anti-anxiety medication to minimize distressing feelings and symptoms is a personal choice, and in some cases is medically advisable, there are other effective interventions that a person suffering from anxiety can pursue, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; keeping an Awareness Journal as part of ongoing Psychotherapeutic-based Intrapsychic / Family Systems work (as discussed in the above Case Study); engaging in deep breathing exercises; yoga; daily physical exercise; and homeopathic remedies as prescribed by a Naturopathic doctor.
Recent research also confirms that Mindfulness Meditation can be highly effective in addressing anxiety symptoms. Mindfulness is a practice that involves being fully engaged in whatever is going on around you. “It is simply the act of paying attention to whatever you are experiencing, as you experience it”, explains Kate Hanley, author of A Year of Daily Calm: A Guided Journal for Creating Tranquility Every Day. “By choosing to turn your attention away from the everyday chatter of the mind and on to what your body is doing, you give the mind just enough to focus on that it can quiet down.” In 2013 researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center published a study that confirmed that Mindfulness Meditation reduces anxiety at a neural level. You can learn more about this important study and other similar studies via the below two links:
More About The Mindfulness Meditation Research Study Addressing Anxiety
- How Does Meditation Reduce Anxiety at a Neural Level? | Psychology Today
In recent years there has been a steady stream of research showing the power of mindfulness meditation to reduce anxiety. Until now, the specific brain mechanisms of how meditation relieves anxiety at a neural level were unknown.
Jama Network Studies Analysis On Mindfulness Meditation And Anxiety
5 Minute Quick Anxiety Reduction – Guided Mindfulness Meditation
https://video.genyoutube.net/MR57rug8NsM
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): What Is It, How It Helps
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: What it Is, How it Helps | Psychology Today
Mindfulness teacher and writer, Elisha Goldstein, PhD on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the subject of his new co-authored workbook.
FREE Online Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course
- Online MBSR (free)
This online MBSR training course is 100% free, created by a fully certified MBSR instructor, and is modeled on the program founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Working Mindfully With Anxiety
As the above discussion illustrates, there may be far more to anxiety than meets the eye. While it is understandable why anyone experiencing anxiety would want relief from these extremely uncomfortable symptoms, it may be that the symptoms themselves are pointing to possible solutions to those who are willing to explore their anxiety via mindfully cultivating an attitude of acceptance, curiosity, and patience. Journaling, painting, and other forms of creative expression, as well as psychotherapy and/or sharing in a support group, may offer a means of discovering the wisdom that anxiety has to offer.
For additional resources pertaining to Mindfulness Meditation as an alternative, non-medication based treatment for anxiety, you may explore the ‘Headspace’ link below. And please feel free to share your experiences of anxiety in the comment section – I’d love to hear from you.
6 Easy Yoga Poses To Reduce Anxiety
- Do These 6 Poses To Ease Anxiety + Save Your Sanity | Rodale’s Organic Life
We go straight to the source for a series of calming yoga postures.
FREE APP: Headspace For Anxiety
- Headspace
Our series of Meditation for Anxiety sessions help you to deal with worries and feel calmer. Sign up to use our Meditation App for free today!