Fighting Anxieties
Introduction
The majority of anxieties we face are not worthy of a diagnosis of Anxiety (according to the DSM 5); this is because we ALL HAVE ANXIETY from time to time. It is a natural response within our bodies when we are faced with a plethora of situations: uncertainty of a new event or adventure, the first day of anything, fear of entering a potentially negative interaction, etc.
Unlike diagnosable Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, or other anxiety-based diagnoses, we have more non-medical control over feelings of anxiety we all experience every day. The main focus of this resource page is to provide you with tools to initiate prior to feelings of anxiety, in the moment you notice anxiety creeping up/dump on you sudenly, and after the moment has passed to process through your experience so to better understand its origins.
***Disclaimer: Though I have experience and expertise as a mental health professional; I (nor these resources) are to act as a substitute or replacement to therapy or therapeutic interventions for previous, existing, or needed counseling sessions; nor as a diagnostic tool to determine a diagnosable condition.***
The Calm Before
We all know preparation is the best intervention for negative things to come. This is why we spend so many resources on Homeland Security, IT protocols for security breeches, weather alert systems to inform us when to evacuate/board up the windows/retreat to the basement, or launch satellites with the sole purpose to look for invasions from other worlds. Yes, they exist; our government has released documents and admitted to them (the satellites are what I'm talking about).
However, our society has been reared on the notion of REACTION rather than PREVENTION, and this has lead us (as a majority) to rely heavily on medications, postpone talking to someone until things get "really bad," and ignoring problems until they become unmanageable or diagnosable requiring acute intervention (acute, meaning right RIGHT now).
Initiating techniques to manage our stress levels prior to them converting into panic or anxiety is crucial, because: If there ain't no problem, there won't be no problem. Below is a paper I wrote during my graduate work explaining how The Quieting Reflex can be utilized as an alternative to medication for AD/HD (that is triggered by stress or anxiety) so to prevent flareups of disconnected thoughts, wondering focus, crushing despair towards a task, or other symptoms preventing completing a time sensitive task before its due date. This paper explains the adaptation of this skill for a specific purpose; however, the basis remains the same, and The Quieting Reflex remains a proven technique to reduce anxieties we all experience. It just has to be practiced, and our society would rather take the pill so to not put in the work; so you may not have hear about it, despite its proven effectiveness.
The other intervention discussed in the paper is EEG; there are many research articles praising EEG as another golden method for treating anxieties, and it has recently resurfaced as a major contributor to the success of 100s of thousands of individuals seeking relief from crippling Anxiety and/or symptoms preventing them from performing at their best abilities.
***Disclaimer: please note this paper was written for academic purposes and may have a level of vocabulary suited specifically for academia and scholarship; it is also not written for treatment or diagnostic purposes of a diagnosed condition.***
***Please do not redistribute my intellectual property without permission.***