5 Things a Therapist Does When Anxiety Hits
Just like any other individual on this planet, therapists also experience mental health related issues. For me, it’s primarily anxiety! A crowd favorite! You may have never thought about how a therapist would deal with this sort of issue before, as it is often believed that therapists constantly have it “all together” or are “zen” all of the time. Well, gone are the days that this fallacy is perpetuated around here. I am a human, with human feelings, and I want let you know what works for me and so many of my anxious clients.
Below are my top 5 go-to techniques for when my anxiety starts to spike as a practicing licensed mental health professional.
Ice Pack. This is ALWAYS step 1 for me. If I am feeling anxious (particularly if I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep) my first line of defense is to go the the kitchen and grab my handy dandy icepack from the freezer. Once I have it, I go lay down and place it on the center of my chest. I allow it to sit there for at least 10 minutes and breathe deeply into the cold to allow my nervous system to calm down. Why does this work you may ask? This technique stimulates the vagus nerve, which is a key player in the body’s relaxation response. This will decrease those uncomfortable physical symptoms of anxiety.
Get outside. For me, this typically means taking a walk at the end of the day with my husband (combining this with #3 equals ultimate regulation). Getting outside is an awesome strategy to help our nervous system to regulate. By getting out of the house and into nature your stress hormones decrease, along with your heart rate. This decreases feelings of overstimulation and can increase serotonin levels improving mood. This is also something I like to practice most evenings, even if anxiety isn’t rearing its unnerving head, as it helps me maintain my general wellbeing.
Talk it Out. This may mean making an appointment with your therapist, or a trusted loved one such as a partner, family member, or friend. Talking out our problems or intrusive thoughts allow us to connect to others, normalize our feelings, and even potentially come up with solutions (if that’s what we are looking for). It can feel easier to avoid sharing what’s going on in our heads and body’s with others, but avoidance does not make the feelings any less heavy. I always like to say that these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings get stronger in the dark, so by sharing them with others we are pulling them into the light, causing them to lose their power.
Art. When anxiety strikes, doing something artistic and repetitive can really soothe me. Personally, I like to color, but to each their own! I love getting out my coloring books and markers, focusing in on something that I can control the outcome of and see it through until it’s finished. Coloring or crafting can be viewed as a mindfulness practice due to the flow that you can enter into, and therefore can help reduce stress, enhances mood, and assist in fostering self-expression and accomplishment.
Bathe. Sometimes when people are anxious, the only thing that feels safe is to lay in bed, but as we have seen from the above points, this isn’t typically the most helpful. One last thing that can be helpful in calming a dysregulated nervous system is to bathe. Taking a warm bath or shower can help relax muscles, promote circulation, and induce an overall relaxation response in the body. While cold water can be beneficial by triggering the release of hormones and neurotransmitters associated with lowering stress and mood improvement. Even if you feel 5% better after the shower or bath, why not give it a go?
I hope this list helps you or someone you care about manage their anxiety symptoms. If you are located in the state of Wisconsin and are interested in starting therapy, please reach out via the contact form on emerge-counseling.com to set up a consultation with me, Anika Heaverlo, LPC.
