Exploring Counseling Sessions For Parents
3 Tips For Living With Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Rebecca Pena
Most everyone experiences some stress of anxiety in their daily life. From work issues to excess household chores and financial problems, it is easy to see how stress can affect your daily life and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, an estimated 6.8 million people in the United States live with a more severe form of anxiety known as generalized anxiety disorder. Also known as GAD, generalized anxiety disorder does not have to consume your life. Here are a few treatment options to consider if you have been diagnosed with GAD.
Medications
One of the most common forms of treatment that patients with GAD will consider is medications. There are several prescription medications your doctor may recommend if you are living with generalized anxiety disorder, and the best one will depend on your overall health and your specific case of GAD.
Antidepressants are actually common medications prescribed to patients with GAD. Even though they are meant to treat depression, anti-depressants can alter the chemicals in the brain, so your anxiety symptoms are decreased, as well.
There are also anti-anxiety medications available, which specifically target anxiety symptoms. In some cases, a combination of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications may be used in patients with GAD.
Counseling
Psychotherapy is also effective if you have been living with generalized anxiety disorder. Also known as talk therapy or psychotherapy counseling, psychotherapy helps you understand the cause of your anxiety and what seems to trigger symptoms or anxiety attacks. Once these causes and triggers are learned, you can find ways to avoid and cope with them, which will ease your overall anxiety symptoms.
It is important to note that most professionals recommend counseling in addition to prescription medications, especially if your anxiety symptoms are more severe. The length of counseling recommended will depend on how well it is working for you and if your doctor wants to reduce the risk of developing an addiction or dependency to certain prescription medications.
Holistic Treatments
There can be side effects associated with taking prescription medications, especially if they are taken for long periods of time. Therefore, it is easy to see why many patients with GAD prefer holistic treatments.
Exercise, for example, can be beneficial each day because it helps stimulate the brain's production of endorphins, instantly improving your mood. Acupuncture and massage are also effective in boosting endorphins and improving your overall emotional health.
Help is available if you are living with generalized anxiety disorder. For more information about this disorder, contact a mental health professional like Barbara Saban, LCSW.
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Hey everyone, my name is Lori Grffin. When my son was born, I was completely unprepared for the difficulties of raising a sensory deprived child. The stress of trying to parent a difficult child definitely takes its toll. Eventually, I had a nervous breakdown and ended up enrolling in individual counseling sessions. The counseling appointments helped me work through the emotions generated while coping with fits and meltdowns from my son. I emerged from each session better prepared to provide my son with the support he needed. I also learned how to pay attention to how I was feeling during the process. I created this site because I want to share the benefits parents receive from going to counseling sessions. Thank you.