Anxiety Support Groups
Have you ever stopped to consider how each person copes with stress in a different way? This is especially interesting in office situations where people come from a variety of backgrounds. There are some people who deal with stress by overeating, and others do not eat anything. Some people lose sleep and others become short tempered. These symptoms are usually short lived and disappear when the stress causing situation is taken care of. There are some people however that turn everyday situations into stress producing situations. They ruminate of everything to the point that they are so filled with anxiety that they cannot function. This is when stress becomes an anxiety disorder.
There are many treatment options for people that suffer from anxiety disorders. A treatment modality that is very effective for many people is anxiety support groups. Attending groups is a way for a person to feel empowered because they are helping themselves. The prospect of attending anxiety support groups is stressful for most patients to begin with. Group settings are a very common anxiety producer for many people; however, if the person is able to make a good connection with the leader of the anxiety support groups or a member or two, then the stress of attending is reduced.
There are many forms of anxiety. In larger communities the anxiety support groups are able to specialize in different areas of anxiety so that people are able to concentrate on their particular needs. This has benefits as well as detriments. The benefits are that it is helpful for the person to realize that they are not alone in the way they feel. The detriment is that if the members of the group are not motivated to change they may reinforce each other to not deal with their anxiety in a healthy manner. As with all self help groups it is important to have a monitor that is able to steer the group process forward and not to let members ruminate on their differences.
The work that people do in the anxiety support groups can help them to live fuller lives because they are not too afraid to experience new and different things. There are many good anti-anxiety medications that are available through prescriptions. The medications are often used in conjunction with therapy or attendance at the anxiety support groups. Once the person is more comfortable in dealing with life situations their medications can be reduced and then discontinued. For people with severe anxiety disorders they may need to remain on the medication long term in order to function well in society.
Category: Health