Anxiety

Anxiety is a common emotional experience that touches almost everyone at some point in life. It’s our mind and body’s natural response to stress, uncertainty, or potential danger, often showing up as worry, restlessness, or physical symptoms like a racing heart or tense muscles. While occasional anxiety can be helpful, keeping us alert and focused, it can also become overwhelming when it persists or intensifies, interfering with daily life.

At Beenen Therapy Group, we understand the profound impact anxiety can have on your overall well-being. Whether you’re facing generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, or specific fears, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Our therapists are dedicated to helping you explore the root causes of your anxiety, develop healthier coping mechanisms, and build a sense of calm and control in your life.

Through compassionate care and evidence-based approaches, we’re here to support you in creating a path toward relief and greater peace of mind.

The Link Between Anxiety and Physical Health

Anxiety doesn’t just affect your thoughts and emotions—it has a profound impact on your physical health. The mind and body are deeply connected, and chronic anxiety can trigger a range of physical symptoms and long-term health challenges. Understanding this connection is key to managing anxiety and improving overall well-being.

How Anxiety Affects Physical Health

Muscle Tension and Pain: Chronic anxiety often leads to tightness in the shoulders, neck, and back, causing discomfort or tension headaches.
Digestive Issues: The gut and brain are closely linked, and anxiety can contribute to nausea, stomach pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or loss of appetite.
Weakened Immune System: Persistent stress from anxiety can suppress the immune system, making you more vulnerable to illnesses.
Heart and Cardiovascular Health: Anxiety increases heart rate and blood pressure, which, over time, may raise the risk of heart disease or other cardiovascular issues.
Sleep Disturbances: Worry and restlessness can lead to insomnia, disrupted sleep cycles, or difficulty staying asleep, leaving you fatigued.

The Role of the Fight-or-Flight Response

Anxiety activates your body’s fight-or-flight response, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. While this response is helpful in short-term danger, chronic activation can strain the body, leading to long-term health problems like:

Chronic inflammation
Hormonal imbalances
Increased fatigue and burnout

Ways to Manage Anxiety for Better Physical Health

A holistic approach that combines mental and physical care can help reduce the toll of anxiety:

Therapy: Work with a therapist to understand triggers and develop effective coping strategies.
Exercise: Physical activity reduces stress hormones and promotes endorphins, improving mood and health.
Mindfulness and Relaxation: Techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation can calm the nervous system.
Healthy Diet: Nutrient-rich foods can support both brain and body health, reducing the effects of anxiety.
Sleep Hygiene: Establishing a calming nighttime routine can improve sleep quality and restore energy.

Take Control of Your Well-Being

At Beenen Therapy Group, we understand the mind-body connection and provide tailored care to help you address both the mental and physical impacts of anxiety. Through therapy and practical lifestyle changes, you can build a healthier, more balanced life.

Reach out today to learn how we can support you on your journey to wellness.

Anxiety is more than just feeling nervous or stressed; it’s a complex emotional and physical response to perceived threats or challenges. While it can serve as a helpful motivator in small doses, chronic or intense anxiety can have far-reaching effects on your mental and physical health, relationships, and overall quality of life.

At Beenen Therapy Group, we work with clients to understand their unique experiences with anxiety and provide tailored therapeutic strategies to help them regain control and improve their well-being.

How Anxiety Affects Your Life

When anxiety becomes overwhelming or constant, it can:

Disrupt daily routines: Activities you once enjoyed might feel exhausting or daunting.
Strain relationships: Worry, irritability, or avoidance can create tension with loved ones.
Impact work or school: Difficulty concentrating or managing stress can affect performance.
Lead to avoidance behaviors: Fear of triggering anxiety might cause you to avoid certain people, places, or activities, narrowing your world.

The Physical Toll of Anxiety

Anxiety doesn’t just affect the mind—it can also take a serious toll on the body. Common physical symptoms include:

Muscle tension and aches
Digestive issues like nausea or stomach pain
Sleep disturbances such as insomnia or restless nights
Headaches or migraines
Increased heart rate or chest tightness
Fatigue or low energy

Over time, chronic anxiety can weaken the immune system, increase the risk of cardiovascular issues, and contribute to long-term health problems.

How Therapy Can Help

Therapy is a powerful tool for managing and overcoming anxiety. At Beenen Therapy Group, we offer evidence-based treatments to address the root causes of anxiety and help you develop long-lasting skills to manage it effectively. Some of the ways therapy can support you include:

Identifying triggers: Uncover the underlying causes of your anxiety and understand what sets it off.
Developing coping strategies: Learn practical tools to calm your mind and body in moments of stress.
Reframing negative thought patterns: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps challenge and change unhelpful thoughts.
Exploring deeper emotions: Process past experiences or unresolved emotions that contribute to your anxiety.
Building mindfulness and resilience: Techniques like mindfulness and relaxation exercises help you stay grounded and reduce overthinking.
Addressing physical symptoms: Therapies like EMDR or somatic-focused approaches can alleviate physical tension and release stored stress.

Anxiety Is Treatable

While living with anxiety can feel isolating or even hopeless, it’s important to remember that anxiety is highly treatable. With the right support, you can regain a sense of peace, confidence, and control. At Beenen Therapy Group, we’re here to guide you every step of the way, tailoring our approach to meet your unique needs.

Take the first step toward healing by reaching out to our team. Together, we can create a path to relief and help you rediscover joy in your life.

Panic Attacks vs. Anxiety Attacks: Understanding the Differences

Techniques to Manage Panic and Anxiety Attacks

Grounding is a way to anchor yourself in the present moment, helping to interrupt spiraling thoughts or overwhelming emotions. These techniques are particularly effective during both panic and anxiety attacks.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

This method uses your senses to bring you back to the present:

5: Name five things you can see around you.

4: Identify four things you can touch.

3: List three things you can hear.

2: Acknowledge two things you can smell (or think of two favorite smells).

1: Focus on one thing you can taste (or imagine a taste you enjoy).

Deep Breathing

Controlled breathing helps regulate your body’s stress response. Try the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique:

Inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
Hold your breath for a count of 7.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 8.
Repeat 3–5 times, focusing on the rhythm of your breath.

Engage Your Senses

Touch: Hold onto a comforting object, like a smooth stone or soft fabric.

Smell: Use a calming scent, such as lavender or eucalyptus, to create a sense of relaxation.

Taste: Chew mint gum or suck on a sour candy to bring your focus to your taste buds.

While often used interchangeably, panic attacks and anxiety attacks are distinct experiences with unique symptoms and causes. Understanding the differences between the two can help you better manage your symptoms and find the most effective treatment.

What Is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is an intense, sudden onset of fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes. These attacks often occur without a clear trigger and can feel overwhelming and frightening, sometimes resembling a heart attack or other medical emergency.

Common Symptoms of a Panic Attack:

Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
Shortness of breath or feeling like you can’t breathe
Chest pain or tightness
Dizziness or feeling faint
Sweating, chills, or hot flashes
Trembling or shaking
Nausea or stomach discomfort
Feelings of detachment from reality or a fear of losing control/dying

Panic attacks are often associated with Panic Disorder, though they can occur alongside other conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What Is an Anxiety Attack?

An anxiety attack refers to an episode of heightened anxiety or distress that builds gradually in response to a specific stressor. While not a formal diagnosis in clinical terms, anxiety attacks are commonly used to describe intense periods of worry or fear that significantly disrupt daily life.

Common Symptoms of an Anxiety Attack:

Feeling overwhelmed or unable to focus
A sense of impending doom or extreme worry
Muscle tension or restlessness
Trouble sleeping or concentrating
Increased heart rate and rapid breathing
Sweating or chills
Irritability or emotional distress

Unlike panic attacks, anxiety attacks are usually tied to a clear trigger, such as work stress, relationship challenges, or a specific phobia.

Key Differences Between Panic and Anxiety Attacks

Onset: Panic attacks often occur suddenly and without warning, whereas anxiety attacks are usually triggered by a stressor and build over time.
Intensity: Panic attacks are typically more intense and feel uncontrollable, while anxiety attacks, though distressing, may allow for more self-regulation.
Duration: Panic attacks are short-lived, lasting about 10–20 minutes, while anxiety attacks can persist for hours or even days.
Triggers: Panic attacks may occur "out of the blue," while anxiety attacks are often directly linked to specific situations or worries.

How Therapy Can Help

Both panic and anxiety attacks can significantly impact your daily life, but therapy can provide the tools and strategies to manage and reduce their frequency and intensity.

Therapeutic Approaches That Work

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps reframe thought patterns contributing to panic and anxiety.
Exposure Therapy: Gradual exposure to feared situations to reduce avoidance behaviors.
Relaxation Techniques: Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and grounding techniques to calm your mind and body.
Medication: In some cases, medication may complement therapy to reduce symptoms.
Specialized Modalities: Approaches like EMDR or Accelerated Resolution Therapy (A.R.T.) can help address trauma or deep-seated anxiety triggers.

When to Seek Help

If panic or anxiety attacks are interfering with your life, relationships, or ability to function, it’s time to reach out for support. At Beenen Therapy Group, our experienced therapists can work with you to understand your unique challenges and guide you toward effective solutions. You don’t have to face anxiety or panic alone—help is available, and relief is possible.

You don’t have to face the challenges of anxiety alone. At Beenen Therapy Group, we’re here to help you reclaim control, restore balance, and improve your overall well-being. Whether you’re dealing with persistent worries, physical symptoms, or the stress of managing it all, our experienced therapists provide compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to your needs.

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