What is anxiety?

Everyone has anxiety at times. It’s our body’s natural response to a perceived, imagined or real threat. However, sometimes the thoughts in our head begin to take over our life and we start to overanaylize every. little. detail. This creates an over abundance of cortisol in the body, which strengthens and activates the amygdala. The amygdala is the area of our brain that measures and controls our fear, preparing us for any emergency responses that may be required. It is the activation center of flight, fight or freeze response. When the amygdala is always in a state of fear/worry, our life becomes miserable. With support, anxiety can become manageable and even within fall normal limits.

There are several different types of anxiety, such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety and post-traumatic stress (ptsd) to name a few. It can be debilitating to live life with any form of acute anxiety. However, anxiety can be successfully managed by learning new skills and learning to change the scripts that play over and over (sometimes unconsciously) in our head. By gaining new thinking patterns and moving toward your values, you can get on your way to living the life you want.

How do i treat anxiety?

There are many ways to treat anxiety. Many people often ask me whether I recommend medication during their therapy. the answer to this is very individual. Depending on the severity of the anxiety, medication can be helpful in regulating the amygdala to allow you the opportunity to learn the skills to beat your anxiety. Not all people feel comfortable with medication though. Whatever your preference, know that anxiety can be reduced through a variety of therapeutic approaches. Some of my favourite approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), and Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Other less well-known modalities are sometimes used as well.