I’ve studied Anxiety Disorders (AD) for many years. Recently, I decided to earn a certification to treat AD; not because I have any definitive answers, but because I think everybody has the capacity to find the answers in themselves. In my experience, substance abuse is a way to treat negative emotions, including anxiety. Furthermore, I am convinced that Addiction is an anxiety-based disorder, usually associated with trauma. I am convinced that in order to really treat substance abuse and addiction, we have to treat the underlying anxiety that drives their symptoms.
The hard part is that treating anxiety often involves exposure to the source of the anxiety, which can be a hard thing for people to experience. In my own struggles, I have often tended to avoid thoughts and circumstances that trigger negative emotions. Also, trigger management teaches people to know their triggers and avoid them, which is also contrary to exposure therapy methods. What’s interesting is that UCLA recently published a guide to managing anxiety in today’s uncertain climate and limiting exposure to news and social media is at the heart of the material.
It’s confusing, then, to know the right thing to do to manage negative symptoms and emotions. What works for one person may not work for the other. I believe, very much, in reflective journaling techniques coupled with exercise, prayer, and breathing techniques. These activities all derive from mindfulness practices and part of their aim is to slow the heart’s rate and keep adrenaline and cortisol levels as low as possible. These practices work for me and there’s growing evidence that mindfuless is effective for treating anxiety/trauma.
Again, though, I am curious about other things that people do to manage their anxiety. If your comfortable, I encourage you to either leave a note explaining ways that you manage your symtoms in the comments section or email me your story at juan.blea@jblea1016.com. The more we know and the more we share, the stronger we will all be.
