When Does Anxiety Warrant Professional Intervention?

Do you constantly anticipate worst-case scenarios, feel tense, irritable, or afraid? Does your heart frequently race, and you feel fatigued yet struggle to fall or stay asleep?

If so, you may be among the over 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) who have an anxiety disorder, which is the most common mental health issue in our country.

As crippling as anxiety can feel, the good news is that it is highly treatable. Board Certified Nurse Practitioner Evan Donin, PMHNP-BC, of Sunshine Mental Wellness Associates, offers individualized anxiety treatment via telehealth throughout Florida and New York.

In this blog, he breaks down four significant signs that signal your anxiety warrants professional help. 

When anxiety starts taking over

When your anxiety is unyielding, it doesn’t mean that you worry more than the average person. It means that your anxiety response causes disproportionate distress that negatively impacts your daily life and personal relationships. 

Your anxiety may necessitate professional intervention if: 

1. Your symptoms cause you to isolate or disengage

Anxiety often triggers excessive worry about routine aspects of life, from personal health and family issues to workplace success, daily appointments, and everyday responsibilities. 

When anxiety starts to define your daily existence, it’s more challenging to engage in productive, positive, meaningful action. This can leave you feeling as though you have little control, giving rise to feelings of distress, despair, or apathy that are disproportionate to reality. 

As this occurs, it’s common for people to disengage from their life and those they love.

2. Your behavior taxes your relationships

Avoidance and withdrawal are common symptoms of anxiety because people with this disorder do their best to avoid situations that might evoke unwanted feelings. 

However, withdrawal and avoidance can take a real toll on personal and professional relationships. That’s especially true when friends, partners, family members, or colleagues don’t know about your anxiety or understand how it affects you. 

Eventually, this type of interpersonal relationship strain can both erode your social support network and exacerbate your anxiety disorder.

3. Physical symptoms develop

The fight-or-flight hormones that flood a person’s system when anxious or worried don’t just distress your brain — they also impact the body. 

• Without treatment, common physical symptoms that can develop include:
• Chronic migraines
•  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Insomnia
• Substance misuse

4. Your anxiety causes depression — or vice versa

It’s pretty standard for someone with an anxiety disorder to experience depression as well. The reverse is true, too. In fact, nearly half of those with untreated anxiety or depression are eventually diagnosed with the other disorder, as well.

These coexisting conditions increase the risk of another serious co-occurring problem: substance abuse. 

Overcoming anxiety

Fortunately, you can regain peace of mind and feel like yourself again.

Seek professional help for your anxiety when your feelings overwhelm you. Evidence-based treatment options can help you regain control over your symptoms, allowing you to live a productive, fulfilling, and enjoyable life.  

At Sunshine Mental Wellness Associates, we take a personalized and comprehensive approach to mental health care. Treatment may include any combination of the following:

• Counseling (talk therapy)
• Cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) for tackling unhelpful thought patterns
• Anti-anxiety medications
• Learning new coping skills, such as mindfulness
• Lifestyle changes, such as following a nutritious diet, regular exercise, and limiting caffeine and sugar

Don’t let anxiety overtake your life. Get help. The team at Sunshine Mental Wellness Associates has helped countless patients reclaim their joy. Call or use the online tool to book your consultation today.