Two Steps to Know if You Need Professional Help With Your Anxiety:

First, let’s not think we need to get rid of all anxiety. No other emotion has the same energy behind it. It is meant to keep as alert when we realize something is important and help us focus. Honestly, without anxiety you would find yourself in lots of trouble during life.

What we need to clear up is normal anxiety and “clinical anxiety”. The difference is that clinical anxiety is putting us into a state of continued disruption or getting stuck. Basically, you want your fight or flight response to be working (good), you just don’t want it activated 100% of the time (bad).

First, try and recognize when these symptoms start presenting themselves:

  • Do my hands feel clammy?

  • Does my heart seem to be racing?

  • Am I experiencing shortness of breath?

Then ask yourself:

1. Are these feelings snowballing in a way that kicks my body into a state of panic?

or

2. Am I able to channel all my anxiety to my chest and get on with the task?

If you fit the second category you are probably managing your anxiety well.

However, if you fit the first category, you may want to look into extra support.

Whether we try seeking professional help or not, the best thing we can do when examining our experience of anxiety is to start practicing acceptance.

We cannot get rid of anxiety, it's natural, and it's meant to be there. We should never be ashamed of that. Instead, we want to move into a place where we can regulate it.