Anxiety Triggers: Identifying & Addressing Them
Living with a high amount of anxiety can be stressful and exhausting. You wake up, unable to get out of bed right away. Sometimes you’ve got thoughts racing through your mind, and other times you can’t recall what you want to remember. Some people can pinpoint exactly what triggers their anxiety; while for others it is more general. Everywhere you go, you’re worried about something. You’re on your way to work already thinking about all your responsibilities for the day and making a mental list of what you need to take care of. You go to order lunch and you’re stressed about timing. While you’re driving, you may think more about what other drivers are doing, rather than how you are driving yourself. You’re aware that you think about everyone else’s needs before your own, and that’s hard to manage. So, sometimes you may even avoid going places because you don’t want to end up exhausted from worry.
When did your Anxiety Triggers Start?
Some people have lived with anxiety symptoms for as long as they can remember. Other people can describe a big event that happened in their life, and shortly after the anxiety kicked in. Some of those events can include a life change like entering a new relationship, separating, having a child, or a loved one passing away. It could be new responsibilities at work that are creating burnout. A relocation or move may result in anxiety. If you are someone who has had anxiety for most of your life, it might help to try to recall what your coping and functioning has been like with it all this time. How did you get along with your family? What was it like in school for you? Answering these types of questions will build a bigger picture of how anxiety has played a role in your life or helped you survive.
Is Anxiety Always Bad?
As an online anxiety therapist who uses CBT, I get asked a lot, “How can I be so successful and have a problem with anxiety?” The truth is, anxiety is not always a problem. Anxiety is a function of our daily life and helps us look out for our well-being. Without worry, you may not consider your needs or those of others. Without thinking about what’s going to happen in the future, we can’t take steps to prevent catastrophic things from happening. If you get rid of anxiety completely, you may be more prone to accidents or hurt others. So, think of anxiety as your superpower that you’re building awareness of and learning to use wisely. When you learn how to manage the emotion of anxiety, you gain greater control of your life.
Online Therapy for Anxiety Helps Identify Anxiety Triggers
You may be wondering, “How can I have greater control if I’m trying to worry less?” Emotions are made up of thoughts, feelings, and physical changes in our bodies and minds. An online anxiety therapist can help you figure out what was happening to you right before you had a thought that generated a strong, anxious emotion. By learning how to identify your anxiety triggers, you have a greater understanding of how your body reacts to a situation. When you build the skills of identifying anxiety triggers, you’ll be able to plug in coping tools to prevent your mind and body from taking anxiety too far.
Using Coping Tools Before & During Anxiety Triggers
During online therapy for anxiety, your therapist may encourage you to learn coping tools. Tools such as cognitive restructuring, reframing, and new ways of thinking. In addition, building skills for relaxation can help train your body to be prepared when stress or anxiety is triggered. It’s important to know that waiting for a triggering event to use your coping skills can be a recipe for panic. Just as athletes engage in daily practice to build their athletic abilities, it’s important for you to be open to daily practice for improving thinking, communication, and relaxation. With enough practice, you’ll build greater insight into what coping skills you’ve mastered and you’ll be able to predict which situations you can manage more effectively.
Understanding the Therapeutic Anxiety Treatment Process
Deciding to make steps toward changing the way you cope with anxiety can be tough. You know it’s going to take work, and you’re already exhausted. The therapeutic anxiety treatment process doesn’t typically start out with scolding you about the way you live your life now and pushing you to change. In the beginning stage of online therapy for anxiety, you’ll be building a relationship with your therapist and allowing them to get to know your thoughts, behaviors, experiences, and goals.
Your online anxiety therapist will work with you on identifying your motivation to make a change, or your thoughts about what keeps you where you are at. What was going through your mind right before you decided to learn more about anxiety today? Those are the kind of thoughts an anxiety therapist who uses cognitive behavioral therapy can help you identify and sort through. If you’re thinking about getting help with anxiety, reaching out to a therapy office in California therapist is a good place to start.
Identify your Anxiety Triggers in Online Therapy for Anxiety in California
If you need help identifying your anxiety triggers then Online Therapy in California can help. Our online anxiety therapists are trained to work with you in not only identifying them but also finding the coping tools that will work for you. If you are ready to start anxiety treatment online in San Francisco or anywhere in California follow these steps:
Reach out so we can discuss how we can help you.
Schedule your first appointment for online therapy for anxiety
Learn the tools need to not be exhausted by worry
Other Online Therapy Services we Offer
We offer a variety of online therapy services in San Francisco and throughout the state of California. This includes support for young adults, relationship issues, and transitions. As well as specialized perinatal and postpartum care.
