Understanding Anxiety in Women: Recognizing Signs of Anxiety and Tools for Coping
If you are tired of feeling on edge, struggling with unwanted physical symptoms, or feel bogged down by worries, fear, or a seemingly endless feedback loop of negative self-talk, self-doubt, or what if’s, you are in the right place. Better understanding our anxiety and investing in small, manageable lifestyle habits to improve self-care and stress management can make a big difference in how you feel on a daily basis. Moreover, knowing when you may benefit from seeking professional help and understanding approaches to treatment for anxiety is a form of empowerment that can provide hope, encouragement, and motivation to get support.
What is Anxiety?
Let’s start with the basics. Anxiety is a natural response to threat, stress, or danger. It can be defined as a feeling of unease, discomfort, or worry that can occur in response to a perceived threat or stressor. In some situations, anxiety is a normative and even supportive response to stress or threat, as it can motivate us to prepare for a challenge and help us to remain alert, focused, and engaged. In other words, anxiety can be our body’s way of signaling us to take precaution in a threatening situation so we can protect ourselves from harm.
When anxiety interferes with our regular functioning or becomes chronic, excessive, or disproportionate to the identified stressors, it can result in significant and pervasive distress. When you feel chronic discomfort on a regular basis or in your daily life as opposed to just occasionally in high-stress situations, anxiety can be debilitating. Our ability to function well at work or school, to establish and sustain good relationships, and to make decisions and deal with stressors or life transitions can be negatively impacted by anxiety. It can infiltrate our minds, hearts, and bodies. When anxiety overtakes us, it can feel like a burden on our shoulders that keeps us from living in the moment, makes it difficult for us to achieve our goals, or causes us to feel distant from both ourselves and others around us.
Anxiety can manifest differently for everyone as symptoms can vary across individuals. Some common symptoms or indicators of anxiety may include:
Excessive worry or fear. You are constantly ruminating or worrying about every day situations, interactions in the past, present, or future.
Avoidance. You find ways to avoid or minimize triggering situations or activities that incite anxiety or discomfort.
Physical tension. You experience muscle tightness, tension, or what feels like knots, especially in the face, back, neck, shoulders, or stomach.
Physical symptoms of panic or unease such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, shakiness, shallow or shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, or gastrointestinal issues.
Irrational fear or intense panic.
Trouble focusing. You are distracted by worry or physical discomfort or having a hard time sustaining attention.
Fatigue and lethargy. You feel exhausted, depleted, or low energy, which may be exacerbated by disrupted sleep.
Perfectionism. You feel like nothing you do is good enough or that you can always do more or be better, to the point that it is exhausting.
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety comes in different shapes and sizes. There are several categories of anxiety disorders that each have unique symptoms and features. Identifying the kind of anxiety you are experiencing can be helpful for informing treatment planning.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): GAD is characterized by excessive worry, fear, or unease that is difficult to control. Worries are often within the context of everyday concerns and scenarios. Those struggling with GAD may worry about the future, ruminate about the past in the context of common issues such as relationships, health, finances, school, or work, among many others. Worries and fears interfere with daily functioning.
Panic Disorder: Panic disorder is characterized by sudden onset of panic symptoms often marked by intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms (e.g., rapid heartbeat, chest pain or pressure, lightheadedness, numbing or tingling, nausea or other gastrointestinal discomfort, and overwhelming sense of dread or loss of control, etc.).
Social Anxiety/Social Phobia: Social anxiety is characterized by excessive fear and worry in the context of social or interpersonal situations. Social anxiety is marked by intense fear or anxiety about performing in front of others and/or being judged negatively, embarrassed, scrutinized, or humiliated by others and can result in avoidance of anxiety-provoking social situations.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD is characterized by persistent unwanted thoughts, or obsessions, and/or repetitive behaviors, or compulsions that may temporarily reduce anxiety or distress but ultimately perpetuate and reinforce these maladaptive patterns.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD can develop after experiencing or witnessing a distressing event in which one feels unsafe or threatened. Traumatic events can include witnessing or being involved in physical violence, abuse of any kind, systemic discrimination, being impacted by a natural disaster, medical complications, amongst many others scenarios or events.
Anxiety in Women
As women, many of us are expected, or expect ourselves, to fulfill many different roles and wear many different hats in our lives. It is all too common for the women I work with to experience anxiety rooted in perfectionism or decreased self-worth. If your worries or discomfort may look or sound like a broken record of “What ifs,” you are not alone. Many women experience worry and fear around not being good enough or being too needy or too much.
Anxiety in women is commonly experienced within the context of our relationships with ourselves, significant others, family, or friends. Anxiety can manifest as self-doubt or a lack of self-trust, which may look like comparing ourselves to others, seeking others’ approval or external validation, or trouble making decisions on our own. Some may also experience anxiety founded in a fear of uncertainty or change. When our anxiety and fear is rooted in poor self-worth, we may find ourselves avoiding situations in which we are vulnerable to getting hurt or rejected. Unfortunately, when we avoid such risks, we also create barriers to living authentic, meaningful, and fulfilling lives.
Tools for Coping with Anxiety
There is no once-size-fits-all approach to coping with anxiety, as different tools work for different people. While we may not be able to eliminate anxiety responses and symptoms entirely, using coping tools that work for you and seeking professional support as needed can help you change your relationship to your anxiety so that it no longer holds you back or interferes with your goals or functioning.
Exercise
To start, incorporating regular physical activity or movement into your routine can support with regulating the functions of your central nervous system, especially within the context of stress management. Engaging in routine physical movement that you genuinely enjoy is not only known to reduce stress, but is linked to increasing feelings of well-being, improving sleep quality, providing a sense of accomplishment, and a healthy distraction from worries or negative self-talk that can combat feelings of overwhelm.
Relaxation
As you get to know your mind, body, and heart better, utilizing a relaxation practice such as diaphragmatic breathing or progressive muscle relaxation when you are in a heightened state of unease or noticing increased anxiety symptoms can help regulate your nervous system and support with downregulation.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be defined as being in the present without distraction or judgment. Mindfulness is an important concept and practice when it comes to anxiety, because ultimately, when we are anxious we are often stuck in the past, future, or in our heads, rather than engaging in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help us get out of our heads and into the present moment so that our anxiety does not define our here-and-now, even if we don’t eliminate it entirely.
How Do I Practice Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a skill that we can learn and develop. We practice mindfulness by slowing down and increasing awareness and practicing acceptance, rather than judgment around our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Identifying and acknowledging what happens in your mind, heart, and body when you are experiencing anxiety is the first step here. Taking time to self-monitor and identify both body sensations (e.g., pressure in chest, racing heart, nausea, etc.) and thought patterns (e.g., negative self-talk, “shoulds”, or “what ifs”) helps us to get better acquainted with signs and signals of anxiety so that we can begin coping with them.
You can start practicing mindfulness by getting into the habit of practicing deep breathing exercises or brief meditations in which you focus on your breath and body sensations, notice and acknowledge our thoughts and feelings without judgment. This means observing your thoughts and feelings without trying to change them or assign moral value to them. Once we have a sense of what our anxiety feels and sounds like in our bodies, we will be able to identify when our anxiety is interfering with being in the present moment, and we can practice grounding exercises to return to the present.
Grounding Exercises
Grounding exercises involve practicing skills that help us return to the present moment with increased focus and attention. Examples of grounding exercises include practicing deep, paced breathing, or bringing your attention to a particular sensory experience such as identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can taste, and 1 think you can smell in your immediate surroundings.
Meditation, yoga, exercise or movement, deep breathing exercises, and spending time outside (e.g., taking a walk and focusing on observing your surroundings rather than engaging in various distractions) are all simple ways to incorporate mindfulness and grounding strategies into your daily life.
Anxiety Treatment
If your anxiety is persistent or interfering with your functioning at work, school, or in your relationships, seeking out therapy for anxiety with a professional can help you learn tools to cope with your symptoms and better understand the roots of your struggles. It’s important to note that different approaches work for different people. The right therapist for you will help to make you feel safe and comfortable from the start, and provide support that is tailored to your unique needs and goals.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based modality focused on understanding and connecting the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT is a common and effective form of therapy that helps you to identify, challenge, and reframe thought patterns that don’t serve you which in turn functions to shift negative feelings and problematic behaviors and lead to more adaptive functioning.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is another evidence-based approach that can be especially helpful if you find that your anxiety has resulted in avoidant behavior. While avoiding anxiety-provoking situations or scenarios in which we must risk losing, failing, or facing uncertainty can be relieving in the short-term, often we find that we are getting in our own way and creating limitations that hold us back from truly moving toward our goals or values. Exposure therapy involves guided, gradual exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli to increase distress tolerance and fear responses.
Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy
Emotionally-focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) is an evidence-based therapy that utilizes the foundation of a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship to better understand how you relate to yourself, your emotions, your coping patterns, and the world around you. The goal of EFIT is to provide insight into your emotional needs and experiences and create corrective emotional experiences that support growth and healing.
Acceptance-and-Commitment Therapy
Acceptance-and-Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based modality that helps individuals change their relationship to their anxiety and increase psychological flexibility. Goals of ACT include practicing acceptance around uncomfortable thoughts and feelings and committing toward actively pursuing actions and goals that are aligned with their values.
Get support with Therapy for Anxiety in New York City
You don’t have to contend with your anxiety alone. Align Therapy Services can help you get the support you need to begin your healing journey. Living with anxiety can be overwhelming, painful, and exhausting. Scheduling a consultation can be the first step to getting your life back. Meeting with an anxiety therapist can help you to recognize patterns that aren’t serving you, develop healthy coping skills, and forge a brighter path ahead.
About the author, a New York City therapist for anxiety:
Dr. Rachel Larrain Montoni, PhD, is a New York City-based licensed psychologist and founder of Align Therapy Services. She provides online therapy to residents of New York, Connecticut, and Washington D.C. Dr. Montoni offers mental health services including individual therapy for teens and adults suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, grief, and disordered eating, among other speciality areas. She specializes in therapy for women who want to find fulfillment, build self-worth, and become the best version of themselves.
Disclaimer:
This blog is for educational and informational purposes only, and provides general information about mental health and related content. The information and other content provided via this blog, website, or in any linked materials should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not constitute the practice of any medical or mental health care.
