You lie awake in bed, restless and tense. Your thoughts are circling your mind a mile a minute, and it’s not long before your heart rate seems to start moving just as quickly. When all you can feel is the pounding in your chest, you know that you’re in for another night of sleeplessness — another morning where you can’t concentrate on work because your worries have consumed your focus.
Is this stress? You wonder. Anxiety triggered by stress? I’ve always tended to worry too often, so maybe it’s my personality, and I’m just having a moment. Or maybe this is deep-seated anxiety — a disorder, even — now coming to light. I suppose I am going through a few life changes right now. Either way, I sure wish I could tone these feelings down. I’ll do what I can to get by for now, but at what point is it okay to ask for help if I ever feel like I can’t anymore?
Understanding anxiety
The good news is that anxiety is not only helpful at times, but everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. However, it can be incredibly challenging to understand the difference between anxiety and an anxiety disorder. In terms of symptoms, anxiety can look a lot like generalized anxiety disorder.
For instance, one might feel nervous in anticipation of an event, such as their first day at a new job or moving to a new city. Anxiety can occur even in favorable situations, and it can also be helpful with keeping you alert in stressful or dangerous ones.
Someone experiencing temporary anxiety can control their racing thoughts or symptoms to some degree; or at least their physical response feels proportionate to what is making them anxious. Also, a person with anxious feelings will be able to relax once a situation has passed. For instance, once they get acquainted with their new job or city, they begin to feel more at ease.
Anxiety vs. anxiety disorder: how to tell the difference
Anxiety is often a part of life, but when it starts dictating how you feel and act daily, that’s when it could be problematic. In other words, when it impairs your ability to function normally in everyday life.
When someone has an anxiety disorder, it can mean they’re experiencing anxiety every day without any real or major reason to be anxious. They tend to experience more intense worry about minor, daily matters that most people can cope with without thoughts or physical symptoms spiraling out of control.
One telltale sign of “abnormal” anxiety is the anticipation of potential outcomes when facing uncertainty. Uncertainty is a part of life, but someone with an anxiety disorder will feel persistently and excessively stressed, nervous, or worried. In other words, their anxiety is out of proportion to what’s happening, if anything even is.
In some cases, individuals with an anxiety disorder will avoid situations that worsen their symptoms, impacting them even more in the long run.
Finally, one criterion for clinical anxiety includes worries that occur more often than not for at least six months. That said, the duration of your anxious feelings isn’t everything when it comes to diagnosing an anxiety disorder. No matter what you think you have, know that it is always okay to ask for help.
A therapist is a tremendous resource for helping you better understand what you could be going through. If your anxious feelings begin to feel like more than you can handle, it’s important to talk to someone about these feelings and find ways to cope no matter how long it’s been.
TMS
by Deb (age 64)
Category: generalThe hoops I jumped through in order to be evaluated were straightforward and efficient. I met with PA Kaitlin for about an hour to discuss my history and previous medications. Then Dr. Amato joined us to further discuss my history, the TMS treatment, and answer any questions. Myrna gathered all of the information and submitted it to my health insurance company to request coverage for TMS. Fortunately, insurance approved the treatment and I was able to begin the next week. I’m sure most people have anxiety about starting a treatment like TMS. No matter how many times it’s described to you, there are many unknowns. How will I feel during treatment? Is it painful? What if this doesn’t work? What if it works for a while but then stops? In all honesty, I was very uncomfortable during the first couple of weeks of treatment. The alternating two seconds of tapping sensation caused some pain during treatment, and at the end of the first week I thought about quitting. But I had sworn to myself that TMS was a last resort and I HAD TO complete the treatment and give it a chance to work. My technician, Heather, told me that some people don’t feel the tapping at all, they only hear it. Guess I wasn’t one of those people! But as the days went by, it became easier to tolerate the treatments. During this time I also saw Lauren weekly for CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). This is highly recommended for people undergoing TMS treatment, and it was a positive complement to my total of 100 minutes each week “under the helmet”. The weekend between weeks three and four, I started to notice subtle improvements in my mood, increased belief in my self-worth, and enthusiasm for simple things like going for walks, meeting friends for lunch, and taking on volunteer work in the community. I hesitated at first to believe that TMS was helping me. I was afraid that I was convincing myself it was working because I so desperately wanted it to! But now that I am past the treatment I can say with cert
TMS
by Barbie (age 68)
Category: generalI feel so blessed to participate in the TMS protocol at MT Psychiatry. After struggling so many years with depression and not getting significant results from medication, particularly of late, I noticed positive results in the first two weeks of treatment. TMS can literally give you back the beauty & joy in living as well as the courage to make positive life changes and improvements in your daily living situation. I heartily encourage anyone to put yourself into the hands of the amazing TMS team who so gently and graciously make this journey with you out of the black hole that is depression. It is my honor and privilege to give the TMS treatment the highest recommendation.
TMS
by Shayne (age 66)
Category: generalI am grateful for the support and caring I have received from Dr. Amato (and Heidi, Heather and Myrna) in my quest for mental health and a fuller more productive life. While the TMS results have been subtle, I feel more positive about my future and I would recommend this team absolutely. Thank you!
TMS
by Carrie (age 65)
Category: generalNot realizing how fuzzy my head was, I thought I was only going through severe anxiety and depression. Through the insight of Pat, I was able to go through TMS treatments which brought down the anxiety and depression immensely and has cleared up the fuzzy, far off substantially. All the personnel treated me with kindness and I’m sure their attitudes helped in my recovery.
TMS
by Bridget (age 47)
Category: generalThe first outcome of TMS I noted happened early in my treatment, at about the beginning of week two. I felt as though my “brain fog” had been chipped away. I wish I could report that I feel my mental health issues are in “remission”, but I can’t do so yet. My hope is that I will see improvement in the weeks to come, now that my TMS cycle has ended. I can say that my brain feels – in some way – different; I can’t explain exactly how. I continue to struggle at this point in time but sill have hope for more improvement.
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