SZN 2. Ep. 7/ Unpacking Anxiety
Unpacking Anxiety
By: Noelle McWard, MA, LCSW
Anxiety is everywhere. It is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in the United States and is growing exponentially. Most everyone is touched by it, whether suffering from it themselves or knowing someone who struggles with anxiety. Personally, my young adult son has lived with generalized anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder for most of his life. Through him, I have had a front row view of the pain, suffering and distress that often accompanies living with an anxiety disorder. I feel a strong and personal motivation to contribute in any way I can to easing that suffering.
Through years of study of different models and theories for the treatment of anxiety, and a several decades long career of working with individuals living with anxiety, I developed a model to conceptualize the root or sources of anxiety and to focus treatment to transform one’s lived experience with anxiety. It is a model I share with clients so that they can deeply understand their anxiety, how it operates within their system, and what they can do about it to gain freedom from it. I also teach the model to therapists to help empower and guide them in their work with anxiety.
All anxiety can be traced back to originating from one of three sources. They are future catastrophizing, control and distorted belief. Each of these three sources has unique characteristics and traits, each has its own solution, and each has its own objection or way in which the anxiety fights to preserve itself when challenged. Knowing where the anxiety that is presenting on the surface originates from, what to focus on in treating or managing it, and being prepared for the ways in which the anxiety will seek to remain in control can make the path to freedom from anxiety more clear and easier to travel.
Future catastrophizing refers to when the mind creates an unsupported story of future catastrophe and relates to it as if it is happening or will occur. Catastrophizing typically begins with the words “what if,” and everything that follows is a story the mind makes up. The objection raised by catastrophizing when challenged is, “It could happen.”; The solution to catastrophizing is to differentiate what is from what if, and to focus on the present moment rather than future worries.
Anxiety stemming from control is more multifaceted. Over-attending to that which is not in one’s control, while under-attending to that which is, creates anxiety and feelings of powerlessness and victimization.
Control can also be an attempt to compensate for an underlying feeling state or belief that “I am not okay” or “things will not be okay”. Some people try to create trust that “I will be okay” by exerting control over their environment. They hold the often unconscious conviction that if they can anticipate what is to come or if things occur as they desire, they will be fine. This behavior manifests as inflexibility, rigid expectations of how tasks should be done and what others should do, excessive preparation and extensive research before making decisions.
A second way in which one may attempt to compensate for the belief, “I am not okay” is by anticipating and making a plan for everything that can go wrong. This is based in the belief “If I have a plan ready for when things go wrong, then I will be okay”.
The objection to challenges around control is the conviction that these strategies are effective andsare the reason one is successful. In reality, neither strategy works and has little to do with one’s success.
The solution to control is to focus one’s energy and attention on what is in one’s control and to accept that which is not. It also requires shifting one’s sense of wellbeing from external factors to internal ones. It is to cultivate trust in oneself and to know that I am the reason that I will be okay.
Distorted beliefs refer to when a person believes to be true a negative self-perception that is actually false. These faulty beliefs lead to behaviors that seek to compensate for the perceived flaws. The objection to challenges of negatively distorted beliefs is the unconscious way the mind seeks to deflect or dismiss objective feedback from the outside world - feedback that tells one the truth about who they are or how they are experienced by others. The solution is to identify the underlying false belief and resultant behaviors, replacing it with an accurate one and adopting behaviors that align with the corrected belief.
While the model is simple, working with it, whether you are a therapist treating anxiety or an individual living with anxiety, is not easy. There is a wealth of tools available to help ease the distress of anxiety while learning to master the roots of it. These include breathing techniques, mindfulness and meditation practices, tapping, mantras, positive affirmations and more. If you are living with anxiety, working with a therapist can be immensely helpful in transforming your experience with anxiety. If you are a therapist interested in learning more about this model in your work with clients, please reach out to me to be notified of future trainings.
