Here’s How You Can Treat Your Anxiety Online

All of us tend to go through a range of emotions through our life, with anxiety being no different. While all these emotions are important for us to live life to the fullest, they can also harm us if we feel any one of them excessively.
Anxiety in particular, can quickly turn from a natural (and even healthy) human response, into a crippling disorder that can seriously disrupt our day-to-day life. Luckily, anxiety disorder is one of the most well researched and easy to treat mental issue, and you can even find ways to effectively treat anxiety online.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is our body’s natural response to stress or danger. It is a feeling of apprehension and fear about things that are going to happen. Like any other emotion, anxiety affects everyone differently. For some it can last for a few minutes, for some, it can last for months. Hence, it is critical to understand how one can manage anxiety the right way.
We all feel anxious occasionally about different issues that concern us. Many people are anxious about their financial security, and job security, they feel nervous about speaking publicly or standing up for something they feel is right. Anxiety comes in different forms and levels and it can actually provide us with the right boost and energy to do what’s right and compels us to focus on how to resolve these challenges.
However, for people with anxiety disorder, things can be far more overwhelming and serious. People with anxiety disorders feel anxious daily and that deters them from doing what they want to do, saying what they want to say and feeling what they want to feel. Apart from the inability to live life to the fullest these people also suffer from medical problems like substance abuse, depression, diabetes and heart diseases.
Symptoms and Causes
Considering that we all feel anxious about certain issues and events in life it is important to know the symptoms that indicate that you have a long-term condition that you need to treat immediately.
One of the key symptoms of anxiety disorder is that you cannot let go of your worries. This can be a situation which is hard to control because people with anxiety issues are constantly worried about the situation even that they can control.
Secondly, this uncontrollable fear and worry can lead to distress and that can influence health negatively. Many of us feel anxious temporarily just before giving a job interview or speaking publicly. However, for anxiety disorder patients this can be a bigger challenge.
Thirdly, this feeling of uncontrollable anxiety can affect daily lifestyle and routine. Individuals with anxiety disorder have issues managing their academic life, job life and social life.
Apart from the psychological symptoms, these individuals also have other health-related symptoms like excessive sweating, trembling, feeling weak or tired, digestion-related issues, trouble concentrating or thinking and hyperventilation.
While there is no single cause for anxiety disorder experts believe that it is likely a combination of various factors like:
- Stress
- Issues like depression or diabetes
- Having first-degree relatives with anxiety disorder
- Result of child abuse
- Substance abuse
- Being exposed to stressful or negative events over and over
Ways to Treat It Online
While anxiety is a common problem it is important to know that it can be treated even in severe cases. Also, when you are treating anxiety, you need to know that you cannot completely do away with anxiety, but with the right therapy, individuals can learn to manage it and live with it and go about their daily routine as normal beings.
Today, you can look for online therapy sites that help you with your anxiety disorder. Also, you can download and install therapy apps that allow you to chat or do video sessions to help you resolve your anxiety disorder.
In both scenarios, individuals have the opportunity to register and sign up for the therapy and counseling process. This makes it convenient for individuals to resolve their anxiety disorder issues by choosing the best online counseling services and platforms that they believe can offer them the best services.
Pros and Cons of virtual anxiety treatments
While the internet has opened up new avenues for mental health treatment you need to be clear about the online counseling and therapy services that you choose. The concept of online therapy allows you to connect to your counselor or therapist using an internet connection using a smartphone or a computer or a tablet device. Hence, the experience is quite different from the one you get in an in-person or offline counseling session.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the pros of online counseling.
Good Option If You Stay in a Remote Location:
If you live in a location that is far from the city or the location of your counselor or therapist using online therapy sessions can help. This can help you cut down the time to commute and make that effort to reach the clinic. With a reliable internet connection, you can connect to the best counselors and therapists that can guide you with your mental health conditions.
Good Option for Disabled or Housebound People:
Mobility can be a challenge for many people that have disability issues. While you can still set up a therapist to visit your home for the session that can add to the cost. With online counseling you can have a reliable internet connection to speak to your counselor or therapist at a set appointed time and date.
Keep Matters Private:
Various individuals that suffer from anxiety disorders want to keep their treatment matters private because of the stigma associated with mental health issues. With the help of online counseling services, you can stay in the comfort of your room and talk to your counselor about various issues that matter to you.
Variety of Counselors and Therapists:
While it might be hard to find a wide range of counselors and therapists offline you can certainly find them online. These counseling platforms and service companies provide you with a wide range of licensed therapists and counselors that have the experience and expertise to guide you with your mental health conditions. If you don’t like the counselor appointed, you can always choose the one you prefer.
Convenience and Affordability:
Driving to the clinic and talking to your counselor can cost you a lot of time and money. However, with online therapy sessions, things are quite different because you don’t have to spend more time and money to initiate the conversation. Also, therapists that treat only online patients offer affordable treatment options because they have fewer overhead costs like renting office space. Hence, they are perfect for those who are not covered by health insurance.
However, online therapy sessions have certain limitations that you need to consider before you go ahead and register for online counseling services.
Lack of Human Touch:
Various online therapy sessions proceed over chat mode and therefore it can become almost impossible for the counselor to bring in a human touch.
Unreliable Internet Connection:
Having a poor internet connection can be one of the limitations that can ruin an ongoing chat or video counseling session.
Unable to Evaluate Body Language:
During an in-person therapy session, the counselor does take into account the body language of the patient which are clear signals that reveal more about the patient’s moods, thoughts and behavior. In a chat or a video session that is hard to know making it difficult for the therapist to get a clear picture.
Insurance Settlement Issues:
Various insurance companies don’t cover online therapy and counseling services and therefore many counselors would not accept insurance as payment. This means patients have to pay out of their pocket for the entire psychotherapy services.