Reduce Your Anxiety by Knowing Your Warning Signs

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a sudden panic attack or what feels like an anxiety storm? Although it may have felt like it came out of nowhere, there is a chance you had warning signs of it coming but did not recognize them. Learning what your warning signs are gives you more control and helps you have a much better outcome.

I cover four different warning sign categories with my clients: physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive. I will cover all four briefly in this post.

• Physical Warning Signs: You may have physiological indicators that you have been triggered with an anxiety producing situation. For example, you may experience a racing heart, tightness in your muscles, or a warm sensation.
• Behavioral Warning Signs: You might have certain actions to indicate rising anxiety such as raising your voice, clenching your teeth, or avoiding eye contact.
• Emotional Warning Signs: In many cases, anxiety can be more of a secondary emotion. Maybe you started out feeling disappointed, hurt, or confused. If you ignore these kinds of emotions, there is potential for buildup which can then lead to anxiety symptoms.
• Cognitive Warning Signs: If you let unhealthy thoughts go unchecked and gather together to instill hostile talk and mental images, it can then build up to an anxiety reaction.

Knowing your anxiety warning signs gives you an extreme advantage! Think of them as alarms that are going off and telling you things like, “Something is wrong!”, “Don’t go there!”, “Don’t think that way!”

If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or panic attacks and are not quite sure what your warning signs are, I encourage you to talk with a therapist today! By talking through your experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you and your therapist can better identify your warning signs. You can then come up with healthier ways to address these anxiety producing events. Call 616-209-8599 to speak to someone today!

* This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical/mental health condition. Never disregard professional medical/mental health advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.