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Do What Works for You

A myriad of ways exist that can help people to recover from anxiety. The Anxiety Support Network strongly advocates many different methods of recovering, some of which are contradictory. The notion that a certain authority makes contradictory claims should not come as a surprise to anyone because it is often seen in almost every sphere of life. Government, the law, and many religions all make contradictory claims as to what the right things are to do.

This is because life is so amazing complex that no one single rule fits all; many people exist whom the rules fail to describe, while still many more exist who are a stark exception to the rule. In relation to exercise, for example, some people may experience strong anxiety reduction from just a few minutes of exercise, while some may see just slight reduction from a similar amount. Medication is a great example of one rule not fitting all. Some people respond to a certain medication, while many others do not. In some cases, the medication can cause significant harm to some people. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very helpful for some, but then again, many others may not respond to it at all.

The fact that anxiety sufferers can receive conflicting results from the same set of treatments makes recovery from anxiety very confusing. If there is no hard rule for recovering anxiety, then how is one supposed to think and act in order to begin to relax?

The answer is only one word long: experience. Whoever said, “Experience is the best teacher,” was exactly right. One rule that all people can be assured of that is true is that all people have similarities, and all people have differences. Therefore, different things work for different people. A professional counselor cannot look at a person and say, “This guy needs cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and exercise.” But rather, the counselor talks to the person and assesses the person’s experience, and then helps that person to identify his or her goals, and actions to take to attain those goals, based on that person’s experience.

So, the best thing for a client to do (and this is one of those important points the social work profession uses) is to do what works best for him or her. Only the client knows what works for him or her in terms of anxiety recovery. If the client does not know, then he or she would be best served by gaining experience with the unknown quantity.

The only caveat to this rule (as noted earlier there are always exceptions) is that often times it is very wise of a person to enlist the help of another in discerning whether an experience worked or not. Sometimes, and this applies to everyone, it is not obvious if a certain experience was “good” or “bad.” Look at an alcoholic who has stopped drinking, for example. His body begins to become physically uncomfortable because he has stopped drinking. This seems like a negative experience. However, those who have been through the process of recovery from alcoholism know that the unpleasant effects of withdrawal are only short-term. The long-term benefits of quitting drinking, such as improved familial relationships and reduced psychological stress, far outweigh the short-term ones. There are an infinite number of scenarios that can be used to demonstrate this point, but suffice it to say, it is always wise to seek counsel from a trusted friend or professional who can help a person to interpret personal experiences.

To sum things up, just keep this rule in mind. This rule does not advocate for selfishness and taking advantage of others, but rather it is a good way of helping one to assess whether the actions he or she took are ones that should be used again in the future. Keep working away at anxiety recovery, and eventually one will find what works for him or her!

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