Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and worry. GAD treatments and therapy
Get rid of your generalized anxiety and worry now!
In the anxiety family, there are several different types of anxiety, all of which have in common the association of a particular area as dangerous. In GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), the danger is a variety of future areas. The person overthinks and tries to find solutions in their mind - although they do not find the solutions there.
On the contrary, anxiety restricts life and the person becomes tense and feels unwell from constantly being in fight or flight mode. The person lets their thoughts take over and often believes that they need to be constantly prepared in case something unexpected or dangerous happens.
Worry is positively reinforced, i.e. increased, by the fact that what you worry about rarely happens. The brain then concludes that it did not happen because of the worry and that the worry is therefore functional, which is a false notion.
What is GAD?
GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and it is a form of anxiety disorder. People with GAD tend to worry about things that other people would consider harmless or insignificant, and the worry can be difficult to control. They may also experience physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath and muscle tension.
GAD is a common form of anxiety disorder that can affect people of all ages, but it is more common in adults. Those suffering from GAD may have difficulty controlling their worrying thoughts and may worry about things that other people would consider harmless or insignificant. This can result in physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, breathlessness and muscle tension.
Treatment of GAD
Treatment for GAD can include both therapy and medication. Therapy can help the person learn to manage their anxiety in a healthier way and to understand the causes of their anxiety. Medication may also be necessary to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
It is important to seek medical attention if you think you may have GAD, as it can negatively affect your quality of life and relationships if left untreated. By seeking treatment and following your doctor's advice, you can learn to manage your anxiety and live a healthier, more balanced life.
Free consultation for the treatment of GAD fatigue
Sveapsykologerna offers the possibility of treatment and help with your GAD fatigue. Our experienced therapists and psychologists provide you with tools to manage both anxiety and worry. Book a free consultation and talk to us about your anxiety.
Watch when Sveapsykologernas specialist psychologist David Waskuri appeared on TV4 Nyhetsmorgon where he explains how to distinguish between panic disorder, health anxiety, GAD, stress and social anxiety. See the feature here: https://www.tv4.se/artikel/e0bpcktShmEbOoP7Njn0l/sa-skiljer-du-pa-angest-och-stress
Worry and anxiety are part of life
Often, the person perceives it as a tennis match between reassuring thoughts and worrying thoughts that is constantly going on. The person avoids thinking the negative thought fully and the reassuring thought becomes an avoidance behavior that helps to perpetuate the worry.
Worry and anxiety are part of life and we can all feel that we sometimes worry unnecessarily. However, in generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety and worry are so strong and present that it becomes difficult to function in everyday life.
GAD is characterized by a constant, nagging sense of worry and anxiety about a variety of areas of life. The anxiety is often experienced as overwhelming, persistent and difficult to control. Worrying about your own anxiety is also common.
Many people also find that they become easily irritated as a result of their anxiety. They feel wound up, restless and constantly on edge. These symptoms can lead to body pain and headaches. Thinking and memory can also be affected by the constant worrying, which in turn can lead to memory and concentration problems.
Aftonbladet interviewed Sveapsykologerna about how to know what type of anxiety you suffer from and what you can do about it. Read the full article via the link in our blog: https://sveapsykologerna.se/blog/2021/9/13/aftonbladet-stress-eller-ngest-s-vet-du-vad-du-lider-av
GAD treatment
In GAD treatment, the person learns, among other things, to distinguish between productive and non-productive anxiety. Productive anxiety leads to constructive action, while non-productive anxiety is often about things that cannot be influenced in the moment.
Mindfulness is also a common element in GAD treatment, where the person gets to practice seeing thoughts as thoughts and learning to understand that our thoughts are hypotheses rather than facts. The person also gets to practice defusion, that is, being able to distance themselves from the thought.
It is good to be able to see in which contexts the person worries most. In some cases, a new behavior, such as going out to exercise instead of staying in bed, can reduce worry. There is a link between a deficit of activity and an excess of negative thoughts such as worry.
Learning to shift the focus of your awareness is also important. By shifting the focus from thoughts to the present, feelings of anxiety and agonizing can be reduced, as problems are often created in the world of thoughts: in the future and in the past.
GAD treatment and therapy in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
We offer assessments and treatment of GAD at our clinics in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. We are often able to help you with short waiting times and quick help.
What they say about Sveapsykologerna
Meditation and relaxation affect GAD
Applied relaxation has also been shown to be effective in GAD, as the person who over-worries also tenses the body as if in danger. By tensing and then relaxing different parts of the body, the person can reduce their anxiety as the body relaxes.
When the body is relaxed, it also affects the mind, as the brain assumes that the person is not in a dangerous situation and does not need to be in fight or flight mode. If the body is in fight or flight, it looks for threatening stimuli. When the body relaxes, it sees the world more harmoniously.
It has been seen that mindfulness and meditation make the person activate other parts of the brain, compared to when the person is stressed. It is also valuable to work with the life compass in GAD. This means that you investigate and analyze life's different pieces of cake, which research has shown to be important for people in general.
These areas are relationships, work or study, health and leisure. By being more focused on how to improve different areas of life, there is less room for anxiety. When the person is passive, anxiety increases in frequency.
Some people benefit from working with an exercise called worry time, where the person exposes themselves to their worries for a scheduled time each day - without allowing themselves to avoid them through calming thoughts. As the person repeatedly exposes themselves to these anxious thoughts, they eventually become less charged.
Studies have shown that people who have done the anxiety session continuously end up having fewer anxious thoughts and less intense thoughts when they do occur. The person should postpone their worrying as best they can between worry sessions.
When the person realizes that the disasters are not happening, even though he or she has thought less about the worry, he or she can gradually let go of control. In this way, the person realizes that the idea that worry is beneficial is not true.
GAD and work
GAD, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, is a form of anxiety disorder that can affect how a person functions at work. People with GAD tend to worry about things that other people would consider harmless or insignificant, and the worry can be difficult to control. This can affect a person's ability to concentrate and perform daily tasks effectively.
People with GAD may also experience physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath and muscle tension, which can make it difficult to concentrate at work. In addition, GAD can affect a person's ability to socialize with colleagues and to cope with stress at work.
It is important to seek treatment if you think you may have GAD, as it can affect a person's ability to function at work. By getting the right treatment, people can learn to manage their anxiety and live a healthier and more balanced life, including in the workplace.