Overcoming Shame and Fear in Seeking AnxietyTreatment
Shame is a familiar emotion for many people who struggle with mental health issues, drug abuse, and other conditions, especially when looking inside and being honest early on in the development of the problem. Also, shame may unnecessarily surface at times, even during treatment. Therefore, it may also appear in those seeking help or recovering from their issues. Addressing underlying co-occurring disorders that might result in setbacks and even relapse can be helped by dealing with shame in treatment. Shame is a sense of unworthiness, undeservingness, or inadequacy. And since one's experience shapes their feelings, any level of shame may be crippling. In addition, shame significantly affects emerging mental health conditions like anxiety. As a result, we would like to discuss how to overcome shame and fear in seeking anxiety treatment. Learn how to step over these feelings and seek help.
What is shame?
Shame is a feeling that results from introspection and self-criticism. These self-evaluations can result in positive or negative feelings of pride or shame, which reflect the two opposites of the self-conscious. Unfortunately, most times, shame is what people feel when looking at themselves. Therefore, those who experience shame often feel uncomfortable, inadequate, or worthless because of their negative opinion of themselves.
At the same time, shame represents feeling bad about your appearance, words, actions, and specific defects or anxieties. Shame can be brought on by particular events and by recalling or envisioning these instances. Shame is one of the most complex and unpleasant feelings someone can feel. Hence, it frequently hides beneath other emotions and protection systems. Unfortunately, it might be challenging to recognize shame when it hides beneath another feeling, such as fear, anger, anxiety, or envy. Therefore, if you are suffering from anxiety, your sense of shame can be misleading and prevent you from seeking treatment.
Why is it important to overcome shame and fear in seeking anxiety treatment?
It is often for many people with anxiety problems to go untreated. In truth, many people frequently ignore or underappreciate their situation's gravity. However, when they realize what is happening, they often feel fear and shame in talking to their doctors about their feelings. Furthermore, people who have had anxiety symptoms for most of their life think the symptoms they are feeling are usual and may choose not to seek treatment. But, as mentioned, this can be a disguise for fear and shame. Therefore, patients may often fail to recognize their anxiety. As a result, it is better to talk to a therapist no matter what you believe you are feeling, especially if it is for a long time and the symptoms persist.
How to overcome your shame and fear in seeking anxiety treatment?
Overcoming shame and fear in seeking anxiety treatment doesn’t have to be challenging. In truth, with the right tips and advice, you might realize how important it is to seek help and not let negative feelings rule your life. Therefore, here are some simple tips that you can use to overcome your shame and fear:
Accept your fear and shame as normal feelings
It takes much time and effort to recognize and fight fear and shame. Furthermore, the results are typically not long-lasting. Therefore, use the time and energy you would spend fighting them towards more fruitful things like accepting the emotions and letting them run their ordinary course. Focus more on your body and observe the bodily sensations these feelings produce. Ultimately, you will realize that all they do is create an emotional wave that will rise, peak, and pass as rapidly as it appeared.
For example, if you are passing through a stressful time triggering your anxiety, such as a long-distance move from or to Orlando, don’t let your emotions overwhelm you. Instead, accept that fear in such situations is normal and look for solutions to help you cope. One great idea is looking to enlist expert movers to help you with your relocation. That way, you can forget about the stress of the move and focus on yourself more.
Be kind to yourself
You will undoubtedly make mistakes. Everyone does. And if you feel shame and fear because you caused your anxiety, don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t consider yourself as having a defect or being a failure. You are only human, and you deserve love, especially your love. Self-love is a process that takes time, much like other types of love. It has to be nurtured before it can grow. You may practice building your self-worth by considering your qualities or the principles you hold dear. Try listing your qualities in a notebook or as an art therapy activity.
Moreover, meditation can support the development of self-compassion and self-love. Although mindfulness meditation can help you become more aware of shame-related beliefs that surface throughout the day, it also has other benefits. It may also help you learn to let these ideas go without experiencing severe emotional pain. After that, you can seek treatment for your anxiety with an open heart.
Don’t isolate yourself
It's a typical human reaction to want to isolate ourselves and distrust help when we need it yet feel ashamed to ask for it. However, isolation is the definition of counterproductive. In addition to raising the risk of physical health problems, it also increases the chance of depression and other mental illnesses. Therefore, break the bonds of feeling like you must do it alone and allow people to see your vulnerable parts. Talking about your emotions helps you become more self-aware. So you can discuss your problems and learn about coping mechanisms.
Talk to a therapist to learn about your treatment
There are various myths surrounding therapy, and many people struggling with anxiety are reluctant to seek help because of them. It is normal to exercise caution. But you should first know that whatever is discussed in therapy stays in therapy. Tell your therapist you are having problems trusting them when you begin the talk. To get significant outcomes, you must be honest with your feelings, even though doing so could make you feel vulnerable. Feeling vulnerable is not necessarily a bad feeling. It can also be a very productive feeling. Therefore, think of your partnership with your therapist as something made for your good.
Final thoughts
Overcoming shame and fear in seeking anxiety treatment doesn’t have to be a challenge. If you understand the feelings and learn coping mechanisms, your journey toward treating your anxiety becomes much more straightforward. Also, remember that we all need help and support in one way or another. Therefore, admitting it doesn’t make you weak. Instead, it can make you stronger and healthier.
