Anxiety: Understanding Its Impact on Our Pain Points

Anxiety tends to strike at the most inconvenient moments, often targeting our deepest concerns and fears. This psychological distress can manifest in various ways, and it’s crucial to understand that the nature of our worries evolves as we progress through different phases of life. For instance, I recall some recent clients who represented a diverse range of life experiences:

• A 40-year-old whose father recently transitioned into retirement. Each time he discards unnecessary papers, his Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) triggers thoughts that he is jeopardizing his parents’ financial security, leading him to fear impending bankruptcy.
• A second-year medical student, elated by achieving a high score on her first major examination, visited me in a state of anxiety, clutching a stack of emails from her time as the treasurer of her college sorority. She was consumed by the fear that she had made a grave mistake, worrying that the IRS would penalize her, potentially ruining her career.
• A high school freshman, overwhelmed by anxiety regarding her academic performance, has lost weight and withdrawn from social interactions, driven by the fear that her grades might hinder her college prospects. Despite her worries, she achieved an impressive 4.0 GPA in her first semester.

Each of these individuals sought therapy to address their pressing concerns, which were unique to their current circumstances. Not long ago, these worries were absent; for example, the 40-year-old’s father was still employed and financially secure, the medical student was just beginning her journey and was not yet focused on standardized tests, and the freshman was still in middle school, where academic pressure was less daunting and friendships were plentiful.

In the therapeutic process, it became essential for me to guide each client in recognizing that their anxiety was simply manifesting in new ways, reflecting their evolving life situations. The focus was not on the specific worries but rather on their reactions—whether it was through excessive worrying, avoidance behaviors, compulsive checking, or overstudying—that inadvertently empowered their anxiety. A pivotal part of their healing journey involved adopting a fresh perspective, allowing them to acknowledge, “This is merely anxiety (or OCD).”

While we had substantial work ahead, including engaging in real and imaginative exposures alongside mindfulness practices, the initial and most vital step was to shift their understanding: the core issue lay not in the worries themselves, but in their responses to anxiety. Recognizing this distinction is key to recovery, regardless of what specific concerns anxiety presents at various stages of life.

This blog was originally posted on Anxiety Training for Mental Health Professionals.