Sometimes when everything seems to be going along just fine, it feels like the bottom falls out. It is not uncommon for anxiety to return seemingly unexpectedly after it has been gone for some time. Often it is not until we put the puzzle pieces together that we realize it was not out of the blue and perhaps should not have been unexpected.
Can Anxiety Return After it has Been Gone?
Many people with anxiety put forth a great deal of time, energy, and effort to get their anxiety under control. They have been on medications from their doctor or psychiatrist sometimes for months or years. Others worked extremely hard in counseling or therapy to master tools to conquer their anxiety. Once that anxiety is under control and in check, most people breathe a great sigh of relief and revel in the reprieve and absence of the anxiety. Although some new habits and changes have been incorporated into daily life, many tools that took concerted effort and conscious work are no longer used as regularly. Some of those tools are shelved and begin to collect dust as everyday life is lived with no real issues. Complacency sometimes evolves into neglect and over time tools are even forgotten. That bad patch of life is becoming a faded memory of a time rather not remembered. Unfortunately, complacency can come to bite us when we least expect it.
What is an Anxiety Relapse?
At its simplest, an anxiety relapse is just an unexpected return of anxiety symptoms following a period of reduced or no anxiety. Anxiety symptoms jump back up rather significantly and begin to impair functioning again. Like a bad dream people begin to experience heightened anxiety, worry, find themselves obsessing and ruminating. They may find their sleep impaired as they cannot shut off their mind. Their appetite may decline, GI issues may rear up again, focus and concentration suffer, muscle tension, headaches or even panic attacks may begin again. On top of all that frustration and disappointment can come a feeling of failure and having to start over again, which can seem like insult to injury.
What Causes and Anxiety Relapse?
Although most people will initially say they have no idea where the anxiety is coming from or what is causing it, after some contemplation and exploration, they can often start connecting the dots. With that complacency comes reduced awareness. Often events, feelings, and thoughts occur below the threshold of conscious awareness, such that it seems like the anxiety snuck up out of nowhere, when in fact there are often some obvious signs and triggers. Stress is the number one cause of most anxiety relapses. Any number of life events can bring about anxiety from loss of job, unexpected financial burdens, relationship breakups, and many more. These stressors are often unexpected and fuel anxiety as we wrestle to cope and deal with them. Other relapses can occur more slowly. For example, on-going sleep problems can erode our reserves and take a toll, a slow erosion of friendships and increased isolation, or a slow shift in thinking patterns and style toward a more negative and pessimistic view. For those with chronic anxiety, a relapse could stem from stopping their medications or have a lapse in support and therapy. The good news is that once we recognize the anxiety relapse, we can take steps to remedy it. Unlike the first go round where you were clueless and no idea how to tackle anxiety, a rush of knowledge eventually arrives to begin calming the anxiety. Old tools and strategies can be taken off the shelf, dusted off, and put back into operation. The amount of time needed to get anxiety in check is often much less than that first encounter with anxiety. There is no need to re-invent the wheel. We call upon the tools that worked well before, and more often than not they continue to serve us well again. Often a refresher with your therapist or counselor can get you back on track in short order.
If you are interested in counseling or therapy or wish to talk to one of our psychiatric providers about medications for your anxiety, feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment with one of skilled professionals. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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