In this 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, work-you-to-the-bone world, stress and anxiety are commonplace in people’s daily lives.
From slogging it out at work, caring for family and paying the bills, there seems to be plenty to worry about.
But when anxiety starts interfering with your life both public and private, that’s when it can become a much larger problem, says Dr. Gordon Street of Anxiety Solutions in Raymond.
One in four Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, making it the most common psychiatric problem in the country.
And knowing that many can’t afford therapy, Dr. Street and his wife, Dr. Lee Fitzgibbons, are starting a free support group for local people struggling with anxiety who want to learn how to overcome obstacles and break barriers that anxiety can create.
The support group will meet every second and fourth Thursday of the month at the Anxiety Solutions office at 104 Webbs Mills Road in Raymond.
The support meetings will begin with people talking about what anxiety prevents them from doing in their daily lives and the group will address ways to overcome their fears and take risks to conquer personal anxiety.
The most common anxiety comes from people whom Dr. Street and Dr. Fitzgibbons call the “what if-ers” – constant worriers who try to control the future by whittling down problems in their brain.
“Life gets really hard and very frequently it’s an anxiety problem that’s getting in the way,” Street said. “Generally, people ask a lot of ‘what ifs’ and the problem really becomes that there are always more ‘what ifs.’ They can’t let go and relax because they always see another problem ahead.”
This “excessive worrying” can lead to panic attacks where sudden hyperventilating and floods of adrenaline can make an otherwise healthy person feel like they’re having a heart attack.
Often, persistent anxiety can lead to “patterns of avoidance” where people begin to shy away from social situations. This can escalate to agoraphobia where people are afraid to leave the comfort of their homes.
Severe anxiety can also manifest itself in an obsessive compulsion, a repetition of a routine task like washing your hands, performed to prevent things one is afraid of.
While many know they have some kind of anxiety, people are often ashamed to get help. That’s where a peer support group can show anxiety sufferers they are not alone.
“Anxiety is very isolating and there’s generally a lot of shame and embarrassment associated with it,” Fitzgibbons said. “To have a support group reduces that shame and embarrassment and lets people realize they are not alone.”
But the support group is not therapy, Dr. Street and Dr. Fitzgibbons say, it’s a peer focus group and they, as clinical psychologists, will only be on hand to act as resources and moderators.
The first support group meeting will be held this Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. To inquire about the support group, call Dr. Street or Dr. Fitzgibbons at 655-2737.
Dr. Gordon Street and Dr. Lee Fitzgibbons, seen here outside their family practice in Raymond, are offering a free support group to help people with anxiety overcome their fears.Send questions/comments to the editors.
