Choosing an Anxiety App
When an issue pushes you beyond logical worry in an uncontrollable, unwarranted, and unreasonable way, then you might be struggling with an anxiety disorder. Almost everyone knows how anxiety feels, and it seems like the disorder is becoming more prevalent in the country. According to recent researches, over 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders, making it the most common mental illness in the US.
Fortunately, anxiety disorders are treatable. The use of anxiety apps has gone a long way in providing relief to victims of anxiety disorders. Although there is no replacement for consulting a specialist as far as a mental illness is concerned, these apps have proved to help control the causes of anxiety. This guide provides you with insights on what you should keep in mind when choosing an anxiety app.
Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety is caused by numerous factors, including physical, mental, psychological, and external factors. Here are some of the major causes of anxiety.
- Genetical Inheritance
Studies show that individuals with parents who have suffered anxiety disorders are likely to experience the same mental illness.
- Drugs and Substance Abuse
Addiction to drugs such as alcohol exposes an individual to a risk of suffering an anxiety attack. Research shows a significant number of people who experience anxiety must have, at some point in life, abused drugs. There is also a relationship between anxiety disorders and withdrawal from alcohol or any other drug.
- Stressful Events
Stress is one of the significant causes of anxiety disorders. You cannot separate anxiety from stress. Almost every individual experiences some stress levels at work, school, or even personal relationships. While these stress levels may be termed as typical and ordinary, consistent exposure to these factors may result in anxiety attacks or disorders. It is also possible for individuals experiencing stress to resort to behaviours such as isolation and drug abuse, which accelerates anxiety attacks.
- Medications
The use of certain medicines may also result in an anxiety disorder. Such medicines as asthma drugs and thyroid drugs are known to trigger anxiety symptoms when consumed over a couple of days. Others, such as Benzodiazepines, are known to accelerate anxiety, especially after withdrawal. It is essential to look out for such side-effects linked to a drug before consumption.
Treating Anxiety
There are various ways through which anxiety can be treated, including the use of medications, therapies, and self-care methods, such as the use of digital anxiety tools. Digital anxiety tools such as anxiety applications are used as supplements to your therapy or as assistants to developing anti-anxiety habits. Here are some reasons why anxiety apps are essential:
- Accessibility of Therapy
Treatment of anxiety relies significantly on therapy. An anxiety app makes it easy for you to access therapy in the comfort of your house or office. This way, you can follow the specialist guides available in the app for behavioural change.
- Exercises
Exercises are the cheapest and the most readily available means of treating anxiety. Anxiety apps are curated with a variety of such exercises in the form of exercise guides. These exercises are calibrated to offer you mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation, eliminating all forms of anxiety.
- Psychotherapies
Anxiety apps are also developed to control the cognitive symptoms of anxiety disorders. Such symptoms include negative thoughts, uncontrollable worry, and other physical symptoms. The apps manage these symptoms through tracking and self-monitoring features. They also ensure that you get sufficient rest, which is critical for the control and treatment of anxiety disorders.
- Insomnia Treatment
Lack of sufficient sleep accelerates the symptoms of anxiety. For example, failure to get sufficient sleep increases depression and stress levels, which are linked to anxiety disorders. Most of the anxiety apps come with features that help you to get into relaxation and deep sleep. This way, anxiety can be controlled significantly.
What to Look for When Choosing an Anxiety App
With the endless list of anxiety apps flooding the market, it can be challenging the app that best works for you. Here are some factors worth considering before downloading an anxiety app.
- App Content
Different apps are engineered to serve different purposes, including cognitive behavioural therapy, gaming, meditation, mindfulness, better sleep, and provision of nature sounds. You should choose an app with content that suits your anxiety needs.
- Reviews
User reviews are not always accurate, but they give you a hint of how an app is like.
- Compliance to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
An anxiety app, just like any other digital health tool, should comply with the HIPAA guidelines. This guarantees that your personal information and data has been protected during and after using the app.
In Summary
At least one out of every five adults in the US is affected by an anxiety disorder. This is as a result of such factors as stressful events, medicinal side-effects, genetical inheritance, and drug abuse. The good news is that anxiety disorders and attacks are treatable. Treatment of anxiety disorders can be done in various forms, including the use of anxiety apps. Such apps provide you with therapy guides, psychotherapy treatments, exercise guides, and insomnia treatment. While there is no substitution to consulting a specialist for anxiety treatment, an anxiety app helps in curbing the symptoms.