Although there are a multitude of studies that boast the benefits of solitude, it is highly common for people to feel anxious about being alone. The medical definition of anxiety provided in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physical signs (such as tension, sweating, and increased pulse rate), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.” Loneliness can be challenging and trigger anxiety. Fortunately, there are ways to help increase your tolerance for being alone, some of which include the following suggestions:
- Challenge your negative, unwanted thoughts: Identify the anxious thoughts that surface when you think of being alone, analyze them, and challenge them to discern if your initial reaction is truly how you feel or if you are just assuming the worst.
- Prioritize your health: Taking care of your body can improve your mental and physical health. Be sure to exercise regularly, obtain ample nightly sleep, eat nutritiously, stay hydrated, etc.
- Explore different relaxation tactics: Try different mindfulness exercises like yoga or meditation. Research has found that meditation can help lower blood pressure, reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, improve insomnia, and more.
- Acknowledge that you are experiencing heavy emotions: By recognizing, acknowledging, and naming your negative emotions you can begin to face them, feel them, and let them go.
- Have a plan to deescalate and ground yourself: Identifying ways that make you feel safe, secure, and calm, and implementing them in times of need, can help increase your resilience.
- Capitalize on the benefits of being alone: Being able to sit with your thoughts, fears, anxiety, hopes, dreams, and all the other emotions that may arise while spending time alone will build your mental strength. Studies show the ability to tolerate alone time has been linked to increased happiness, greater life satisfaction, and improved stress management.
- Do not be afraid to ask for help: Recognize when you need additional support and do not hesitate to pursue professional guidance.
While fleeting anxiety is unavoidable, it is not healthy for an individual to experience persistent and debilitating symptoms of anxiety. An individual may be struggling with an anxiety disorder when pervasive anxiety interferes with his or her ability to function in daily life. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) asserts: “Anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions, each having unique symptoms. However, all anxiety disorders have one thing in common: persistent, excessive fear or worry in situations that are not threatening.” Though not explicitly recognized as a phobic disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), mental health professionals refer to the specific phobia of isolation as autophobia, monophobia, or eremophobia. This is a serious mental health condition that requires professional treatment.
Treatment In Calabasas
Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.
