Prepared by: Jelena Jevtović, psychologist and DPST counselor
December 26, 2022
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is experienced by most people and can be described as free-floating fear, apprehension about the future, anticipation that something bad will happen, phobias, irrational fears, or a more intense and frequent reaction than usual. If anxiety is frequent and limiting, if it interferes with daily functioning and causes a decline in quality of life, professional help should be sought.
How is anxiety related to HIV?
Knowing that a person has HIV often leads to anxiety, because they are faced with a new situation to which they must adapt. Anxiety can be associated with certain situations, such as going to an infectious disease specialist, waiting for results, taking therapy, testing, traveling, and it can happen without a trigger.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Shortness of breath, sweaty palms, rapid heart rate, tremors, nervousness, headache, lack of concentration, irritability, tearfulness, tension, black thoughts and diarrhea – all can be symptoms of anxiety that are misinterpreted as other health problems/disorders. Anxiety is often accompanied by depression.
Can the cause of anxiety be fear of the unknown?
Good information and advice on how to approach difficulties can help reduce anxiety. Talking to close people, or to someone who shares the same problem (such are peer counselors) is extremely important for mental health.
What should I do first in an anxiety attack?
There are techniques that can help control anxiety. For example, the “333” technique dictates that at the time of a panic attack you should find and identify 3 things you can see, 3 things you can hear, and 3 things you can touch. It should not be forgotten that the techniques are first aid, and that for a long-lasting effect, counseling and psychotherapy should be considered.
How does psychotherapy help with anxiety?
Psychotherapy helps to better understand the causes of anxiety: maintenance, reinforcement, triggers, maladaptive coping mechanisms, as well as what helps you feel better. It then provides information and support from the therapist in overcoming difficulties and, if necessary, medication to reduce the intensity of symptoms.
Is psychotherapy enough?
You should combine different types of help – techniques, psychotherapy, medications, massages, sports, healthy diet, enough sleep, relaxation, aromatherapy, acupuncture, etc. You should also avoid caffeine, cigarettes and other central nervous system stimulants, as well as depressants (such as alcohol and other psychoactive substances). If medications are recommended and you decide on that type of therapy, you should consult with an infectious disease specialist to check for potential drug interactions.
What else can help?
Writing down thoughts allows us to see them logically (e.g. someone, due to the fear of their positive HIV status, will become obsessed with thoughts of death, of therapy no working, of medication shortage, or of public exposure of their status). After we write down every negative thought we have, we can validate their truth. For example, out thought is: Everyone can see that I have HIV. We write it down and then ask: Why? Did someone really give me a weird look and if so, was it really because they thought I had HIV? How do people with HIV look different from people without HIV? Or: The therapy doesn’t work. Do I go for regular check-ups? Do I have an objective indicator that the therapy is not working? How do I feel? Writing down thoughts gives us a greater sense of control, because we know what we’ve been thinking. We haven’t given those thoughts unconditional power over us, we’ve questioned their credibility.
Planning enjoyable activities means that every day there should be time just for you when you do what makes you feel good. Also, after doing less pleasant things, it is an obligation to take a break, reward yourself and leave enough time for rest and sleep. The reward should also follow when successful steps are taken towards overcoming anxiety. (After going to the infectious disease specialist, I will go for my favorite cake).
By establishing a hierarchy of worries through a scale of worry that goes from low to high intensity, the first step in controlling the focus of our thoughts, feelings and anxieties is to clarify them. First of all, write down everything you are worried about. Then create a hierarchy starting with what you consider small problems, ending with the ones that paralyze you the most. Once you have established the hierarchy, think about each point. For example: Am I more worried about running out of medication than being seen as having HIV. Try to find solutions for each problem. It may be easier to solve the easier problems first, because you will feel better and more confident that you have fewer obstacles and that you have shown yourself you can do it.