Though it is usually associated with children, separation anxiety can severely cause distress and impairment in daily adult life. Learning how to fix separation anxiety in adults is important not only for a person who suffers from such anxiety but also for one’s loved one who wishes to offer support for the same.
Herein, we look at some effective ways to handle and overcome separation anxiety with suggestions that help reinstate control over life.
Understanding Separation Anxiety in Grown-ups
Adult SAD describes excessive and unreasonable fear or anxiety about separation from major attachment figures, usually partners, family members, or close friends.
The associated anxiety manifests as unduly persistent preoccupation with the loved one’s safety, panic related to anticipated separation, and somatic complaints, such as headaches or stomachaches.
Is Separation Anxiety Normal?
It is important to recognise that separation anxiety in relationships, to some degree, is normal.
However, when feelings of separation anxiety overwhelm the individual and become severe enough to cause impairments in daily functioning-like avoiding work or social activities could be an indication of a disorder that requires attention.
Key Symptoms and Signs of Separation Anxiety among Adults
One can manage to inform whether they are suffering from separation anxiety by merely identifying the signs and symptoms that characterize this condition. Symptoms that one is likely to experience include:
– Intense fear of losing a loved one: Constantly worrying about what might happen if you are apart.
Physical symptoms: Headaches, stomachaches, or other physical complaints when anticipating separation.
– Avoidant behaviours: These people go to the extent of avoiding situations that may further cause separation, such as not accepting a job opportunity just because one needs to travel.
– Sleeping Alone is Difficult: Feeling anxious or restless when sleeping away from a partner or family member.
– CLINGINESS: Exhibiting excessive neediness or attachment to loved ones.
Beyond Separation Anxiety in Adults-the Proven Steps to Fix It
Step 1: Acknowledge Your Feelings
The first step toward tackling separation anxiety involves acknowledging your feelings. Accept that it’s okay to feel anxious due to the thought of being separated from loved ones.
You can’t manufacture or develop emotions into positive feelings; it is crucial to acknowledge such feelings to understand and handle them correctly.
Step 2: Understanding Separation Anxiety
Understanding separation anxiety will help the person better understand a lot of things and bring less mystery to the experience.
Educate yourself about the symptoms, triggers, and underlying causes of anxiety. Knowledge empowers you to take initiative in managing your condition.
Step 3: Seek Professional Help
If separation anxiety is seriously affecting your life, then seeking professional help from a medical expert becomes imperative. Here are some useful therapeutic approaches:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Perhaps one of the most effective ways to deal with separation anxiety is cognitive behavioural therapy commonly known as CBT.
This is a form of therapy that focuses on understanding and challenging the negative thought patterns that support anxiety.
During the Cognitive Behavioral Treatment process, you will explore coping strategies and techniques to handle your fears.
Exposure Therapy
In exposure therapy, one is gradually exposed to the situations that trigger this anxiety while learning to cope with the discomfort. This procedure makes one gradually get ‘desensitized’ to fear of separation.
Family Therapy
If your separation anxiety affects the dynamics of your family, then family therapy can be a benefit. This approach allows the family to learn supportive skills and understanding about anxiety.
Step 4 Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
Mindfulness and relaxation practices help to minimize the physical symptoms of anxiety and reduce overall levels of stress. Consider trying some of the following:
– Deep Breathing Exercises: Proper deep, slow breaths calm your nervous system. Try to breathe in deeply through your nose for four counts, hold for four counts, and breathe out slowly through your mouth for four counts.
– Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This exercise involves tensing, and then relaxing, each muscle group of the body to release physical tension related to anxiety.
– Mindfulness Meditation: One can practice mindfulness to be grounded in the moment and reduce rumination on the past or worries about the future.
Step 5: Instituting Lifestyle Changes
The following are some of the lifestyle modifications which may also help in the management of separation anxiety:
– Regular Exercise: There is evidence that physical activity decreases the level of stress and anxiety. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.
– Healthy diet: A balanced diet adequate in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can support general mental health. Avoid excessive caffeine and sugar, which can increase the symptoms.
-Sleep Hygiene: Making sleep a priority is important in anxiety management. Establish a normal sleep pattern by retiring to bed and rising at the same time each day.
Step 6: Develop Coping Strategies
Coping strategies are the tools that help in handling anxiety when it arises. Some of the techniques that do work include:
Grounding Techniques
People find grounding techniques helpful when anxious thoughts overwhelm them and bring them into the present. Finally, one of the main techniques taught is the “5-4-3-2-1” technique:
- Identify 5 things you can see
- Identify 4 things you can touch
- Identify 3 things you can hear
- Identify 2 smells you can smell
- Identify 1 thing you can taste
The exercise focuses on shifting your attention away from anxious thoughts while engaging your senses.
Journaling
Writing in a journal can clarify things and bring relief after an overwhelming feeling has risen. One can practice journaling in order to let themselves express emotions with no censorship.
Step 7: Assembling a Support Network
Having a support system is very important when one is facing anxiety that is related to separation:
-Communicate Openly: Share your experience with some trusted friends or family members who can relate to what you are going through. Openness creates bonding and a lack of isolation.
–Join Support Groups: You can join support groups: Joining the ranks of people who have gone through some form of separation anxiety will help. It is comforting for anyone to be around others who understand their problems and will encourage them.
Conclusion
The measures for separation anxiety in adults will be multidimensional: recognizing one’s feelings, seeking professional help, putting into practice various mindfulness techniques, implementing lifestyle modifications, developing coping strategies, and building a support network.
Recovery takes time: have patience with yourself to navigate this journey back toward being in control of your life.
If you or someone close to you is experiencing a separation anxiety disorder, remember that help is at hand. How to fix separation anxiety in adults is an empowering choice to take steps toward healing and living more in balance.