The Benefits of Group Therapy for Anxiety and Stress
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety affects 40 million adults. That’s in the United States alone. However, only 36.9% seek help for it. We then need to question how accurate that reported percentage is, considering many do not seek help or speak up about it. Why? Society places so much stigma on anxiety and mental health issues that those who suffer with it, feel the need to suffer in isolation.
When anxiety is left untreated, symptoms can continue to cause distress and affect other areas of people’s lives. Anxiety and stress can cause symptoms such as fatigue, feeling on edge, issues with concentrating, muscle tension, headaches, irritability and mood issues, sleep disturbances, and even gastrointestinal issues and more. Those who struggle with anxiety and stress have an increased risk of experiencing physical health conditions. It is equally important that we take care of our mental health as we do our physical health.
Seeking help with a mental health professional can greatly help individuals learn to cope and develop skills to help manage stress and anxiety. However, group therapy in addition to individual therapy provides the critical and unique benefits of groups.
Connectivity: “I feel so alone, no one understands me, I have nobody I can trust or talk to”. Have you had some of these common feelings? While having a therapist provides a safe environment to talk, share, and connect with someone, group therapy offers peer support. In a group setting, with others who share similar feelings and struggles, we feel a sense of connectivity which helps us feel less isolated and alone. Having the opportunity to listen, share, and relate with peers in the group can greatly benefit folks in feeling connected. You might even make a friend!
Normalize: “I’m not normal, I must be crazy or weak”. Do these labels people place on themselves sound familiar to you? While a therapist can offer you words of assurance that your feelings are not uncommon, weird, or abnormal, the benefit of being a part of a group helps normalize our feelings and issues. Although many struggle in silence out in the world, it can cause many to feel alone as if they are the only one. Being in a group where our feelings and symptoms are the norm can be helpful.
Self-Esteem: “I’m helpless, and can’t cope with my own feelings, I have nothing to offer others!” Do you relate to similar feelings? Often in group therapy, people can share and even help others. Getting feedback of how we are helping our peers provides folks with a feeling of being helpful, useful, and feels good! This can help increase how we feel about ourselves.
Knowledge: “I don’t know what to do or how to feel better!” Do you feel lost in understanding how you’ve become to feel and respond to anxiety and stress this way, as well as how to change it? Not only does group therapy professionals provide us with tools and knowledge to help cope with our issues by exploring our thoughts and how we respond to them, but learning from others’ experiences and sharing healthy skills and an understanding of anxiety issues can provide folks with helpful insights.
Decrease Stress: “I’m overwhelmed and feel I have no one to talk to.” Do you carry the burden of your anxiety or stress alone? It can be stressful to carry the burden of our own anxieties and stress alone. A group dedicated to anxiety and stress, can help provide a safe space to share and release some of the stresses we carry within us. Sometimes, simply being able to talk and be heard can help alleviate what’s been weighing on our mind and in our hearts.
Affordable: “I’m not able to afford individual, or both individual and group therapy”. Group therapy tends to be less expensive than individual sessions. While it’s optimal to utilize group and individual therapy collaboratively, if finances are an issue, group therapy may be more the realistic choice at times.
You may not need this information, but you probably know someone who does. CalmingCottageCounseling offers online, effective and affordable individual counseling, relationship counseling, family counseling, and group therapy in New York.
Natalie Gerlinsky, M.A, CMHC-LP, NCC