Exhibition #8- A Grant Proposal (2)

Overcoming Anxiety:

A Holistic and All-Natural Approach to Taking Control

of Our Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Welfare

Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States with 19.1 million of the adult US population from ages 18-54 being affected¹.  The anxiety manifests itself in different forms and affects everyone differently on a case-by-case basis, prompting the formation of several different subcategories of anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD).  Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is the most common, affecting approximately 4 million people in the United States, and is also the easiest to treat without pharmaceuticals. 

While many people rely on prescription medications to control their symptoms and provide relief, others are beginning to explore the possibility of a different kind of treatment: combination therapy.  This type of treatment is gaining notoriety because, in the increasingly health-conscious world we live in, people are focusing more on a holistic and all-natural approach to physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. A combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, cutting-edge relaxation techniques, and homeopathic remedies, are not only giving people relief from the debilitating symptoms of anxiety but giving them a renewed outlook on life and ultimately a reason to smile.

Due to the nature of GAD, it can be difficult to differentiate a true anxiety disorder from the normal stresses of daily life. Our bodies are naturally equipped to deal with anxiety when we feel tense, scared, when we are under pressure, or facing a stressful situation². However, when these anxieties begin to persist and interfere with our day-to-day lives, it becomes an issue, often times leading to depression or other related disorders.

In my report I plan to address the growing number of people being diagnosed with GAD, provide some background on the cluster of disorders, what the symptoms are, what treatment options are available (pharmaceuticals vs complementary techniques/counseling), and discuss the benefits of managing anxiety using a holistic and natural approach (exercise, breathing techniques, homeopathic remedies, and self help/self talk). 

The report will be a collection of anxiety facts and statistics in addition to concentrating on defining key terms associated with Anxiety Disorders, discussing the treatment options and success rates, introducing new holistic and organic ways of managing stress and anxiety, and helping my audience determine the type of treatment that would be most helpful in their life management.  I plan to build the report in a way that will provide necessary and up-to-date clinical, complementary, and professional counseling information, the approaches used by each, and the type of patient that can benefit from the various techniques.

I’d like to give my report an interactive component by using a psychological anxiety evaluation test comprised of approximately 12-15 questions used in many primary care medical offices to help gauge the level and severity of the patient’s anxieties. I also plan on using some graphics depicting people and anxiety-provoking situations to give the report a personal-relational element that I think will also draw the audience in. I am also considering creating a custom table or chart showing the homeopathic remedies and the corresponding symptoms they alleviate.  I’ve included some rough ideas that I will be tailoring as my report takes shape below.