Anxiety Treatment
Do You Lay Awake At Night Worrying About What If?
When you are anxious, do you try to avoid or fight it?
Are you having difficulties focusing on tasks that need to be done?
Do you feel like you are the only one who experiences anxiety and that something is wrong with you?
When you are with friends/family, is it difficult to be present with them?
Does your anxiety about failing, prevent you from doing what you really want to do?
Anxiety can feel painful and uncomfortable at times and can paralyze and prevent you from doing things you want to do. Your body may have a difficult time relaxing and your mind struggles to be in the present moment. Constantly tense and expecting the worst from people and situations is a feeling you may know all too well. Judging yourself harshly for feeling anxious and trying to avoid it may seem like second nature instead of sitting with it and being kind to yourself. Do these anxiety symptoms sound familiar to you?
When you feel anxious and try to avoid it, you may temporarily feel relieved. Thinking about something else or doing an activity gets you away from feeling the anxiety. You tell yourself that you can control your thinking by telling your brain to stop thinking about it. However, your brain registers that as a “no can do” which actually increases your anxiety.
Worry is another thing that you may experience regularly. Others tell you to “relax” and stop worrying because everything will be okay, however, that doesn’t help. Even though they are trying to help, you may feel disregarded or may even begin to question and judge yourself because you can’t stop worrying.
Comparing yourself to others who appear to be calm and carefree, you may ultimately feel alone and ashamed. There is hope, working with a caring therapist who understands you, the loneliness and shame you feel regarding your anxiety, will begin to loosen its power over you.
Everyone Experiences Anxiety
We all experience anxiety in our lives at some point. Anxiety is a common reaction to stressful situations such as taking an exam, going on a first date, or giving a presentation at work. As an important evolutionary emotion, anxiety has kept people safe from predators, physical harm and death. Our awareness that something is not right in our environment and to respond accordingly, is a signal of anxiety.
It is common to try to avoid feeling anxious because it feels uncomfortable, and who wants to feel discomfort? Many times, we perceive the discomfort as danger and our fight/flight response kicks in. Unfortunately, the more we avoid or fight the anxiety, the more our physical symptoms and worry increase, and our confidence in our ability to cope with the anxiety decreases.
According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America (adaa.org), more than 40 million adults are affected by anxiety disorders. Specifically, 6.8 million are affected by Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with only 43.2 percent receiving treatment.[1] It is common for individuals who experience generalized anxiety to worry constantly and have difficulties staying in the present moment. Individuals start to worry about their worries, further amplifying the situation.
When anxiety affects our lives in negative ways with relationships, jobs, school and health it is time to look at our relationship with anxiety with curiosity and compassion. It can be scary to acknowledge you are experiencing anxiety and that you may need help.
I totally understand, however, I want you to know that you are not alone with your experience with anxiety. Anxiety treatment can help you with symptoms of anxiety, increase your confidence in coping with anxiety and not feel alone.
Therapy Can Help You Work with Your Anxiety
Instead of Avoiding it
My anxiety treatment approach is focused on how you can work with it instead of avoiding it. I am a compassionate therapist who understands coping with anxiety can feel intimidating or impossible at times, and I provide an environment in which you feel safe to explore it.
According to mayoclinic.org, psychotherapy is one of the treatments that has been found to be effective for treating individuals with generalized anxiety disorder[2]. You will learn coping skills when feeling anxious so you don’t avoid it by realizing that anxiety is not a threat, even though at times, it may feel very intense. Creating awareness of your automatic thoughts and exploring them in a nonjudgmental way is an important part of our work together. My ultimate goal for you is to empower you with the tools to work with your anxiety and to feel confident and capable.
You and I will explore the fears underneath the anxiety, by looking at your personal history, life events and facilitate healing from the pain. Learning what you need in that moment when feeling anxious and providing that for yourself, is one of the ways I include self-compassion into our sessions. In our time together, I integrate techniques to help calm your nervous system, such as breathing exercises, naming the anxiety, and being in the present moment which are beneficial when working with anxiety.
Collaborating, we will explore what works for you. In my anxiety treatment, I incorporate different techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). CBT explores and identifies thoughts and behaviors. ACT utilizes the acceptance of thoughts and feelings, identifies values, and the importance of taking action. MSC promotes being in the present moment, self-kindness and common humanity. I believe utilizing all the therapies provides a well-rounded approach to working with anxiety.
There is, absolutely, hope in dealing with anxiety.
I have experienced generalized anxiety disorder through my own life journey. As anxiety began to affect my life in negative ways, I realized that I needed support on how to cope with it. Anxiety treatment was a critical part of learning how to deal with my anxiety. I continue to practice what I have learned and to be gentle on myself when I feel anxious.
Anxiety is a common part of life, however, when it is intruding in your life and you feel overwhelmed, it is important to seek out support. I am here for you and would be honored to walk with you on your journey with anxiety.
Not sure if you want to do anxiety therapy?
-
I understand your concern about cost. Anxiety therapy is an investment in yourself. Learning coping skills to deal with anxiety will help you for your entire life. Working with me provides a safe environment for you to explore your anxiety and to be vulnerable with a person who is unbiased and nonjudgmental.
-
I get it, anxiety can feel uncomfortable and unnecessary however is a universal emotion and is important to protect us from danger. The more you explore and learn coping skills to work with anxiety, the less power it has to affect you in negative ways.
-
Shame is a painful feeling; and when you feel it, you may think you are flawed and incapable of being helped with your anxiety. You are not alone in your experience with anxiety, and yes, absolutely, I can help you by learning coping skills in a safe and caring environment.
You Can Loosen the Grip of Anxiety
There is hope. You can navigate through life without anxiety controlling you. If you would like to schedule an appointment or have any questions about anxiety treatment, please get in touch today.
Relevant Blog Posts
Blog
