Anxiety Therapy

Is Anxiety Taking Over Your Life?

Have you stopped engaging in activities that you used to enjoy?

Are you beginning to doubt yourself and what you can accomplish?

Do you consistently experience stress when faced with the smallest of obstacles?

Perhaps you notice feeling on edge more often or maybe you are having difficulty concentrating as if your mind is going blank.

You might be dealing with fatigue more often. No matter how much sleep you get, it just doesn’t seem like it is enough. Alternatively, you may not be sleeping very well at night, causing you to feel groggy and irritable the next day.

Anxiety Presents Itself In Many Ways

For instance, maybe you are experiencing physical symptoms, such as a racing heart or difficulty breathing. Maybe you are noticing that your heart rate increases without explanation. Or, you might feel sweaty despite not being physically active at that moment. And no matter what you try to do, your muscles constantly seem tense and sore.

Anxiety symptoms can be distressing, but they don’t have to dictate your life. Through the process of therapy, you can have more energy, feel calmer, and increase your ability to focus throughout the day.

Anxiety is An Alarmingly Common Mental Health Concern

Anxiety is a natural biological response, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Anxiety gives us the boost we need to motivate, care for, and even protect ourselves. However, when fear, self-doubt, or worry becomes severe or chronic, it can have major impacts on an individual’s quality of life.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, diagnoses for anxiety disorders increased throughout the United States. According to the CDC, “during August 2020-February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4 percent to 41.5 percent.”

Overcoming Anxiety Is Not Easy

Despite how common they are, anxiety disorders are not normalized within many parts of our culture. And though mental health awareness is growing, certain cultural norms still attach a stigma to the idea of vulnerability.

The resulting pressure to fit in with mainstream society can prevent many from seeking help for their anxiety disorders. Before they get therapy for anxiety, it is common for most people to assume it will go away or get better over time. With the intention of overcoming anxiety symptoms, many will rely on drugs, alcohol, or other unhelpful coping mechanisms to alleviate their pain. Turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms can worsen the feelings of distress.

You don’t have to continue to suffer and feel alone in this struggle. Working with a therapist and receiving therapy for anxiety can help you regain control of your emotions and your life.

Anxiety Therapy Can Improve The Way You Think And Feel

It is common to want to try and fix problems on your own because of the fear you have of opening up about your struggles. Therapy gives you a safe space to share your story and explore the underlying causes, core belief systems, and issues that contribute to anxiety. Identifying what contributes to the worry, instead of focusing on the symptoms, can help address problems at their source.

Talking about the cause of anxiety symptoms can help ease distressing thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. You will likely find that you will start a session feeling anxious and end it with almost no symptoms.

Counseling for anxiety can teach you to recognize and counter your symptoms before they spiral out of control. There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to the treatment of anxiety symptoms. Working with an anxiety therapist can help guide you to heal and regulate emotions in ways designed to work specifically for you.

What You Can Expect From Therapy For Anxiety

Our first session is called the “intake session.” During this session, I will ask a number of questions about your presenting problems and personal history. We will also discuss what goals you want to achieve from therapy. This process allows me to gain a better understanding of you, your current lifestyle, and anything you do to cope with your problems.

This first session allows me to gain a better picture of your life experiences, personality, and the struggles you are facing. You can discuss what you want to achieve from therapy and your goals. From there, we will formulate a treatment plan to help you begin healing.

In therapy, there are no limits to what you can discuss, it is a safe, judgment-free space. I have a collaborative and engaging style as a therapist. We are all unique and come from different backgrounds, and I always want to ensure that you know you are more than just a client to me. You are someone that I want to see thrive and live free from the anxiety that has shadowed your life.

How I Help Clients Heal And Manage Their Anxiety

Every person is unique and will respond differently to therapy techniques. That’s why I use a multi-faceted approach for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Depending on the progress we make, we may shift from one therapeutic method to another until we find what will work best for you.

For example, I may use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is a therapeutic approach that looks at how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. This is useful for the treatment of anxiety because it gives you a chance to see how each of these areas can contribute to distress, and it will enable you to make conscious change.

Alternatively, we may find that using mindfulness techniques, such as breathwork or meditation, is a more powerful way to find relief from anxiety. If you enjoy writing, you can journal in between sessions, which allows for personal exploration, growth, and maintenance of ongoing anxiety symptoms. In sessions or emails, you are always free to share what is going through your mind.

My favorite metaphor related to anxiety is learning how to surf. If anxiety is the ocean, and we feel like we are drowning in it, therapy is the surfboard, and your therapist is the instructor who is simply teaching you how to ride the waves.

Yes, you may fall off a few times, and you might be learning new skills that require practice, but you can and will learn to ride the waves!

You May Still Have Concerns About Anxiety Therapy

How long will it take for me to see improvement?

Everybody is different, and there is no way of knowing how long counseling will take. Several factors contribute to the duration of therapy, including the severity of symptoms, how much anxiety affects a client’s life, and their level of motivation and communication with their therapist. However, most people report improvement within three months.

Do you recommend supplements or medications for anxiety?

I am not a medical doctor and cannot write you a prescription for medication. I can help with referrals to an MD who can prescribe medication if we both believe you are a good candidate for medication management. That said, therapy has no side effects, it is more sustainable, and it heals the original wound rather than applying a pharmaceutical bandaid to it.

Do you work with children who experience anxiety?

I have an extensive background and training in children’s mental health, so I am certainly qualified and happy to work with kids. While treating children, I typically include family therapy as issues presented may require family involvement for the best treatment outcomes.

You Can Live A Life Without Overwhelming Anxiety

Learning to manage anxiety is possible, and with the right help, you can find relief that will be a permanent fixture in your life. If you are ready to begin, I am here to support you. I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation and can be reached through phone or email.