Anxiety Counseling
Maybe you find yourself playing a never-ending game of “what if'” ____ goes wrong. No amount of reassurance from friends can help shake this feeling that something bad may happen if you are not 100% prepared. Maybe it’s starting to keep you up at night and you’re noticing more tension in your body. Anxiety can make us feel like we are out of control, but you can take your power back.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a common human emotion that originated as a way of keeping us safe. If we felt anxious about a spider who appeared to be a threat, anxiety would tell us to move a safe distance away to avoid being bitten. As we’ve evolved, our anxieties have too, now we usually worry about things like that upcoming work deadline, relationships, and how we are showing up as humans overall.
Anxiety can become problematic when it feels out of our control and consistently takes us out of the present moment and into worrying about the future or past. Sometimes, feelings of anxiety escalate into anxiety attacks which can disrupt our lives and make us feel like we have no control over our bodies. This can make it difficult to sleep, relax, and connect with others. For some, anxiety shows up as personality traits of people pleasing and perfectionism. For instance, saying yes when you really mean no and consistently putting your needs last.
As an anxiety therapist who has struggled with anxiety herself, I have firsthand insights to best help you. Above all else, I am dedicated to exploring your unique symptoms so you can get the relief you deserve. Below are a few common traits I see when helping clients work through anxiety.
- Thinking of the worst-case scenario and believing it will happen
- Procrastinating tasks because you feel like you won’t do them perfectly
- Struggling to set boundaries because they feel mean
- Physical symptoms like heart racing, chest pain, unexplained stomach pains
- You think “what’s the point in doing anything if I’m not going to get it 100% right?”
- Past mistakes are difficult for you to move on from and involve lots of internal shame
- Feeling stuck on repetitive negative thoughts
How counseling for anxiety can help
I believe each person’s relationship with anxiety is unique. Therefore, we will work to understand how your anxiety is showing up in your day-to-day life and begin implementing tools to provide you with immediate relief. I use evidence-based practices to achieve this like mindfulness based self- compassion and dialectical behavior therapy. Some common themes in these practices are
- Learning to be less judgmental towards yourself, your emotions and others
- Acceptance skills over things outside of our control
- Increasing awareness of how our emotions show up physically and mentally so we can respond in a more effective way.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Anxiety
Should I see a therapist for my anxiety or can I manage it with family and friends?
I believe you are the expert of your life and know if going to family and friends for support is helping you recover from your anxiety symptoms. Sometimes family and friends do not understand the challenges of living with anxiety and may give invalidating feedback that they believe is helpful but may actually make you feel worse. My favorite line is, “just stop worrying about it”. If it were that simple, we would’ve eradicated anxiety a long time ago! Working with an anxiety specialist who really understands the ins and outs of what you’re going through can help save you time and effort of treating your anxiety through the DIY method.
Do I need to take medicine for my anxiety?
Research suggests the best method for treating anxiety is through medicine and talk therapy combined. While medicine can help, it will not make all issues go away overnight. I will support you with what works best for you, whether medicine is a part of that conversation or not.
Can I recover from anxiety?
I believe recovery from anxiety symptoms is possible. I use treatments that have been researched and shown to be effective for treating anxiety such as: