Is Anxiety Getting The Best of You?
Are you worried about what tomorrow holds? Do you day-in and day-out juggle multiple demands in your life, only to try feverishly to keep each ball in the air? Has the COVID-19 pandemic left you feeling isolated, disconnected, and uneasy?
Long-term anxiety can show itself in different ways in your life. Perhaps you’ve been consistently placing other people’s needs before your own. Or you may feel like you’re swimming in your thoughts, always trying to keep your head above water.
Maybe you feel sluggish in the mornings and don’t have the strength to coax yourself out of bed. You may have trouble sleeping and are anxious because you’re not performing as well as you usually do at work. Or perhaps you’ve had to work remotely due to COVID-19 and are still trying to acclimate to a new, at-home or out-of-office environment. As a result of all this stress, you are not as engaged in the lives of loved ones because you’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other.
Whatever the reason(s), stress, and anxiety can be complicated. These experiences might seem small at first, but eventually, each can start to influence your life. After all, the body keeps score. And what you feel can often show itself in what you do.
According to some studies, being frequently stressed and anxious can negatively affect your health and could increase your risk of heart disease. Before you know it, stress and anxiety can get the best of you, and you may find yourself losing control over your life(1).
Perhaps you’re considering anxiety treatment to help you regain that control and find peace of mind. And I would like to be your therapeutic guide.
You’re Not Alone—Many Americans Experience Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are feelings we all experience. Some 40 million people in the United States deal with anxiety disorders each year. That’s a good chunk of the population—eighteen percent, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America(2).
Some levels of anxiety are normal. Many of us feel anxious on a first date, an interview, or a final exam. We also experience it when our body kicks into fight-or-flight mode because we sense danger—an environmental threat to our safety.
However, anxiety becomes dangerous when we experience it consistently. Long-term exposure to stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can disrupt the way our bodies normally function. And eventually, our physiology will react to the increased release of stress hormones.
It might be surprising how experiences—normal and not—in our daily lives are the source of these emotions. Stress at school. Stress at work. The COVID-19 pandemic. A rough patch with a partner or kids. Trauma. Health.
But you’re not alone with these challenges.
It’s challenging to face stress and anxiety all by yourself. If you’ve tried and you’re visiting this page now, chances are that you’re looking for help to overcome the challenges anxiety has put in your way.
Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Heal Yourself
Many people might not be aware of the times they think, feel, and behave in an overly-anxious mindset. Often, they believe that anxiety is normal, or they might not have the support system to help them find balance. Some also think that anxiety is something that disappears by itself or with time. But anxiety disorders are real medical ailments that require professional help.
I have been a therapist since 2005, and I have seen the benefits of therapy for anxiety and how it has helped my clients face obstacles in their lives and to come out on the other side better and more improved as individuals.
From our very first session, I’ll create a welcoming and compassionate environment. We will work together to help you build skills that you can use daily in your interactions, to improve your approach to life, and to lower your levels of stress and anxiety. With the right approach, I believe that anxiety therapy can help you tap into the innate ability to heal yourself.
In our sessions, we will work together to understand your anxiety and stress symptoms and how they affect your life. I will also help you develop a personalized set of strategies to apply to yourself using writing exercises, body awareness techniques, and guided visualization. Through body awareness (also called somatic awareness), you can learn how anxiety and stress physically manifest themselves, how the sympathetic nervous system is triggered, where you hold this anxiety in your body, and how to use techniques to release it.
Anxiety treatment is not just about talk therapy; it also utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy strategies such as journaling about cognitive beliefs, practicing relaxation techniques, tapping into awareness of the fight-or-flight response, and self-care. Visualization techniques, for example, allow you to revisit memories to release you of their shackles and use the power you have to create mental pictures of what your life looks like stress- and anxiety-free. EMDR—a technique based on the theory that trauma overwhelms the brain and is never fully processed; as a result causing symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief, and somatic distress. EMDR bilateral stimulation helps the brain reprocess distressing experiences, which then reduces symptoms of anxiety.
It might be difficult to imagine a reality where you carry less anxiety and stress with you wherever you go. You might not know a different truth. But it is possible to overcome difficult experiences to feel calmer and more joy in your life. Treatment for anxiety can be the bridge that helps you get from where you are to where you want to be. And I can be the partner that doesn’t judge you, accepts your journey, and takes your hand to help you get through the challenging parts.
While I am the anxiety counselor, guiding you through, it is you who actually learns to heal yourself. I am simply the professional who has the education and tools to help you get there. If you are looking for a holistic approach that includes all of who you are—your mind, body, and spirit, the professional and the personal—then I’d love to work with you.
But you may still have questions
about anxiety treatment…
I don’t have the time.
This is a valid concern because fitting in an anxiety treatment session into an already busy schedule can be difficult for many.However, we can collaborate to find an availability that works for you. It might take looking at each of our schedules to find a best-fit availability, or even considering the option of teletherapy. I offer both online and in-office sessions for anxiety therapy.
I’m worried that people will think I’m crazy for seeing an anxiety therapist.
Yes, it sometimes feels this way, but the opposite is true. By finding the courage and vulnerability to seek out therapy for anxiety, you have already started the process of healing.
I feel guilty admitting I have a problem.
Letting ourselves be vulnerable can, at times, make us feel uneasy. However, you are brave for taking the first step to address issues that many people stuff inside until they explode. By acknowledging your challenges, you have set the stage to heal your anxiety. In therapy, we will work together to help you develop a calmer state of mind that can approach challenges from a healthier perspective.
Are You Ready To Access The Tools To Heal Yourself?
If you want to see yourself in a more focused, even-keel, calmer place—in your personal life, at work, or at school—working with an anxiety counselor is the first step. I invite you to contact me for a free, 15-minute phone consultation. Or you can email me (through the website contact form or email address) to set up an appointment.
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1 https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/news/20100623/anxiety-may-increase-risk-of-heart-disease#1
2 https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics