Counseling for Anxiety
“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” - C. H. Spurgeon
Do you feel constantly worried, and that no matter what you do, you cannot get control of your stress? Are you overwhelmed or anxious in social situations, with family, at work?
Anxiety disorders involve worrying constantly and to an excessive degree about a range of topics, activities, situations. Anxiety is based in our basic need to create safety and protect ourselves, but with anxiety there is usually uncertainty – there is no clear and imminent danger, but we still feel afraid or apprehensive. For short periods of time, anxiety can be helpful to be more attuned to our environment and relationships, achieve goals, help us get through novel or challenging situations – but when anxiety becomes chronic or intense, it can become harmful rather than beneficial.
Anxiety can be experienced in both the brain and the body – do you feel that you cannot turn off the voice in your head, and it says things like “what if this happens…” or “I should have done or said this…” or “what if they are mad or disappointed”? Or do you feel that your heart races, your chest is tight, feeling “panicky” – that you can rarely relax?
Some symptoms of anxiety are:
Nervousness, restlessness, feeling tense
Fatigue and weakness
Rapid breathing, heart rate, sweating
Trouble concentrating, zoning out, feeling “blank”
Feeling irritable, less patient with yourself or others
Feeling you need to be constantly reassured by others
Difficulty in falling or staying asleep
Changes in eating and appetite
Anxiety is a normal part of life, but if you feel worried all of the time, it can negatively impact your day-to-day life, relationships, work.
Anxiety disorders can present in a lot of different ways, however therapy has been shown to be the most effective treatment for anxiety, as it addresses the cognitive, behavioral, and affective pieces of anxiety. In therapy, I can help you identify the underlying causes of your anxiety, explore ways to challenge anxious thoughts, and identify positive coping strategies.
If you are looking to work on your anxiety, please click below to get in touch with me.
Reasons clients come to see me.
Self-Esteem
If you struggle with feelings of self-worth or confidence, therapy can be a place to work on self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to your beliefs about yourself, how you believe others perceive you, your estimation of your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. The combination of these variables can create your overall sense of self-worth. Self-esteem is not just liking yourself - it also impacts what you feel you deserve, whether you respect your own thoughts, feelings, goals, boundaries, and limits, and it can impact relationships and motivation.
Women’s Issues
Women can experience a number of gender-related sociocultural, psychological and biological challenges that can detrimentally impact mental health. Statistically, women are 20-40% more likely to develop a mental illness than men. According to several large-scale psychological studies conducted in the 1990s, “Women tend to view themselves more negatively than men and that is a vulnerability factor for many mental health problems.” Women are significantly more likely to develop depression and anxiety.
Life Transitions
Life involves a great deal of change, and change can cause a great deal psychological distress around fear of the unknown, change in role or identity, shifts in relationships. Maybe you ended a relationship, switched careers, graduated college, moved to a different state. Maybe you feel stuck and like you want to make a change but do not know what that might be or how to get started. Therapy can provide support, validation, and a place to problem-solve.
Stress and Burnout
Do you tend to feel like you cannot ever stop, or do you feel completely unmotivated? When faced with chronic stress, we tend to default to “over-functioning” and “under-functioning” - or a hybrid of the two, as we cycle through pushing extremely hard until we “crash.” Over-functioning looks like trying to reduce stress by doing everything yourself, but leads to burnout and resentment. Under-functioning involves freezing, avoiding responsibility, tasks piling up, feeling overwhelmed. American culture tends to promote individualism and over-functioning at the cost of necessary rest and life balance.