Living with Anxiety is Exhausting. Anxiety Therapy Can Help.

 
Do you tend to feel hyper-responsible? Like it’s your job to keep everything running smoothly and everyone around you feeling OK? Do you lie awake at night dreading morning, unable to shut off your worries? Do your anxious thoughts cycle around from upcoming events or responsibilities to bigger worries about your future?
 
Are you more comfortable when you know exactly what to expect, and do you pass up opportunities when you don’t know how things will go? You might even dread everyday things like talking on the phone or running to the store if you can’t be sure of who will answer or how crowded the store will be.
 
Anxiety limits your ability to enjoy life and go after your goals, and it changes what you do and how you are with the people you care about. It can limit you in your career, your social life, and your family life.

Common Symptoms Helped By Anxiety Therapy

 
There are various types of anxiety, from generalized anxiety to social anxiety, panic, phobias, and more. But, they often have a lot of symptoms in common.
 

You are frequently:

• Geared up and unable to relax
• Tired but unable to get to sleep, or to stay asleep
• Overwhelmed by situations or tasks that don’t seem to bother others

You avoid certain places or situations:

• Crowded grocery stores
• Places without enough open space—or too much open space
• Social events where you don’t know what to expect or how you could leave gracefully

Your thoughts are relentless:

• Focusing on negative outcomes, worst case scenarios, and “what ifs”
• Criticizing or “nit-picking” of others
• Alternately putting yourself down and obsessing with perfection

You’re uncomfortable in your body:

• Muscle tension and headaches
• Upset stomach or intestinal distress
• Racing heart, trembling, or difficulty taking deep, relaxed breaths

 
Your symptoms might include some or all of these, or they might be a little different. But in general, anxiety probably keeps you from feeling free to do all the things you want to do, and you’re tired of feeling limited in your life as the trade-off for keeping yourself somewhat comfortable.
 

Whatever your type of anxiety, you’d like to feel in control of your mind, body, and life again.

Anxiety Therapy Can Give You the Skills to Restore Relaxation and a Sense of Control

You might think about your nervous system and responses to stress like an old fashioned thermostat dial. A thermostat has set points that tell it when to kick the heat on, and when to shut off because the room is plenty warm already. When someone experiences chronic anxiety, the set points get a bit out of whack. The heat comes on really quickly, sometimes out of nowhere, and it stays on too long, creating a lot of discomfort.

Counseling for anxiety is a little like learning how to regulate the thermostat and adjust the dial with ease. When you are back in control of your own thoughts and responses to stress, the anticipation of anxiety decreases, and you regain your confidence.

The great news is that our brains and nervous systems are flexible and it’s possible for us to change our responses to things that stress us. We can also increase the things that relax us. There are lots of ways to do this, and when we plan your anxiety therapy, we’ll talk about which ones you might like to start with. These are strategies that will work in the real world, in your daily life, and in the specific situations that currently make you anxious.

You are not destined to live a life of anxiety. Your anxiety is not you. With support and practice, you can get your freedom back. Why do I believe this? Because I’ve seen so many clients do it.