Anxiety Therapy
I DON’T WANT TO FEEL ANXIOUS ANYMORE!!
Do you lay awake all night unable to turn off the thoughts? While your life during the day is more structured at night your brain is quiet and often welcomes your intrusive thoughts.
Do your anxious feelings interfere with your everyday life? Feeling there is so much to do. You have dishes piling up in the sink. The children are running out of clean clothes. You haven’t been paying bills on time.
Have you missed too many days at work? You’ve been late for meetings and are behind in paperwork. Of course, you’re worried about losing your job.
Are you avoiding social situations, because of your fear of self-consciousness or embarrassment? You turned down invitations to family events.
Are you having continuous feelings of dread? Worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week or even the following year.
Have you had panic attacks? Feeling as if you are going to have a heart attack.
Your feelings of anxiety may simply be described as a state of uneasiness, a state of worry or becoming apprehensive in the face of uncertain fear. Your anxiety symptoms are the result of behaviors and not because of any biological, chemical or genetic problems of the brain. It occurs when you feel a situation is uncontrollable or unavoidable. Feeling it is about something that might happen, that you can’t handle. Your anxiety might be thought of in terms of dread or terror.
Some anxiety is normal. However, when symptoms of anxiety become larger than the events that triggered them and interfere with your normal life, that could be signs of an anxiety disorder. Yes, some anxiety can be constructive. We all feel anxious from time to time; worrying about a test, going on a job interview, playing in a championship game. Anxiety disorders are when anxiety symptoms interfere with your normal lifestyle. When the body is overly stressed it responds with signs and symptoms that create a fight-or-flight response.
HOW COMMON IS ANXIETY?
There is some comfort in knowing you are not alone. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it is estimated the 31% of all adults will experience anxiety at some point in their lives. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States affecting 40 million adults. It is more common in women 23% than men 14% according to the NIMH. And although it is highly treatable, only 36.9% of those affected seek or receive treatment.
Some of the more common symptoms you might be feeling that can interfere with your daily functioning are: feelings of panic, doom or danger, feeling restless or wound up, having difficulty concentration, being irritable, having muscle tension, problems falling or staying asleep, heart palpitations, muscle tension, or dizziness.
My goal as a therapist is to help you understand why you feel the way you feel, what your triggers are, and how we can work together to reduce and/or relieve your symptoms. We will discuss different therapeutic approaches and whether medication in combination with the therapy is necessary. With therapeutic treatment you will have the tools to manage the anxiety yourself, now and in the future.
General Anxiety Disorder or GAD is characterized by excessive, unrealistic worry, even with little cause to provoke the anxiety. It usually centers around everyday events with no obvious reason for the response. It often dominates your thinking. Psychotherapy or talk therapy is effective in treating GAD. It will help you understand your negative thinking and replace them with realistic thoughts and effective coping mechanisms.
Are you having panic attacks? Panic disorder-feelings of terror which happen suddenly and repeatedly without warning. There is a fear of disaster and losing control. Responses are out of proportion with the reality of the situation. These sudden attacks may last several minutes with symptoms lasting longer. Often creating feelings of dread about having another attack. Again, talk therapy is considered the most effective approach to help you overcome your fears of situations you might have avoided because of panic attacks.
There are natural ways to reduce your anxiety. Eating a healthy diet, while not a cure, can help in lowering the risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Reduce excessive caffeine intake which could increase feelings of anxiety. Other helpful natural ways to reduce anxiety include meditation, yoga, and exercise. Try incorporating these methods into your daily routine.
WHEN IS IT TIME TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP?
With any ongoing feeling of anxiety, the first thing you should do is to have an initial screening/physical with your physician to rule out any medical concerns. If necessary, a referral can be made to a mental health professional. As a therapist I work with you to address the problem with approaches to help reduce symptoms of anxiety. As I have stated before approaches may include recommendations for medication to reduce symptoms along with psychotherapy to address the emotional responses with strategies to help understand and reduce symptoms.
I suggest seeking treatment for anxiety as early as possible for the best recovery. I've been able to help many people work through their problems, develop coping skills and help get control over their lives. Effective anxiety treatment may include mental health therapy, medications, alternate therapies. There is no magic answer for curing symptoms of anxiety. But it does require commitment and time. As we work together to reduce your anxiety, you will have developed a variety of coping skills to take increase the quality of your life. I am here to listen, gather the information about your needs, and help you take control of your life and respond with healthy coping skills.
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