Do you worry excessively, to the point that sometimes you experience headaches, upset stomach or trouble sleeping? Do you feel anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen? Do certain places, events or objects create powerful reactions of strong, irrational fear?
Does it feel like you can’t control your anxiety no matter how hard you try?
If this sounds like you, I’m confident I can help with effective forms of treatment, to get the relief from anxiety that you deserve.
“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.”
—Norman Vincent Peale
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.
But if your feelings of anxiety are extreme, last for longer than six months, and are interfering with your life, you may need to seek professional psychotherapy.
Anxiety feels different depending on the person experiencing it. Feelings can range from butterflies in your stomach to a racing heart. You might feel out of control, like there’s a disconnect between your mind and body.
Other ways people experience anxiety include nightmares, panic attacks, and painful thoughts or memories that you can’t control. You may have a general feeling of fear and worry, or you may fear a specific place or event.
Over 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy – as opposed to anxiety medication – treats more than just symptoms to the problem. When you feel anxious, your body goes on high alert, looking for possible danger and activating your fight or flight responses. As a result, some common symptoms of anxiety include:
- Nervousness, restlessness or being tense
- Feelings of danger, panic or dread
- Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
- Increased or heavy sweating
- Trembling or muscle twitching
- Weakness or lethargy
- Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
- Insomnia
- Obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past, a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder
Therapy can help to uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears, learn how to relax and regulate your emotions, manage stress, look at situations in a new, less frightening way, and develop better coping mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, I invite you to contact me today so we can schedule an appointment.