Does Anxiety Keep You Feeling Forever Stuck?
Are you constantly worrying about the future, to the point where you become emotionally exhausted? Unless you are assured you can execute a task perfectly, do you get trapped in analysis paralysis? Do you wish there was a way to calm your mind and ease your physical discomfort so you could enjoy more of what life has to offer?
Perhaps your perfectionist habits have driven you to accomplish your goals and so, from the outside, it looks like you have everything under control. However, inwardly, you might be nagged by self-doubt, negative self-talk, and suffer from imposter syndrome. You may feel like a fraud who hasn’t earned your achievements, doubting your skills and talent. Or maybe because your fear of making a mistake is so intense, performance anxiety keeps you stuck in a rut rather than feeling confident to take chances.
Anxiety Has Physical Symptoms, Too
Your anxiety may also be affecting you physically, your frequent reminder that all is not well. Perhaps disruptions with your appetite and sleep, as well as a nervous stomach, racing heart, muscle tension, and dry mouth are common symptoms for you. And when anxiety reaches a crescendo, you might experience panic attacks that hasten chest pains, trembling, sweating, and a sense of impending doom. When anxiety attacks happen, you may feel powerless to control them.
Your tendency to want to please others before addressing your own needs may be exacerbating your anxiety. If you have never learned how to say no to others, a lack of proper boundaries may be contributing to your stress.
Fortunately, therapy offers you effective ways to manage the symptoms of anxiety that negatively interfere with your life. By learning tangible coping skills, you can keep anxiety in check and rediscover a calm and ease to life you may have forgotten existed.
Anxiety Disorders Affect Millions Of Americans Every Day
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) reports that “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults age 18 and older.” There is a difference between the functional anxiety every human is wired with—that is, the fight-flight-freeze response that works as an alarm to keep us alert to potential danger—and anxiety that disrupts our lives.
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), phobias, and social anxiety describe instances when we experience an excess of fear and worry that lead to both mental and physical distress. No longer helpful, anxiety can hinder our functioning to the point that professional treatment may be required.
Making Comparisons On Social Media Only Exacerbates Anxiety
Ever since the onset of social media, the ways we can compare ourselves to others have multiplied exponentially. Although the reality of others’ lives is fraught with the same struggles as our own, social media adeptly whitewashes away the blemishes, tricking us into thinking that we alone are the only ones with problems. It’s easy to forget that we are only seeing four minutes of their lives each day.
Indulging in unfair comparisons with others rarely leads to anything good. As we scramble to achieve the same false “perfection” we see around us, we often tailspin into a negative mindset that batters our self-esteem, leaving us feeling anxious and emotionally distressed.
If you have been avoiding confronting your anxiety for a while, you may have gotten used to being uncomfortable in your body. But that’s no way to live. Therapy can help you address anxiety holistically to ensure that you improve your well-being not only mentally, but also physically and spiritually.
Therapy Offers You A Toolbelt Of Skills To Manage The Symptoms Of Anxiety
When anxiety gets you stuck, you become disconnected from the person you want to be. You might be missing out on enjoying your accomplishments or savoring the small victories that each day brings. Therapy for anxiety offers you a safe space to discuss your worries, intrusive thoughts, and physical symptoms without fear of judgment. I will be there to listen, empathize, and craft a customized treatment plan for you, whether you need help with panic or anxiety attacks, social anxiety, people-pleasing, or perfectionism.
What To Expect In Sessions
As your therapist, I will become part of your team, working collaboratively with you so that you ultimately become equipped to manage your anxiety symptoms without the need for ongoing therapy. With solution-focused treatment, we will explore your present circumstances and identify your anxiety symptoms from mildest to most severe.
Working on the goals you’ve set for yourself, I will offer you an eclectic toolbelt of skills, strategies, and techniques that will serve as coping mechanisms to address the various ways you are impacted by anxiety. Because each person and set of circumstances are different, you will have the option to utilize whatever tools work best for you.
The Modalities I Use
I take a holistic approach to therapy that incorporates body, mind, and spirit in managing the symptoms of anxiety. Because anxiety can create such uncomfortable physical discomfort, it’s important we evaluate your current health habits, such as diet, sleep, and exercise. By implementing simple yet effective health practices, such as physical movement, breathing techniques, caffeine reduction, and improved sleep hygiene, together, we will help reduce your symptoms of anxiety in a relatively short timeframe.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety can also be beneficial in managing anxiety. For times when you become preoccupied with worry over future outcomes, CBT will help you see that what you’re worrying about isn’t the problem, it is the anticipation and the worry itself that becomes the problem. Because worry only serves you if it ultimately leads to an actionable plan, CBT can help diminish catastrophizing as well as “all or nothing” thinking that keeps you stuck in anxiety.
Additionally, practicing mindfulness will teach you to focus on the present moment rather than projecting worry into the future, allowing you to calm your thoughts so that you feel at peace more often. Progressive muscle relaxation allows you to check in with your body and identify areas where you may be holding tension so that it can be released. And when appropriate, exposure therapy for anxiety can address specific phobias or behaviors you may be struggling with.
Even if you think your anxiety is insurmountable, help is available. With treatment, you can manage your anxiety on your own using a multi-pronged approach. No matter what you are struggling with, you have the inner strength and resilience to breathe easier, feel calmer, and enjoy life a little bit more each day.
But Maybe You Still Wonder Whether Anxiety Therapy Will Be Right For You…
Should I consider anxiety medication in addition to therapy?
Not necessarily. Everyone is a bio-individual. Bio-individuality is the idea that there is no one- size-fits-all approach. Although therapy alone is often sufficient for treating anxiety, in other circumstances, some clients may benefit from medication in addition to counseling. Ideally, the goal is to only take medication for a fixed timeframe. And once you have learned enough coping skills in therapy that allow you to manage your anxiety, you can gradually reduce or discontinue sessions. Think of anxiety treatment the same way you would utilize crutches for a broken leg. Once healing takes place, you can learn to walk without them.
What if I would like to schedule anxiety treatment with you but I don’t live in Florida?
My holistic approach to wellness addresses both the physical as well as emotional components that contribute to good mental health. In addition to being a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), I am also an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. In my capacity as a coach, I can treat clients who reside anywhere in the country—or the world, for that matter—via telehealth.
Will anxiety therapy with you be in person or online?
As a therapist who treats clients for anxiety via telehealth as well as in person, we can decide which option works best for you. You may prefer telehealth because of the convenience of not having to commute to and from my office as well as the ease of attending sessions from the comfort of your own home, office, or even your parked car. Or, perhaps, you prefer face-to-face sessions. I can accommodate whatever type of therapy you prefer.
Therapy Gives You The Tools You Need To Thrive
When anxiety is in check, a whole new world of possibilities opens up to you. To find out more about anxiety therapy, please visit my contact page or call (561) 962-1335 to schedule a complimentary 15 minute consultation with me to make sure we are a good fit.