Anxiety

It’s okay to need help, when you’re ready, I’d be happy to take this journey alongside you.

What is anxiety?

Everyone experiences different levels of anxiety. Anxiety often manifests as restlessness, sweating, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. It’s the body’s natural response to stressful situations and it can be a normal and healthy emotion. When it happens occasionally, like before a test or when faced with a difficult problem at work, it might even help you focus better. However, once the trigger is removed, your body should return to its normal state and you should be able to get back to your daily life. Anxiety symptoms constitute a problem when the fear and uneasiness become overwhelming and debilitating.

Anxiety disorders can look different on different people.  Some markers of an anxiety disorder include excessive nervousness, extreme fear, and shortness of breath. People suffering from anxiety disorders may also experience persistent worry and intense fear about a variety of things. People with anxiety may also struggle to control their feelings of worry, lose their focus easily, and have difficulty sleeping.  Some people may find that these symptoms can co-occur with other mental health issues such as depression.

Types of anxiety

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD is the most common type of anxiety. It manifests as permanent worries and excessive fear about ordinary issues, like money or health, and nonspecific situations that a person may face daily.

Panic disorder

Panic disorder takes the form of repeated panic attacks. People with panic disorders may experience sudden attacks of terror, intense fear, and physical symptoms, like nausea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.

Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)

Persons with social phobia face high levels of fear and avoidance of social situations that may be caused by feelings of uneasiness, embarrassment, or self-consciousness.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

This type of anxiety gravitates around irrational thoughts (obsessions) that trigger the need to repeat a series of specific behaviors and actions (compulsions).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a form of anxiety triggered by a traumatic event that may have involved the threat of injury or death.

Separation anxiety disorder

This anxiety manifests as fear of being separated from home or a loved one whose presence is often associated with the feeling of being safe and protected.

Benefits of therapy for anxiety

There are several factors such as genetics, brain chemistry, and stress that may contribute to an anxiety disorder. Moreover, traumatic events or a family history of anxiety disorders or other disorders that require mental health care may be risk factors.

40 million adults in the United States battle anxiety disorders but only 36.9 percent of them are receiving treatment. Therapy can help patients suffering from anxiety to identify triggers and work through their fears in order to resume a normal life. In therapy, we will use a variety of modalities for anxiety such as cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed, attachment, and mindfulness. During our therapy sessions, you will learn coping mechanisms and techniques to develop insight into your anxiety. 

Sometimes symptoms of anxiety may require medications but studies show therapy can help people with anxiety.   Therapy provides the tools to identify potential causes and manage your symptoms of anxiety. One of the first steps towards recovery is to learn how to differentiate between normal feelings of anxiety and a potential anxiety disorder. Book your appointment and let’s talk!

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I provide a safe place where we can explore your anxiety and identify its causes. You’ll learn strategies and techniques to manage and work through your anxiety. Your anxiety does not have to be a condition that defines you and your relationships. Let’s get started!