Anxiety Therapy
Has Anxiety Become A Barrier To Your Happiness?
Does anxiety prevent you from stepping into the life you envisioned for yourself? In your quest to be perfect, do you procrastinate over decisions or fret about perceived failures? Or maybe you worry so much about what others think of you that you’re reluctant to seek out relationships.
Perhaps your fear of making mistakes or looking foolish keeps you from taking risks or making decisions that are in your best interest—such as dating, making new friends, or finding a more fulfilling job. Instead, analysis paralysis keeps you stuck in place.
Fear Of Panic Attacks Could Lead To Self-Isolation
When you’re confronted with things you fear, such as driving, flying, or public speaking, your anxiety may manifest in panic attacks that can cause a pounding heart, sweating, trembling, and a sense of impending doom. To avoid further attacks, you might have retreated from the outside world, relying on social media and your online community for connection.
When you consider making a change, you might become trapped by fear and insecurity. Perhaps “what if?” or “all or nothing” thinking stops you in your tracks, shutting down any possibility of life being different. If only you could silence your anxiety and nurture the courage it would take to make different choices that would benefit your well-being.
Fortunately, therapy offers you the tools needed to get anxiety in check. With treatment, we can address the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder as well as phobias, social anxiety, panic attacks, and people-pleasing.
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Humans Are Wired For Anxiety
Although the term “anxiety” often carries negative connotations, it’s necessary for our survival. Without anxiety, there would be nothing stopping us from trying to pet a tiger instead of running away from it. However, as civilization has evolved, we encounter fewer physical threats in daily life. Unfortunately for us, our brains haven’t received a software update.
Since our “fight-or-flight” response still functions the same way it always has, situations that are far less physically threatening than getting eaten by a tiger can trigger anxiety. As exposure to legitimate threats dwindles, so does our tolerance to handle uncomfortable situations. Now, merely facing something new or different could make us anxious.
Technology And Social Media Can Have An Impact On Our Mental Health
These days, it’s easy to rely on technology to control our environment and limit our interactions with the outside world. For example, online shopping and delivery apps allow us to plan out what we’ll order ahead of time and avoid going to stores and restaurants altogether. However, using technology as a barrier can reinforce bad habits that eventually intensify our anxiety.
What’s more, social media has changed how we present ourselves to others. By carefully curating what we share online, we concoct an ideal version of ourselves. Fear of judgment from others for admitting failure or flaws can exacerbate our perfectionistic tendencies. And because most people online are doing the same thing, misrepresentations can trigger feelings within us of not being good enough.
Anxiety therapy is a chance to reflect on how you might be using technology—or other unhealthy coping mechanisms—to control your environment. Becoming more aware of what fears and insecurities these habits could be masking will help you understand how anxiety limits your life and offer better ways of managing it.
Anxiety Therapy Allows You To Rewrite Your Story
Although an overabundance of anxiety can be detrimental, I encourage you to embrace your anxiety and view it as a superpower. Without it, you wouldn’t have the fear that helps signal danger and keeps you safe. Instead of working to eliminate anxiety entirely, I will help you discover its root causes. Acknowledging and processing unresolved fears will make you feel more centered in your daily life.
As a therapist specializing in anxiety, my role is to guide you along your path to well-being. Although we won’t know where the journey may lead at the onset, we get to control the pace and decide what we focus on. Anxiety therapy creates a sense of safety to explore the issues you normally wouldn’t talk about with anyone else. Together, we will find meaningful ways to address what is holding you back from living the life you want.
What To Expect From Anxiety Counseling
In sessions, I will encourage you to discuss whatever topic feels the most important to you. Initially, we may discuss your family of origin and its impact on how you view the world. It’s possible that you developed beliefs that were instilled at an early age and still affect how you perceive yourself and interact with others can provide you with valuable insight into the origins of your anxiety symptoms.
I will provide you with compassionate support and hold up a mirror so you become aware of what may be holding you back. If perfectionism is a concern, I might challenge you to make mistakes or give you a “permission slip” to do something you’ve been putting off due to limiting self-beliefs.
The Modalities I Use In Anxiety Therapy
Anxiety counseling will be tailored to your needs. For example, if you experience anxiety attacks related to phobias—such as driving or social situations—exposure therapy can be a helpful treatment. We will work on a particular target to reduce the phobia to a manageable level. With gradual exposure that incorporates deep breathing exercises and a rewards system for facing fears, what began as crippling anxiety will eventually become manageable.
Narrative therapy asks the question, “How different would your life look if anxiety was no longer the driving force behind the decisions you made?” Once you become aware of what fuels your choices, you can decide to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have become part of your life story. By using your own words and imagery to author a new version of your story, you can work toward living in alignment with your values.
Although the path to long-term change can be rocky, it’s a worthwhile journey. It's my pleasure to help you identify and overcome whatever barriers prevent you from becoming the best version of yourself.
But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Anxiety Therapy Is Right For You…
Since my anxiety disorder has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older, is it too late for therapy to help me?
Oftentimes, the longer anxiety persists, the more intense it can feel. Even if you’ve convinced yourself that things will never change, it’s never too late to begin your therapeutic journey. Asking for help is the first step. Counseling offers a safe place to learn more about your anxiety and find effective ways to treat it. Once your anxiety symptoms are more balanced you may feel calmer, more present, and in control of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
It seems like complaining about my life is a “first-world” problem.
No matter where or how we live, we all encounter setbacks that can be frustrating, upsetting, and problematic. Because each person's lived experience differs greatly, the issues you may find hard to deal with are uniquely yours. Working with a therapist provides an opportunity to openly discuss how anxiety impacts your life. Whether you struggle with social anxiety, panic attacks, or people-pleasing, therapy can help you recognize what feels hard, identify how you would like to change, and introduce you to new ideas and strategies to improve how you feel.
Can anxiety treatment help me if I feel scared and stuck in a bad place?
Psychotherapy for anxiety allows you to take a snapshot of your life currently and identify what isn’t working. Together, we will tackle issues as they arise and find new ways to manage the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that challenge you. By introducing a combination of modalities tailored to your needs, such as exposure therapy, narrative work, breathing strategies, and Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) to address symptoms, we will create a plan to help manage anxiety.
Your Journey To Well-Being Begins Today
Don’t allow anxiety to get in the way of living your best life. To find out more about anxiety counseling with Sage and Sunshine Therapy, please call or text 813-539-8990 or visit my contact page.