Anxiety can prevent living the life you dream of…
You find yourself holding back, frozen, stalled, stuck. Or, pushing forward to do things that scare you but feeling stressed the whole time. Your mind is loud, racing thoughts, analyzing the steps, and you are tired of this. You know what you want in life. You want to meet those interesting people, move forward in your career, take the risk with the presentation, apply for school, try that interesting hobby, travel more, perhaps even date, or finally be able to relax with less worry.
Anxiety can show up in many different ways:
Overactive brain (thoughts racing, perfectionism, over-thinking, questioning or second guessing)
Muscle Tension (tight jaw, tight shoulders, stomach aches or knots for example)
Difficulty trusting your intuition or “gut feeling” (not knowing what this is or can’t find it)
Self-critical thoughts and beating yourself up
Fear of sharing your feelings or needs, or knowing if it is okay to share
Overwork or over-performing trying to manage the anxiety
Avoiding activities or people
Over cautious or protective, fearing the worst will happen
Drinking a little too much to try and “be chill”
Anxiety is on the rise in modern society…you are not alone.
Anxiety can be caused by a variety of factors. Some people are born with anxious tendencies or inherit these traits from family behaviors or beliefs. Modern society also often expects a pace and performance that may feel or be unmanageable for you. Other times, stressful or frightening experiences can leave people anxious or worried that something like this may occur again. Feeling out of control (or being out of control) can feel overwhelming, increasing anxiety and stress. Other times, there is a cumulation of events, life stressors, identity explorations, relationship dynamics, changes in society, expectations, life changes, grief/loss, or health changes that all add up…you may not know what to do or who to turn to for support. Without support, it can even culminate in panic attacks, health concerns, and difficulty enjoying life.
Symptoms of anxiety can include: physical tension, gastrointestinal issues, difficulty falling or staying asleep, inability to relax even when having “down time”, negative or self-critical thoughts, self-consciousness, avoidance of people/places/things that make you anxious, playing out worst case scenarios in your head, “freezing up” and not being able to speak, ruminating thoughts about past interactions, perfectionism, difficulty meeting new people, performance fears, and chronic life worries (even if things seem relatively okay).
Understanding your anxious feelings…
Most of the time, people see their anxiety as a problem to get rid of. They wish it would just “go away” and stop getting in the way of their goals or life. This is understandable. Unfortunately, many of the things people do to try and find relief from anxiety make it worse, such as: avoiding anxiety provoking situations, working harder or longer (“I will feel relief when I finish this”), researching frightening information or imagining worst case scenarios, trying to control their emotions or suppress them, hiding their anxiety from others, self-medicating with alcohol or substances that increase anxiety, not eating due to stomach aches, and pushing through.
Rarely do we consider that our anxiety might be pointing us to a deeper understanding of ourselves, our world, our relationships, our past, and our dreams. “Anxiety”, much like “stress” is often the tip of the iceberg. There are often times multiple factors (both within and outside of ourselves) that contribute. One of these factors can be a cumulation of many different emotions that have built up over time. When we haven’t had time to process, or even know how to feel our emotions fully, it can manifest as one strong experience that we call anxiety. Taking time, with support, to better understand the pieces, messages, influences, truths, emotions, etc that make up the anxiety iceberg can help us feel more settled, in control, and in tune with ourselves. This can lead to greater feelings of confidence and understanding. Working with our anxiety, with the right kind of support, can be powerful.
Specialized counseling to address anxiety can be empowering…
Anxiety is one of our specialties. We know how to support you in better understanding the factors that contribute to anxiety, building confidence in yourself, finding unique skills that support you, uncovering any wisdom your anxiety may be pointing you to, understanding your nervous system functioning, and practicing the methods that best serve you in finding relief & in creating the life you dream of. We provide an integrative approach to anxiety, addressing the mind, body, and external factors that contribute to your experience. We take time to fully explore your unique process, your dreams, your goals, and your history. This helps us target types of therapies that will best support you. We pull from several modalities, including: CBT/DBT (cognitive behavioral and/or dialectical behavioral therapy), somatic therapies (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR Therapies), art therapy, parts work, traditional talk therapy, mindfulness based approaches, neurobiological awareness, and transpersonal elements when useful. These therapies, and the relationship with a skilled therapist, can help you unpack the pieces, find your inner wisdom, build confidence with the skills, know how to work with big emotions, and support action steps for the future. They can also support you in addressing any of the changes in life that you may want to make to better serve you— or to make the choices that are best for you within the life you have. Having a guide, coach, cheerleader, and skillful supporter can make a world of difference.