Anxiety Treatment
Is Anxiety Robbing You of Your Meaning and Joy in Life?
Are you avoiding activities and situations that lead to anxious thoughts and feelings?
Do you try to distract yourself or talk yourself out of anxiety or worry?
Do find yourself worrying so much about something that it takes away from your ability to enjoy your life right now?
You can probably think of many things that wouldn’t be happening if anxiety was not controlling your life. You might be losing sleep and feeling tired during the day. You might have conflict with family or coworkers and begin avoiding contact with them. You might be fretting about how others are thinking about you, allowing your self-esteem to suffer. You can also think of many things that would be happening without the anxiety: enjoying a trip with friends, getting back to that hobby you love, or sitting on a beach simply enjoying a sunset. Don’t let your struggle with anxiety take from you the joy of living.
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE: online therapy
If you are already struggling with anxiety, the Corona virus crisis can make it worse. You may be worried about a family member or yourself being infected. You may be asking questions like: How long will this go on? Will all the precautions I take work? What happens if I lose my job? And then there is the stress that comes from being at home and unable to do your normal routine. You can talk about these things with me through online therapy. If you would like to know more, click here.
Anxiety Disorders Comes in Many Shapes and Sizes
Anxiety disorder? That can sound scary, like something is seriously wrong with you! The truth is anxiety disorders are one of the most common of all psychological problems. Research shows that anxiety disorders affect up to 30 percent of the population at some point. That’s about 40 million people in the United States, so there’s a good chance, on a normal day, someone around you has an anxiety disorder (John P. Forsyth and Georg H. Eifert 2016). There are several types of anxiety disorders, and your experience may not look exactly like someone else’s. Panic Disorder is when you experience panic attacks, and then you worry about having additional attacks, so you begin to change how you order your life (for example, you don’t leave the house for fear of having a panic attack). Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place where you can’t avoid escape or embarrassment. Social Phobia is a deep fear of social and performance situations where embarrassment may occur. A Specific Phobia focuses on a specific object or situation, like animals, heights, flying, or closed spaces. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a constant worry that you can’t control or do well in different areas of your life. With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) you have recurring intrusive thoughts or compulsive behaviors that feel excessive and unreasonable. Feeling anxious is a part of life. Whether waiting for a test result, trying to make a decision about a job, or writing a toast for your friend’s wedding, we all get worried, nervous, or stressed out at times. However, these normal feelings can become so intense and so frequent that they begin to impact your work, your personal life, or your health. When that happens, your struggle with normal anxiety may become an anxiety disorder, and it may be time to seek anxiety treatment. Anxiety and worry are a part of life, but only just a part. It is possible to live well with the presence of anxiety. You don’t have to let an anxiety disorder stand in the way of you doing the things that you care about and give you meaning. How do you do that? That is where anxiety treatment can help.
Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Overcome Your Worry and Live a Fuller Life
There are two ways you may attempt to control anxious thoughts and feelings. One, you try to avoid them. You try to push them aside or distract yourself with other thoughts or activities. Two, you try to change the unpleasant thoughts and emotions by replacing them with thoughts and emotions that are more welcoming. These approaches may work short-term, but often the thoughts and feelings keep coming back. Then you must try even harder to avoid them or change them.
The problem with both approaches is that anxiety is seen as a problem to solve. If you think it’s not okay to have anxiety and worry, the only way you can really be happy is to eliminate them. But remember, anxiety and worry are a part of life; in fact, a lot of the things we are anxious or worry about are also things we care about. We wouldn’t be anxious about it if it didn’t matter. So, if controlling and eliminating the anxiety and the stress are not the answer, what do we do?
My approach to anxiety treatment is not about managing, controlling, or eliminating the anxiety; it is about changing how your respond to it. It is about developing a different relationship with it. I will offer you a welcoming and non-judging acceptance and a commitment to walk with you as you work on changing how you respond to your anxiety.
As anxiety therapy begins, I will invite you to share how the anxiety is present in your life right now and what you have tried to overcome it. We will explore some specific ways that the anxiety is keeping you from experiencing the life you want. Early on, you will learn some specific practices, like mindfulness and values clarification, that help you recognize and respond differently to the anxiety.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), my approach to anxiety treatment, allows you to build a healthier relationship with your anxiety. With this model you will learn Acceptance as an alternative to avoidance or control. Through mindfulness practices, you will learn to accept your anxiety fully as a part of you and not something to avoid or control. Instead of putting all your energy into figuring out what to do with your anxiety and stress, you will Commit yourself to actions that will lead to more valued living. So, the goal of your anxiety treatment is not the absence of anxiety; it is choosing a way of life that brings genuine meaning, even in the presence of anxiety.
The ACT Approach to anxiety counseling may sound unique, even unusual. But ACT is an evidence-based therapy that has been proven to work with a variety of problems, including anxiety. Over the last 15 years, I have seen people make significant changes in the direction of their lives with this approach to anxiety treatment. You will be able to say you are doing more than managing your anxiety. You will be able to return to activities and relationships that give you joy.
But I Still Have Some Questions About Anxiety Treatment
Doesn’t accepting my anxiety mean letting the anxiety win?
Acceptance is not giving up; it is not saying to yourself, “Well, there’s no way I can beat this so I might as well resign myself to it always being here and do the best I can.” Acceptance is allowing the thought or feeling to be there, without fighting it and without following it. And along with acceptance there is the Commitment part of therapy, where I will help you in specific ways to discover and give expression to a life based on what you value.
I’ve been struggling with anxiety for a long time; how long will anxiety counseling take?
It is hard to assign an exact number of sessions that counseling will take. But remember, as you change how you respond to your anxiety, you will begin to focus your attention on developing a life based on what you value in different areas of your life, like work and relationships. That focus takes on a life of its own as you begin to do more than try to manage or control your anxious thoughts and feelings. Because it is so inviting, this new direction can happen fairly quickly.
Can I afford the cost of anxiety treatment?
Of course, you have to consider your financial situation in making a decision about counseling. I often encourage people to think of counseling as an investment. What would you be willing to do, what would you be willing to pay to change your relationship with your anxiety and begin to experience a life that is a fuller expression of your values? If your insurance does not pay for part of the counseling cost, I offer a reasonable private pay fee.
You Can Have the Fullness of Life That You Want
In my experience as an anxiety therapist, people who struggle with anxiety are strong people. You have to be strong to deal survive all the messages that come from the anxiety. I would welcome the chance to work with you in overcoming your anxiety. I invite you to click here to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation.
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