Free from Anxiety
If you are living with an anxiety disorder or dealing with constant, overwhelming stress, you probably feel so high-strung and on edge that it’s impossible to relax. You may feel insecure about your future, leaving you uptight and easily upset and perpetually worried.
Anxiety can be a powerful, dominating force that interrupts your life in both subtle and significant ways. You may not be able to fall asleep, wake up drowsy and emotionally depleted from tossing and turning during the night. The first thought you have of the day probably involves figuring out which of life’s worries you’ll have to fight first.
At some point, you may have even experienced an anxiety or panic attack. If you have, you may have had difficulty breathing, and your heart was racing so fast you thought your life was actually in danger. As a result, you’re likely afraid to engage with friends, leave the house, or do anything that might make your symptoms worse.
You may spend a lot of time second-guessing your words and actions or worrying about what people think of you. And you’re probably so busy navigating negative thoughts and worst-case scenarios that it seems like you’re always preparing for something terrible to happen.
Even though what you are experiencing is not your fault, you’re likely still mad at yourself—mad at your brain and your body for fighting against you, preventing you from living the life you want to live. But there is a way to free yourself from anxiety. With guidance, you can learn how to manage stress, overcome anxiety symptoms, and realize your potential to live with confidence and peace of mind.
Anxiety Is Growing More Commonplace Everyday
If anxiety is preventing you from finding peace or happiness, rest assured you are not alone. Tens of millions of people struggle with anxiety-related issues on a daily basis. Though once an instinctual survival mechanism meant to warn us of danger, anxiety has largely become indicative of the complicated world in which we live.
We hustle about in a fast-paced society that loves competition, lauds achievement, and worships perfection. At a young age, we are exposed to and influenced by unrealistic aesthetic ideals that ultimately misshape how we value ourselves. Unforgiving expectations for physical beauty, exciting lifestyles, and financial success often make us feel inadequate—especially when we compare ourselves to other people’s seemingly flawless lives. And given the grief, loss, fear, and uncertainty of Covid, if anxiety wasn’t an issue before the pandemic, it would be perfectly understandable if it was now.
Unfortunately, the same image-driven, highly individualized culture that demands perfection of us also typically demands that we solve life’s problems on our own. So, if you are trying to keep up appearances and hold everything together on your own, I understand that it can be scary reaching out for help.
However, working with a counselor can empower you to take your life back from fear and doubt by drawing upon the strengths and resilience within you. With my support, you can learn how to cope with stress, overcome anxiety, and finally live with greater ease and confidence.
Anxiety Treatment Offers A Chance For Healing And Growth
Many people who struggle with an anxiety disorder feel misunderstood and judged for the way their minds work. However, counseling provides you with a safe space to tell your story—to share your experience with anxiety in the company of someone who truly understands. It gives you an ally who can guide you through the unknown toward solutions for reducing symptoms and tackling stress and anxiety at its source.
Because of our automatic negative thoughts that appear out of nowhere, thought suppression doesn’t work. You start telling yourself your own story about what is happening, then imagine what others may be thinking, start predicting the worst, leading your mind straight to a catastrophic improbability and fear sets in.
F(alse) E(vidence) A(ppearing) R(eal)
Relief from anxiety requires a change in your perception and the story you are telling yourself about “what if”. It takes a modification of your attitude, a willingness to challenge hidden assumptions, and gently redirecting your thoughts to the present moment rather than the imagined future. You will need to start shifting to objective thinking, and problem solving once you have done some deep breathing and started to center yourself. Each time you go through this process, you get stronger at resisting anxiety, and I can help you learn the skills you need to overcome it. By exploring the core thoughts and memories that are feeding your stress responses, you can minimize their influence, empowering you to live free from anxiety.
This process of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is particularly effective for reframing negative thoughts and perceptions caused by anxiety into more positive, realistic perspectives. Exposure Therapy also enables clients to transcend anxiety by gradually facing fears through dialogue, visualization, and eventually behavioral trials. And I’m also certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and Accelerated Resolution Therapy to help reduce emotional reactivity related to childhood traumas and painful memories.
These strategies are all designed to reduce symptoms of anxiety—not exacerbate them. Even so, I’ll be sure to equip you with powerful meditation, relaxation, and mindfulness skills that will help you self-regulate both inside and outside of sessions.
Living with anxiety can seem like a life sentence, but working with a therapist can help you free yourself from its encompassing grip. With my support and guidance, you can learn how to self-soothe your reactivity to emotional triggers and stressors. You’ll deepen your self-confidence while developing practical ways of managing anxiety symptoms. And I’ll help elevate your self-awareness and identify that which feeds your anxiety, empowering you to consciously change the way you think, feel, and live in this world of infinite possibilities.
Counseling in itself can provide profound, long-term healing by getting to the root of what is causing your anxiety. However, sometimes, medication can facilitate the therapeutic process and allow a person to better function in the meantime. So, if you are considering pharmaceutical intervention, I can refer you to a psychiatrist on site who can help you decide if medication, therapy, or a combination of the two is the best treatment option for your anxiety concerns.
Let Me Help You Stop Worrying And Start Living
Anxiety doesn’t have to hold you back or make you live in fear and doubt any longer. Please call 407-679-8004 to set up your first appointment and to address any questions/concerns you may have about anxiety treatment.
Due to Covid-19, all of my anxiety counseling services are being provided online for the foreseeable future.
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