Counseling for Anxiety
a collaborative space to work through your fears
Experiencing intense anxiety is frustrating and isolating. Constantly being flooded with intense emotions, that cause strong physical reactions is hard on your mind and body. Not only that, but the persistent fearful thoughts, and imagining the worst-case scenarios can be soul-crushing. When you look around, no one else seems to be dealing with the concerns things you are.
You try to check in with others, and you are met with invalidation - “it’s not that big of a deal” or “get over it”. You find yourself trying to battle with your anxious thoughts. They say one thing, but your logical mind says another. While this back-and-forth battle is occurring in your mind, the world keeps moving without you. You want to be able to move on, but you are not sure how.
It’s possible to experience anxiety, without being over run by it
Another key component of anxiety is that it leads to us avoiding the feared thing. If you are scared of driving, you might start using ride-shares or having someone else drive you places. If you are anxious about what other people will think about you, you might choose to keep your circle small. Unfortunately, this often ends up pulling us further away from what really matters.
Tackling anxiety requires a new approach
I work with my clients to help them manage the main factors that keep them stuck in their anxious cycle. First, we work together to identify and easily recognize the core factors that contribute to their anxiety. When you experience a spike of anxiety, what thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and urges to act come up for you? For each of these factors, I work with my clients to develop a new network of skills and approaches to help the more effectively manage their anxiety.
As mentioned above, anxiety also encourages us to avoid feared situations, which can pull us away from what really matters. If your anxiety is getting in the way of functioning effectively, let’s make a plan to step by step start approaching things that make you anxious. I intentionally work to find the balance between gently encouraging you to face your fears while also supporting you through times when you may get overwhelmed. Anxiety treatment isn’t always easy, but I haven’t worked with a client yet who has regretted engaging in it.