Is Anxiety Running Your Life?
Are persistent worries and feelings of fear about everything that could go wrong impacting your ability to eat, sleep and function in your day-to-day life? Do you dwell on past or potential mistakes and judge yourself for not being good enough? Perhaps you’re struggling with performance or social anxiety, feeling ashamed and increasingly isolated. Or perhaps you’ve experienced trauma and feel panicked, on edge and fearful that something threatening or frightening will happen again. It might be that you feel like you can’t catch a breath or that you’re going through the motions of work, relationships and life in general without accomplishing anything. Do you wish you could let go of worries and fears, relax and feel confident in your ability to handle whatever comes your way?
It can be hard to stay present and focused when you’re worried about everything that has and can go wrong. You might feel like you’re faking your way through life and that it’s only a matter of time before you drop the ball on something big, exposing your flaws to the world. The push to get everything done perfectly might feel overwhelming, causing you to feel short-tempered and irritable with family and friends. Perhaps you constantly feel judged and/or are increasingly hard on yourself. Or it might be that you’ve gotten good at hiding your anxiety from others, although on the inside you feel one step away from the edge. Maybe you wonder if there is something really wrong with you and/or if it’s even possible to experience any kind of relief.
Anxiety Is Prevalent In Our Culture
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you are far from alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the U.S., affecting more than 40 million Americans every year—and that’s just what’s being reported. Anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways, and anxiety symptoms can present on a wide spectrum of severity. Some people experience general anxiety, never feeling quite comfortable or relaxed. For others, anxiety becomes more severe and/or can present through social anxiety, performance anxiety, OCD, panic attacks and phobias. There are a number of factors that can contribute to anxiety, including biological, biochemical and environmental influences. Heighted anxiety can also be triggered by stressful life transitions and loss. Anxiety is also often a symptom of trauma—whether it was a single incident or a series of events—which can turn into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and significantly impact your life.
Given the state of the world, it’s no wonder that so many people are struggling. It’s said that anxiety can be contagious and, as a society, we now run on anxiety. We’re hooked on the news, social media sites and disturbing TV series and movies, which bombard us with traumatic images, events and messages every day. With huge pressure to always be “on” and excel, many—if not most—of us are juggling so much and finding little time for self-care. We get caught up in looping, negative thoughts and fears, trying to ignore the messages that our bodies are sending us. It can seem as though alarms are always going off, with no rest in sight.
The good news is that anxiety disorders can be managed and even overcome. With the compassionate support and practical guidance of an experienced anxiety therapist, you can develop a plan to deal with anxiety, increase personal awareness, gain insight in your needs and find sustainable relief.
Therapy For Anxiety Provides A Holding Space For Healing
In safe, supported anxiety therapy sessions, you can learn how to let go of uncertainty and cultivate faith that things are and will be okay. Sessions are a secure place for you to explore and release the anxiety-fueling information that you’re allowing into your mind. In this holding space, with someone who can listen with acceptance and understanding, healing can happen.
Although anxiety is extremely common, we all experience it in different ways. Together, we can discover a path to healing that works specifically for you. Whether it be utilizing CBT to challenge negative thoughts or integrating EMDR, Mindfulness Techniques, Brené Brown’s Daring Way™, Positive Psychology, body-based approaches or a combination of the above, we will collaboratively design an anxiety treatment strategy that is tailored to best support your specific experience with anxiety, as well as your personal history, values, needs and therapy goals.
Rather than continue to resist your anxiety—which fuels it further—you can learn how to walk into it, through it and then out the other side of it. I can provide you with proven techniques and effective strategies that you can use when heightened anxiety starts to set in so you can let go of fear and feel grounded and safe in the present moment.
Importantly, in sessions, you will not be alone. We can walk through the fire of anxiety together. I’ll be there with you, encouraging and supporting you while bearing witness and creating a calm, safe space for you to share anything and everything that comes up. As you develop resiliency, effective skills and increased awareness of anxiety sensations, thoughts and triggers, you can become more equipped to cope with stress and anxiety and experience sustained relief.
I know both personally and professionally how debilitating anxiety can feel. I also know that it truly is possible to get a handle on anxiety and feel confident, authentic and more at ease in all aspects of your life. With empathic, practical, nonjudgmental support, along with a little bit of humor and a trusted guide, you can develop important skills and awareness. You can feel empowered to cope with life events, foster a resourceful community and enjoy a sense of normalcy and belonging. And, you can begin to authentically and confidently speak your truth and feel good about who you are and how you show up in the world.
You still might have questions and concerns about anxiety counseling…
I’m afraid that talking about my anxiety will make it even worse.
Although it might feel really uncomfortable to talk about your experience with anxiety, especially at first, it’s important that you do—and that you do so in a safe place with someone you trust. Talking about anxiety rather than continuing to resist it actually causes it to lose some of its power.
In the safe, calming space of my office, you can learn how to quiet your mind so you don’t feel so overwhelmed. As we discover healing strategies that work for you, you can practice effective skills and tools during anxiety therapy sessions, equipping yourself to better utilize them in everyday life. With anxiety, sometimes you need to walk through it to get to the other side, but you don’t have to go it alone. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.
Does an anxiety diagnosis mean that I’ll need to go on medication?
For some people, medication is necessary and can make a huge difference in their ability to function well. Some studies show that medication in tandem with therapy is the best form of anxiety treatment. That said, there are also many highly effective approaches to treating anxiety that do not include medication. Essentially, the decision to try medication or not is up to you, and we can work collaboratively to create an overall therapy plan that caters to your specific needs and goals.
I do not prescribe medication, but if we both feel that it could be helpful for you, I can refer you the appropriate medical professional.
I feel like I should be stronger and just get over this.
My guess is that—just like many other people—you have tried a lot of different things to cope with your anxiety. But, if you haven’t yet found relief, it’s likely that you haven’t found what works specifically for you. There is no shame in asking for help, and I see doing so as a sign of courage and strength, not as weakness. With guided support, you can identify and challenge what is fueling your anxiety and develop skills and strategies for relief much faster than you’d be able to on your own. In initial sessions, we’ll set goals that will help us determine when our work together is complete so you can get back to your life quickly. We all need help sometimes, and anxiety counseling can provide you with what you need to thrive rather than just survive.
You Can Live With Calm, Confidence And Poise
If you’re struggling with anxiety in Boulder, CO or the surrounding area, feel really ready to do the work and are looking for an active, collaborative, compassionate anxiety therapist, I can help. I invite you to call me to schedule a free 30-minute in-person sessions to see if we’d be a good fit and decide how we can best work together. I’m happy to discuss your experience with anxiety and answer any questions you have about therapy for anxiety and my practice.