therapy for anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health concerns, so if it’s negatively impacting your life, you’re not alone. We are living in unprecedented times and the buildup of stressors, both large and small, can affect our mind, body, and overall sense of well-being, not to mention our relationships and work.
Anxiety symptoms can be physical such as feeling tense, having a lump in your throat, shortness of breath or a racing heart. Perhaps you can’t get your mind to stop spinning, no matter how hard you try, or you have a general feeling of being overwhelmed. Concentrating may be hard, falling asleep may be difficult and you might feel irritable.
In addition, anxiety may take different forms such as perfectionism, procrastination, having a tough “inner critic” or feeling such pressure in social situations that you avoid them entirely.
While experiencing some anxiety is a normal part life that helps us take action, too much of it can tip the balance from helpful to hurtful —
feeling better is possible.
a whole person path
A holistic approach can provide both immediate and long-term relief as it addresses the mind-body connection — how thoughts, feelings and sensations factor into the equation and how our nervous system responds to the perceived threat of danger. There are two major areas of focus:
Part 1: Identifying anxiety triggers and learning how to manage and cope with stress. I’ll help you develop skills and tools that you can use when anxiety strikes.
Part 2: An equally important aspect is learning why anxiety is there in the first place. We’ll go beyond the anxious symptoms to explore the root cause, uncovering the ways that anxiety has been trying to protect you (as confusing as that may seem), but may no longer be helpful.
feeling anxious?
here’s a tool you can use right now
find a quiet space, close your eyes, settle in, and start focusing on the natural rhythm of your breath
begin to increase the length of your inhale, slowly filling your lungs until you reach a count of 4, then hold for 4 counts
exhale slowly to a count of 4, then hold for 4 counts.
repeat several rounds at this slow, intentional pace then check in with how you feel
Breathing deeply signals to our nervous system that we’re safe and enables us think more clearly when we’re stressed.