Anxiety Counseling

Are You Struggling with Symptoms of Anxiety?

You may be struggling with symptoms of anxiety if your thoughts are going a mile a minute, you are always worried about worse-case scenarios or waiting for the other shoe to drop. You may struggle to relax and be present with your friends and family during downtimes. You may have a hard time falling or staying asleep. You are kept awake at night by your to-do list, the conversation you just had with your boss about a promotion, your child’s missing homework, or the state of the economy. Even if nothing in your immediate environment is wrong, you feel tense and stressed.

You may struggle with panic attacks that grip you out of the blue. You may feel especially anxious in social situations, public places, or when you have to perform and be at your best. The anxiety is so out of control that it is disrupting your daily functioning, your relationships, and your performance in school or work.

“I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.”

William Ernest Henley

You are not alone in experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

According to the American Psychological Association, between April 2020 and August 2021, 37.2% of Americans experienced symptoms of anxiety. Given the turmoil of the past few years with the pandemic and the continued uncertainty of our future, your nervous system may be on constant high alert for the next crisis.

You know that there must be a more peaceful way of living but you don’t know how to get there. If you are struggling with symptoms of anxiety, therapy can help. Here at Thrive for the People, our exceptional therapists are trained in evidence-based treatments for anxiety. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about our services and see if we can be a good fit. You don’t have to struggle through this alone. A more peaceful, grounded, and easeful life is within your reach.

Anxiety is the body’s natural alarm system that has gone on overdrive. This alarm system is useful when there is immediate danger such as when you are about to drive into oncoming traffic and you must make a split-second decision. However, when you are constantly vigilant for something to go wrong, anxiety is draining, overwhelming, unhelpful, and toxic to the body and mind. Chronic anxiety can lead to poor decision-making, memory problems, headaches and migraines, gastrointestinal problems, lowered immune system, and increased risk of heart disease. Anxiety can also impact how you relate to people in your life, creating misunderstandings and conflict because you are reacting out of fear, insecurity, over-protectiveness, or defensiveness.

Anxiety can take different forms: social anxiety, performance anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, phobias, agoraphobia (fear of leaving your home or being in crowded places), claustrophobia (fear of being in confined places), etc.

Excessive worry and racing thoughts; difficulty quieting your mind
Restlessness, difficulty relaxing, a constant sense of dread and doom
Constant exhaustion and fatigue
Muscle tension, chronic pain, back spasms, nausea, irritable bowel syndrome
Difficulty concentrating
Avoiding and procrastinating on tasks
Nervousness, dizziness, sweating
Shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, heart palpitations
Social anxiety
Panic attacks
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Feeling irritable and easily angered

Symptoms of anxiety can be debilitating. You may find it more difficult to go to school, function at work, stay engaged with your friends and family, and take care of yourself. When the symptoms begin to significantly impair your daily functions, it may be time for anxiety treatment.

Anxiety can be managed when you listen to your body, understand your emotions, practice healthy coping strategies, and change the context of your life. We believe it is important to address not only the symptoms but also explore the roots of anxiety in psychotherapy for long-term relief and lasting change.

If you have tried to manage anxiety on your own but have not succeeded, you can benefit from the help of an expert. If you have tried anxiety therapy in the past but did not see benefits, you may not have found the type of therapy or the kind of therapist who is the best match for you.

With support, you can learn to calm your alarm system and regain control over your life.

When you enter into anxiety treatment, your therapist will first take a broad and comprehensive approach to understand you and your life. This includes your current stressors and symptoms, your relationship dynamics, your past experiences, your family history, your sociopolitical context, your cultural background and identities, your coping strategies, the patterns that you have noticed in your life, your strengths, and resilience, etc. Then your therapist will take the issues that are the most alive for you and go deeper.

You and your therapist will explore your emotions and the roots of your anxiety. You will work together to fine-tune your current coping strategies or introduce new ones to better manage stress and overwhelming emotions. Anxiety is unique for each person so the treatment varies between individuals. This also means that the length of time you are in counseling depends on the complexities of your history, your identity, your relationships, and your life.

You will know that you have made progress in anxiety treatment when:

You have uncovered the underlying causes of your worries and fears
You have mastered healthy coping strategies that you use regularly and with success
You are able to look at situations with clarity and wisdom
You are able to identify and challenge your negative beliefs
You feel a sense of confidence and control over your life
You are able to take on new challenges with excitement and ease
You feel like you have grown and transformed as a person

Progress in therapy is not a linear path across time but a circular journey to health and healing. Progress in therapy is like a screw. In therapy, you may feel like you are going around and around on the same issues but each time you pass by them you are going deeper. Through the practice of effective coping strategies, your therapist will immediately address the most painful aspects of your life and decrease the symptoms that hinder your everyday living. From there, your therapist will go deeper to explore the roots of your concerns.

When you have noticed significant improvements in your mood, relationships, and functioning, your therapist will then focus the sessions on preventing anxiety in the future and explore ways for you to live a life that is full of hope, joy, and empowerment.

To get the most value out of anxiety treatment, you can take responsibility for your part of the therapy process:

Show up on time
Communicate cancellations timely
Think about your session beforehand
Complete assignments
Be ready and motivated to make changes in your life
Value honest and direct feedback
Take risks
Try new things
Apply your new knowledge and skills to your life

Begin Anxiety Counseling in Our Ballard Clinic

You do not have to live with feeling stuck. Anxiety does not have to hold you back from a life worth living. If what you’ve read here resonates and you live in the Seattle area or in Washington State, we encourage you to reach out and contact us today. We can schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation and begin exploring how anxiety treatment can help you begin to move forward.

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