Is Anxiety Running Your Life?

Do you wake up dreading the day? Are obsessive worries about your relationships, children, finances, job or health causing you panic, stress and fear? Are many of these worries and accompanying thoughts illogical, irrational or incessant? Has heightened stress begun to manifest physically through a racing or irregular heartbeat, excessive sweating or chronic aches and pains? Perhaps your eating and sleeping patterns have changed and/or become erratic. Or maybe you’ve experienced anxiety attacks or panic attacks and possibly gone to the ER for fear of a heart attack. Is it challenging for you to stay present, focus and complete tasks? Are you avoiding activities you once enjoyed and, instead, possibly self-medicating with drugs or alcohol? Do you wish you could get to the root of your anxiety symptoms and find a way to shut off the incessant thoughts, relax and breathe?

Living with anxiety can be an isolating, agonizing and frightening experience. The irrational thoughts, challenging emotions and uncomfortable body sensations anxiety creates can impact all aspects of your life. You may be obsessing over seemingly meaningless details, falling behind at work or struggling in relationships. It can be difficult for friends, family members, colleagues and partners to understand the anxiety experience. You may have withdrawn from loved ones and feel helpless, hopeless and stuck. And, while you might be aware that you are caught in a vicious anxiety cycle, you may see no way out.

Anxiety Is An Extremely Common Experience In Today’s World

Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in the U.S., affecting roughly 40 million adults. Anxiety manifests in many ways and varies in terms of severity. Some people are more sensitive to anxiety due to genetics or an anxious parent, as children often take on a parent’s anxiety. Others develop anxiety following a major life transition, loss, trauma or during periods of heightened external stress. Anxiety may present as a low-level sense of dread or it can become so severe that it makes leaving the house feel impossible.

We also live in a culture that breeds stress. We’re a highly anxious society and have been for a couple of decades now. Many, if not most, people experience stress and some anxiety. And, believe it or not, a low-level presence of stress can actually be healthy and motivating. However, when stress and anxiety become heightened over a prolonged period of time, the effects can be mentally, emotionally and physically damaging.  If you find that anxiety is interfering with your ability to enjoy life, or if anxiety is impacting your work, relationships and perception of self, seeking the help of an anxiety specialist may be critical to your current and future wellbeing.

Anxiety Counseling Can Help You Find Calm, Balance And Confidence

While anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental health issue in the U.S., it can be managed and treated. With the help of a warm, compassionate and experienced anxiety therapist, you can better understand your anxiety, take control over it and experience relief.

In nonjudgmental, safe and confidential anxiety therapy sessions, you can begin to identify, explore and address the root sources of your anxiety. Together, we can pinpoint where, when and how your anxiety began to manifest. Whether its onset was the result of genetics, an overly anxious parent or a recent stressful situation, gaining an understanding of your personal experience, including anxiety triggers, is the first step to healing.

In sessions, we’ll also address the negative self-talk, self-limiting behaviors and incessant, irrational thoughts that often fuel anxiety. By reframing thoughts and developing a more realistic and positive self-talk practice, it becomes easier to put situations into a practical context and alleviate fear. You can learn breathing techniques, meditation and mindfulness exercises that can be used daily to achieve more harmony and balance. You will also learn methods to calm yourself and effectively cope with anxiety symptoms in the moments when heightened anxiety sets in.

Anxiety can be a very isolating and lonely experience. So much relief can come from being heard and feeling supported as you work through challenging thoughts and feelings. Thankfully, the anxiety that you’re experiencing now doesn’t have to last forever, and you don’t have to be alone in your pain and fear. With help, it is entirely possible to get your anxiety under control, experience relief and reclaim your life.

Although you know that you could benefit from help, you still may have questions or concerns about treatment for anxiety…

I’ve heard that there are medications that help with symptoms of anxiety. Can’t I just take a pill rather than engage in anxiety therapy?

Anxiety medications can often help to alleviate symptoms so you can feel less mentally, emotionally and physically agitated. That said, medications often come with unpleasant side effects and do not treat the underlying issues and root causes of anxiety. Once off medication – having not engaged in therapy – anxiety symptoms often reveal themselves again. While there is a place for medication in anxiety treatment (note that research shows the most effective approach is a therapy/medication combination), there are also a multitude of highly effective approaches to help mitigate, manage and overcome anxiety symptoms that do not include medication. In the end, however, it is my role to offer support and information, and it’s ultimately your decision to try medication or not.

I’ve heard that anxiety counseling can be time consuming and expensive.

I invite you to consider how long and to what extent anxiety and related symptoms have been negatively affecting your life. Has anxiety caused lost time and productivity at work, perhaps even affecting your entire career trajectory? Has it impacted relationships and kept you from engaging with people and in activities that you enjoy?

Anxiety is a powerful force that can affect many, if not all, aspects of your life. And, if you have been overly anxious for some time, your anxiety is unlikely to go away on its own. By seeing help for anxiety and investing in yourself through treatment, you can experience relief. You can reconnect with others, become more productive at work and finally breathe. Although anxiety counseling does require a financial and time investment, getting your life back is priceless.

I’m not sure that I need anxiety treatment. Shouldn’t I be able to handle this on my own?

Is what you’re doing to manage and mitigate stress and anxiety working? If so, great! Keep doing what you’re doing. If not, however, it may be time to try a different approach. Just like a dentist has the skills to treat a cavity and a doctor has the expertise to mend a broken limb, a therapist who is experienced and trained to treat anxiety can help you better understand, mange and even overcome your anxiety. For the last 20 years, I have helped countless clients successfully navigate and conquer their anxiety. It is possible for you, too, to get a hold on your anxiety and start living the life you want to live.

You Can Feel Better And Function With More Harmony And Ease

You don’t have to continue to battle anxiety on your own. If you are in New York City, I invite you to call me for a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your specific needs and to answer any questions you have about anxiety treatment and my practice.