“Insomnia has set in, again, for the fifth night in a row. I’m lying in a bed, in a dark room, with my partner lying next to me dozing peacefully. I’d love to fall asleep, but these thoughts keep racing through my mind and there’s no sign of them slowing down. It’s not even that the thoughts are about anything specific, they’re just there and now I’m feeling on edge. Why can’t I just sleep like a normal person?”
Sound like something you’ve experienced before? Does anxiety keep you from sleeping well? Do you experience racing thoughts that keep you distracted and ruminating on your problems? Feel on edge, like something unwanted to about to fall into your lap? Do you find it hard to sit still, or do you find yourself pacing often? Maybe you’ve experienced sudden panic attacks that leave you feeling like you’re having a heart attack, with a pounding heart, chest pain, and trouble breathing. Do you always feel tightness in your muscles that cause pain in the neck, shoulders, or jaw?
We all feel anxiety at some point in life. Anxiety comes the night before that big presentation or before a competition. The unknown effects of a major decision yet to be made, or having to confront your boss at work may bring anxiety. If your anxiety is constant and with you most days of the week, causes you to avoid certainsituations, people or events, and the fears are overwhelming, it’s time to find help.
Anxiety can be cause by many factors. Trauma, medical conditions, chronic stress, life experiences, drug or alcohol use, medications and anxiety disorders can cause symptoms of anxiety. These situations can sometimes make you feel out of control of your life and body. It’s hard for other people to understand why you don’t want to go out tonight, or why you don’t enjoy hugs or other kinds of touch. It can also be difficult to explain to other people exactly how you are feeling and why. Being unable to express your emotions and intentions effectively can be frustrating and isolating.
The symptoms you experience will depend on your specific situation and how your body copes with stress and fear. The course of counseling for anxiety that I providewill be tailored to your issues and personality. We will work to uncover the root cause of your anxiety so that it is no longer an unknown force affecting your life.
We will collaborate to develop goals aimed at addressing the changes you want to make. A cognitive behavioral approach is effective in treating anxiety, and I will also teach you how to regulate you physiological symptoms thought greater attunement with your body and controlling your stress response with self-regulationand relaxation techniques.
Not necessarily. Generally, psychotherapy is the recommended treatment intervention for anxiety. Medication tends to mask the symptoms that need to be assessed for effective treatment. That’s why I use referral for medication as a last resort. If we find that your symptoms are too intrusive to make progress, we would discuss the use of medication together, and use it as a supplement to therapy until your symptoms are stable enough to make progress without the medication.
Sounds like I will have to unpack all my stuff. I’ve kept it stuffed away for so long...and I’m not sure I want to look at it.
Is it really possible to feel better?
Absolutely! I’m not gonna lie, unpacking years of hurts and pain won’t feel good. Ittakes courage to walk through that door and begin your journey towards healing, but I guarantee that our work together will be judgement free, filled with compassion and understanding, and met with techniques you need to process your life and take back your control. My goal is not to go back into the past and fix it. It is to look at how your past experiences are affecting you today so that you can move forward.
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