Is Anxiety Taking Over Your Life?
Do you feel stuck, inhibited or unable to pursue your goals and live as your true, authentic self? Are you constantly preoccupied with worrisome thoughts about being judged, making the wrong decision or being perceived as different? Perhaps you often feel irritable, on edge or overwhelmed, even when you try to relax. Or maybe stress and anxiety are beginning to manifest physically through a racing heart, shallow breathing, panic or changes in eating or sleeping patterns. You might often worry about the future, yet feel unable to take action. Do you feel stuck in an unfulfilling career or relationships and/or struggle to ask for or act on what you need to feel happy and satisfied? Maybe you’re not even sure what you want or need anymore. Do you wish that you could figure out a way to feel calm, confident and truly in charge of your life?
Living with anxiety can be a confusing, isolating, frustrating and even frightening experience. You might feel stuck in your own head as you engage in perfectionistic thinking, loop
ing OCD behaviors or attempts to control your environment. You might also be isolating more than you’d like, but social anxiety, worries about being rejected and/or fear of random, heightened anxiety keep you from being yourself and doing things you enjoy. It might be hard for you to be assertive, which keeps you from going after what you want and ever showing anyone your true self. It may be that you desperately want to feel more balanced, relaxed and like an agent of change in your life, but don’t know what to do or where to turn for help.
Anxiety Is Extremely Common In Our Culture
If you’re struggling with anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the U.S., affecting more than 40 million Americans every year. We live in an extremely competitive society in which people focus heavily on acceptance and achievement. There is a constant pressure to be similar to or more successful than our peers and to attain and adhere to certain standards of success. Essentially, we live in a produce-or-perish society, and while it might appear that we have it together on the outside—more now than ever with the influence of social media—many of us feel on edge and a moment away from drowning.
While many people are predisposed to developing anxiety—especially those who grew up in unstable or abusive environments—other people develop anxiety during or following trauma, a period of heightened stress or a significant life transition. Some suffer from generalized or social anxiety, while others experience PTSD, OCD or phobias. Many people with anxiety are concerned with how they are perceived by others, with most fearing standing out and/or not fitting in. It’s not uncommon to feel obligated to conceal anxiety under a mask of ease and contentment and then to fear that others will realize we’re imposters.
As humans, we’re hard-wired to experience some level of stress and even anxiety, which can help us keep safe and performing well. But, anxiety becomes problematic when it begins to interfere with your ability to function in the world in ways that feel healthy, nourishing and energizing to you. The good news, however, is that there is help and hope. While anxiety is the number one mental health issue in the U.S., it is also the most commonly and effectively treated. An experienced and compassionate anxiety therapist can help you better understand your anxiety and begin living the life you want.
Anxiety Therapy Can Provide You With Skills, Support, And A New Path Forward
Anxiety counseling helps you identify and explore your goals and values, assert your needs and get clear on the direction you want to take to become your truest self.
In initial anxiety treatment sessions, we’ll work collaboratively to identify what is truly important to you and develop, clear actionable steps you can take to create success and move closer to reaching your goals and living in alignment with your values. You can also identify what is keeping you stuck and anxious in your life and begin making behavioral changes that move you closer to what feels authentically good and right. We can work together to come up with practical strategies that align with your values and set your future self up for success.
Throughout the anxiety counseling process, you can develop effective techniques to objectively and compassionately notice your thoughts rather than have them continue to dictate your actions. Using mindfulness and awareness training, you can create space between your thoughts, your self, and your behaviors, giving yourself the time and freedom to slow down and thoughtfully choose how you want to be in the world. When you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, urges, and sensations, you truly can gain the freedom of choice and feel empowered to create the life that you want to be living.
I understand that everyone experiences anxiety differently, which is why I’ll meet you where you are emotionally, work at a pace that feels comfortable for you and devise an anxiety therapy plan that best addresses and supports your specific type of anxiety, needs, personality, history and therapy goals. And, regardless of how hopeless or helpless you feel right now, relief and healing are entirely possible. You can begin living a higher quality of life and feeling more satisfied with yourself and connected to others. You can begin really showing up in your own life with joyful spontaneity, authenticity, purpose, and fulfillment. With the guidance and support of a compassionate and skilled anxiety counselor and a willingness to self explore, it is possible to live in alignment with your core values, move toward goals that are important to you and live as your genuine self.
You still may have questions or concerns about treatment for anxiety…
I’ve tried everything to alleviate anxiety and nothing has helped. I’m losing hope that anything can.
I can’t give you a 100 percent guarantee that you’ll ever be truly free from anxiety; however, I do know that you can learn to accept anxiety as part of your experience and learn effective ways to manage it. I can guarantee, though, that if you keep going along as-is, you’ll keep suffering. Even if you’ve tried to alleviate anxiety in the past, it is important that you keep trying. Anxiety can be treated; it’s just a matter of finding out what works for you. And, in initial sessions, we can discuss what didn’t work in the past so we don’t repeat mistakes and, instead, try out anxiety treatment methods that you may not have tried or even heard about before. We call also discuss the possibility of medication if your anxiety is chronic or severe; however, there are many highly effective approaches to treating anxiety that do not include the use of medication.
I’m afraid that talking about my anxiety will exacerbate my worries and I’ll feel even worse.
In all honesty, sometimes talking about anxiety does intensify it; however, when that happens, you and I have the opportunity to take a closer look and really understand how your anxiety works. Just like cleaning the mud out of a glass, sometimes things need to get a little murkier or messier before they can get clean and clear. It’s also important to note that while the idea of talking about your anxiety may feel frightening, things are often far worse in our minds than in the actual experience, and you will not be alone. I’ll be there to support and guide you through the process, and we can work at a pace that feels manageable for you.
If millions of people have anxiety, shouldn’t I be able to handle mine on my own?
There is no need to continue to suffer. Millions of people do have anxiety, yes. And, millions of people also engage in anxiety treatment because it can effectively alleviate pain. Therapy isn’t about fixing something that’s broken. Rather, it’s about increasing self-awareness, learning new skills and building a life that is connected to who and what is most important to your sense of vitality.
You Can Live A Balanced, Peaceful Life
You don’t have to navigate the stress, pain, and uncertainty of anxiety on your own. I invite you to contact me to schedule a free 15-minute call. I’m happy to discuss your particular needs and answer any questions you have about anxiety therapy, my approach, and my practice.
There is so much value that can come from therapy. Once healing has begun, however, coaching can be the next logical step. As an effective coach, I help you continue on a healing path of self-discovery, stay connected to your values and goals and live your life to your fullest potential.
Due to a busy practice and an ever-increasing passion working as a coach, I am not taking on therapy clients in my Lakewood, CO office at this time, and only taking on a limited number of therapy clients for meetings via secure telehealth and online counseling platforms. I will continue to take on new clients for coaching. For more information, visit the business coaching, empowerment coaching, relationship coaching, habit coaching and getting unstuck coaching information on my site, and become the change you wish to see in your life!
