ANXIETY COUNSELING

Throughout life, there are a lot of opportunities for happiness. We all want to experience happiness and feel that life is good. For some, this is through family, friends, and being able to do things that bring you joy. But for some, happiness in life is easier to come by than it is for others. There is a good chance that you or someone you know deals with anxiety. Anxiety is feeling worried, tense, or afraid of things in your life. It is usually related to events that are going to happen in your life or things that could happen in your life. If you are feeling anxious, it is a natural human response that can be felt physically or mentally. There is a wide range of anxiety levels and you are not alone in what you are feeling. If your anxiety is intense and overtaking your life, please contact us at All About You Therapy Services so that you can go back to enjoying your life as you should.

• Feeling nervous, tense, or worried – this will feel intense and be fairly constant in your day-to-day life
• Rapid breathing- there may be episodes where you feel that you cannot get enough air or that you have a weight on your chest 
• Feeling on edge a lot of the time –  you could feel the need to brace yourself mentally for whatever may come your way, as you are expecting the worst
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep – your mind may race when you are trying to fall asleep or if you wake in the middle of the night. Thinking about the ongoing list you have in your head of worries
• Feelings of stress often
• Thinking the worst will happen – expecting the worst to happen at all times
• Stomach pains – physical stomach pain due to your anxiety, it may even cause you to throw up due to the intense pain
• Increased heart rate – your heart may race uncontrollably even if you are just sitting there and have had no physical exertion 
• Disruption in appetite – there may be times that you can’t get yourself to eat anything and other times you feel that you can’t eat enough 

If you are experiencing any of the above or a combination of the above there is help. Worrying is a normal human emotion and healthy if it is within reason. If the worry is happening often and intensely, it can become crippling to any individual. It can disrupt the ability to function in your daily activities. There are mental and physical symptoms that can come with anxiety, but there are things that can be taught to help you cope and feel in control.

Forms of Anxiety

Many people believe that anxiety is only shown in one way, however that is far from the truth. There are many different ways in which anxiety can manifest. Some ways that anxiety is manifested include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This is the clinical term for the anxiety that most feel. It is a persistent dread or worry about what is going on in your life. It is something that interferes with most of your day and on more days than not. This is not worrying about the stressful situations in your life, but when you are worried about the day-to-day events. You cannot stop worrying about things even when you try to. 

Social Anxiety Disorder

This is when being in large groups or around others causes you uncontrollable fear and worry. Any form of socializing may cause you to feel embarrassed, that others are judging you, or cause fear. You may try to avoid any and all social interactions if possible. Having to interact with any stranger can be really difficult for someone with social anxiety disorder. You may be concerned with what they think of you, that you may embarrass yourself, or that you may offend someone. 

Panic Disorder

When you have a panic anxiety disorder you will have attacks of panic or fear that are triggered by your anxiety. They will be recurring and come on suddenly without warning. When you have an attack you may experience your heart pounding, sweats, a hard time breathing, tingly limbs, and stomach or chest pain. You may even start to have fear about when your next attack will occur. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

When you experience or witness a traumatic event it can have a big impact on you. It may take you a long time to recover from the event. You may have flashbacks of the event that are accompanied by intense emotions and physical reactions to the memory. With this, you may be having nightmares or unwanted memories that cause you to relive the trauma.

When you are experiencing anxiety, it is something that is hard to understand and control alone. Seeing a counselor at All About You Therapy Services can help you to progress and take back your life from the anxiety you’ve been experiencing. You will always find a judgment-free zone where you will be heard. Feeling heard is important but so is being understood. With our help, we can help you better understand yourself and what may have caused the anxiety in the first place. We want to help you understand why you are the way that you are and help you deal with any trauma that may have caused it. The most beneficial part of counseling for anxiety is that it will help you identify ways to cope and make changes in your life. We will help you identify your triggers and how to deal with them when they come up.

Our team is full of individuals that are experienced and educated in anxiety. We know that it can take over your life and feel uncontrollable. But we want to show you and help you get your anxiety under control so that you can enjoy your life. Worrying is a normal part of the human experience but not when it disrupts your ability to live your life as you want. Please call us with any questions that you may have, we want to help you find ways to manage your anxiety and be able to enjoy your life again!