What does anxiety feel like to you?

Are you unable to enjoy friends and family because you can’t relax?
Are you embarrassed because you’re afraid to go to public places?
How many times this week did you avoid an anxiety evoking situation, person, or place?
Do you stay awake at night because you can’t stop worrying about everything?

Anxiety is both physiological and psychological and triggered by a perceived threat. The difference between anxiety and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is that there is not a past trauma. I describe anxiety as an uncomfortable mixture of fear, nervousness, and worry all happening at the same time. Many people experience common symptoms, such as numbing or tingling, difficulty breathing, heart-racing, shaky, dizzy or lightheaded. When these symptoms begin to interrupt or interfere in daily living, it’s a problem and needs to be addressed.

Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States.

In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (US), 40 million Americans age 18 and above or 18.1% experience some type of anxiety (1). Some people describe anxiety as something that feels like a combination of intense worry, nervousness, and paralyzing fear all mixed up together. It is, to say the least, VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. However, some anxiety is a part of life. For instance, without some anxiety, we would not be motivated to get up and go to work/college or complete a project or remember to slow down on the highway. Anxiety helps us to be cautious, pay attention to danger signals, and keep ourselves and others safe. The part of our brain, the amygdala gets turned on when there is potential danger. This is healthy and keeps us alive. However, when our amygdala is triggered by PERCEIVED threats, it sends our bodies into a state of stress that causes us to feel like freezing, fighting, or running (freeze, fight, flight response). There is hope. Anxiety counseling with a therapist who is skilled and experienced can journey with you to learn ways to cope and participate in your life.

Process of dealing with anxiety begins at the first anxiety counseling session.

Anyone who seeks anxiety therapy is stepping out of his/her comfort zone. Each person wants to know that they are with someone who understands, cares, listens, and the setting is inviting, and safe. I will make sure that your first experience in my office is as calm and comfortable as possible, and your courage to attend will not go unnoticed.

A thorough assessment is the first step to beginning treatment for anxiety. I will need to determine what type of anxiety you are experiencing. For instance, is it generalized, in which the anxiety occurs in several different settings/events, or is it more specific, such as only occurring in places with large crowds of people? Following the assessment, I can best understand what your individual needs are to be addressed. I assess not only your challenges, but your individual strengths. You have strengths that have carried you this far. You’ve made efforts to cope with symptoms from anxiety. I honor those strengths and build from what you have established.

Next, I will help you to understand what is happening physiologically when you have anxiety. You will learn to identify the intensity of anxiety and determine if the symptoms are manageable or beyond your ability to cope. Next, specific coping strategies that include Mindfulness skills will be presented and demonstrated. You will practice these in session and have your own plan available to you to use as you need these techniques. After this, you will record where, when, who, and what was occurring with you when you experienced anxiety. In future sessions, you will be able to identify what your negative self-messages are that contribute to the anxiety. You will understand Automatic Thoughts, Re-constructing your thoughts, and how thoughts often influence the way we all feel and behave. If you are experiencing specific anxiety like a phobia, a different type of method is used to help you desensitize to that trigger. Your individualized care is most important along with your commitment to adhere to practicing new skills to enhance and improve daily living.

In the last 13 years of clinical practice, I’ve worked with many individuals with varying types and intensities of anxiety. Some of these have been generalized anxiety, phobia anxieties, such as fear of spiders, fear of speaking in public, and other specific fears. These were addressed and these folks learned how to help themselves in these situations. They also understood the triggers and ways to best plan for these to structure safety and support, such as looking for exits, having names, numbers of supportive others and written note card with needed tools.

You may still wonder if anxiety counseling is really for you.

What if my anxiety is too severe?

During our first session following the thorough assessment, I will provide you several techniques that you can begin to experiment with to see what works best in your situation. You are your best authority. Most individuals find relief from the most intense anxiety (daily panic attacks/paralyzing fear) within the first 2-4 sessions. Decreasing intensity and frequency of anxiety symptoms is most important to individuals with anxiety. Your commitment to daily practices to manage anxiety symptoms is key to relief. In some cases, medication may need to be added in addition to anxiety counseling. If this is the case, I will recommend you seek medical attention.

When will I notice improvement?

As stated above, most individuals notice improvement within 2-4 sessions depending on the amount of time invested practicing the evidence-based techniques.

How much money is this going to cost me?

How many days of work/school are you missing per month? How many jobs have you had to change due to your anxiety symptoms? According to Center for Workplace Mental Health, an employee with excessive and irrational anxiety misses 4.6 workdays per month (2 ). This means most individuals with anxiety are losing a substantial amount of income per pay period. Attendance problems can also lead to early termination and frequent job-hunting causing more stress and anxiety. The investment of anxiety counseling on the short term will save you money in the long-term.

Join others who have completed anxiety counseling to move from avoiding to participating.

I will be glad to speak with you. I offer a free 15-30 minutes phone consultation. Call me at 479-531-9844 to set up that phone consult. An anxiety checklist is available, and this will help you with understanding common types of anxiety (anxiety quiz). Please, your life matters. Seek help whether you decide to work with another therapist or to work with me.

If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, please call the following number or text the crisis hotline.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Crisistextline.org: text 741741

(1) www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

(2) www.workplacementalhealth.org/mental-health-topics/anxiety-disorders