Anxiety Treatment

Signs of Anxiety


You have not been sleeping well, feeling exhausted but never rested. Your stomach is often unsettled, regardless of how much, or little you eat. Concentration has failed you, and you are forgetting more than you ever knew you knew. There may be times when you notice your heart beating faster. Your breathing speeds up and you feel warm. Too warm. You start to sweat as your hands and legs begin to tremble. Just enough to make it difficult to use anything constructively. You start to wonder, "What's happening to me? How do I stop this?" You may even begin to panic, thinking, "Am I dying??" Once you cannot catch your breath and you have sharp pains in your chest, you go to the ER. It is there that you are given a clean bill of health and sent home with a diagnosis of Anxiety.

Thousands of Americans suffer from Anxiety, reporting similar symptoms. The symptoms do not always happen together, and sometimes people don't even notice that they have many of them. What they definitely notice is that they are not as productive as they used to be, and they are not happy. Anxiety is bigger than worried. Feeling worried is having specific thoughts that create the feeling of worry, such as, "Will I do well on this test?", "What will my boss say if I have to call in because my child is sick?", and "How will I find my way home after getting lost?" Anxiety is a state of being, a state of concerned unknown. And it can be downright painful. Fortunately, it does not have to be permanent.

How Therapy Helps

We all have more control in our lives than we believe and than we allow ourselves to have at times. All situations have an arena of lack of control simply because we cannot control what others do or say. But every individual gets to decide how they are going to respond. Therapy provides an external support, unbiased and respectful, to help you sort through your own choices and possible responses. Reflective questions allow you to consider what control you actually have in any given situation, and how you may want to respond. Therapy also allows people to evaluate their own responsibility in their mental health.

Natural Anxiety Remedies

Because therapy relies on the individual's self-reflection and decision-making, it is 100% natural. Every individual has coping skills they rely on to handle their emotions and difficult situations. Along with healthy supports and self-care, many of these can be developed as part of an active plan to alleviate anxiety symptoms and improve your overall functioning. Sometimes the situation and/or anxiety symptoms require assistance from medication. I will work with your primary care physician or psychiatrist to ensure that your symptoms are appropriately addressed. Above all, it is important that you practice the techniques you learn in between sessions. Similar to riding a bike or learning to paint, practice is essential. It is much easier to use skills in a time of need that have been practiced, than when they have not. If you are ready to improve your life by decreasing your anxiety, call me at 616-949-7460, x110.