Anxiety Therapy
Do You Feel Worn Out By Constant Worrisome Thoughts?
Are you frequently juggling worries about multiple situations simultaneously, making it almost impossible to relax? Do you find yourself compelled to maintain control over various aspects of your life, driven by a fear of uncertain outcomes? Is there a consistent unease when your surroundings do not align with your expectations of perfection or safety?
Perhaps you are caught in a cycle of needing reassurance and seeking control to alleviate the discomfort caused by your worries. Or maybe the fear of the unknown turns into using procrastination or perfectionism as coping mechanisms. It could be that your anxiety has begun to affect your relationships, your productivity at work, or your daily routine.
More than anything, you want to know that everything will be all right. We understand and want to help you get to a point where you can manage your anxious thoughts and feelings when facing the unknown.
Anxiety Is Not Just Fearing The Worst
When people think of anxiety, they tend to think that its only symptoms are worry and fear of the worst possible outcome. But there are many more symptoms you may not associate with the disorder.
Maybe you are experiencing recurring unwanted intrusive thoughts, avoidance, isolation, or tendencies toward procrastination and perfectionism.
Physically, a range of symptoms may manifest, including persistent tension; disrupted sleep on a chronic level; or acute panic reactions marked by trembling, breathlessness, or rapid heartbeat. Anxiety also has the potential to disrupt meaningful connections with others, as these ongoing worries pose challenges to staying fully engaged and present in relationships.
It can be difficult to overcome anxiety on your own. It is scary to face and often leads to attempts to escape or avoid the anxiety-triggering situations whenever possible. However, at Seek Therapy, we can support and guide you toward a life where anxiety does not control your decisions and how you respond to distressing circumstances.
It is Normal To Feel Anxious — But Anxiety Does Not Have To Hold You Back
Approximately one in five adults in the United States experiences anxiety disorders each year, making them the most prevalent mental disorders in the country. However, despite their prevalence, only one in three people grappling with these challenges actively seek treatment. (1)
Anxiety is a fundamental and protective emotional response that serves to alert us to potential threats and help us navigate challenges. It is a natural part of the human experience, often motivating us to take necessary actions and precautions. However, the concern arises when anxiety starts to interfere significantly with our daily lives.
The point at which anxiety becomes problematic is when it disrupts our ability to function effectively in our personal and professional spheres. This is when it becomes important to “Seek Therapy”.
As A Society, We Are Exposed To Many Anxiety-Inducing Situations
In addition to ongoing daily stressors, many significant societal issues can trigger chronic anxiety, including climate change, public safety, or discrimination based on identity.
The non-stop flow of information from the news and the internet plays a role in increasing anxious thoughts and tendencies. These sources provide new reasons to worry while also serving as ever-present outlets for seeking reassurance or procrastination. In this always-connected world, anxiety finds fuel in the constant influx of information and the seemingly infinite opportunities for both seeking comfort and delaying action.
Whether facing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, panic disorder, specific phobias, or any other persistent worries, counseling can provide effective solutions for managing symptoms.
Anxiety Therapy Can Help You Take Your Life Back
Throughout the therapeutic process, you will learn to confront and navigate worries or panic instead of feeling overwhelmed by these feelings. Therapy offers a safe and non-judgmental environment to openly discuss your concerns, allowing you to feel acknowledged and understood. This supportive space encourages taking steps toward reclaiming control over your life.
Our Approach To Anxiety Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are two widely used approaches, each offering unique strategies for managing anxiety disorders.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is highly effective for people who struggle with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, which can be targeted via exposures centered around physical symptoms. This approach involves practicing techniques such as interoceptive exposures to improve your ability to manage the distress that arises during panic attacks.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is another condition addressed through CBT, which can include approaching hypothetical scenarios via narrative exposures. These exercises encourage people to confront and sit with the possibilities of various outcomes, promoting a proactive approach to managing anxiety associated with uncertain future events.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes acceptance and prioritizing values. It involves acknowledging anxious thoughts rather than attempting to eliminate them. In ACT, you will learn to label and accept the presence of anxious thoughts, recognizing that the goal is not to eradicate these thoughts but to manage them effectively.
Mindfulness and relaxation strategies play a crucial role in anxiety treatment. These strategies may involve relaxation techniques, such as focused breathing and visualization exercises. In mindfulness exercises, you will learn to observe your worries, viewing them as a stream of thoughts rather than true realities. Observing thoughts without judgment helps build resilience and diminishes the impact of anxious thoughts. Grounding exercises are also employed to help anchor you in the present moment.
Even though anxiety can feel overbearing and inescapable, it is highly treatable in a manner that enables you to manage both your current anxiety and any future anxiety that may arise. Seeking therapy for anxiety can give you back your life and let you breathe more easily as you move forward. Approaching your anxieties can be scary, but treatment in a supportive environment can not only make the process manageable but also exciting and even sometimes fun.
You May Be Considering Anxiety Therapy But Have More Questions…
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Some anxiety disorders are driven by situations or facts that have very real impacts on your life. Treatment can provide the benefits of ensuring that you see these concerns with a balanced perspective, with anxiety levels proportionate to reality. Therapy can also help increase acceptance of things that cannot be changed so that you can focus on the things within your control.
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We will work together to identify your most common anxious thoughts, figure out how they are interfering with your life, and create a treatment plan to target these concerns in turn. However, a great benefit of anxiety treatment is that the learned skills and strategies can often be generalized, so you may very well see improved handling of all types of anxious thoughts once you acquire the skills and begin applying them more broadly.
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Approaching anxiety (or anything new in general) certainly can be scary, especially when it is the first time. We will tackle your worries in a way that pushes you to challenge yourself without making you feel overwhelmed or out of control. With practice, you will witness your ability to become stronger as you gain more experience with facing and overcoming the worries that have been holding you back from living the life you deserve.
You Can Experience Peace Of Mind
It can be exhausting to feel overwhelmed by fear of the unknown. Struggling with nonstop worries and the need to have everything in its right place can significantly impact your daily life. Seek Therapy can help you manage these anxious thoughts and give you the peace of mind that you have been searching for.
For a free 15-minute consultation, please call or leave a voicemail at 310-971-9800.
