Anxiety, Stress, and Worry

Because a certain amount of stress and worry is a part of life, sometimes it is hard to know if what we are feeling is just too much.  Therapy can help you determine if there is a way to live your life with less anxiety, stress and worry.  Anxiety involves a wide range of emotional, mental, and physical symptoms, including:

·       Feeling tense, irritable or jumpy
·       Anticipating the worst
·       Trouble concentrating
·       Difficulty sleeping
·       Shortness of breath
·       Headaches or muscle tension
·       Pounding heart
·       Upset stomach, dizziness, sweating
·       Difficulty in new situations or with new people

When it is severe, anxiety can negatively impact your quality of life.  In therapy I can help you to understand and learn to better manage your thoughts and feelings in order to find relief from these symptoms.

I use a variety of techniques to help people with anxiety. These techniques include:

• Controlled, strategic exposure - a way to desensitize yourself to fears, phobias or anxiety producing situations
  
• Visualization - a technique to help you focus on positive or neutral things rather than fears or worries
  
• Meditation - a way to relax mind and body, restoring feelings of peace and wellbeing
  
• Mindfulness techniques - skills to help you remain focused on what is happening in the present rather than worrying about the past or future
  
• Cognitive Behavioral techniques - methods that help you become aware of your thinking patterns and develop new patterns that are more effective