Overwhelmed, stressed, anxious…these are some of the words people use about their current experience when they first reach out to me. The world is full of situations that cause stress, isn’t it? And today we really feel it personally, socially, and globally.
It is terrible to feel anxious. It can
sap joy, take away our time, cause
us to lose sleep, create physical
problems, steal our motivation, and
lead to unhealthy decision-making.
All of this can also result in us feeling
depressed and hopeless.
One of our favorite things to do at Uplifting Counsel is to help people overcome the situations that are causing them stress and anxiety. For years I have been learning tools to help with these issues. In sessions, we examine thoughts and practice new ways of thinking using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy techniques. We discuss practical actions that can be taken to deal with both the things causing stress and our response to them. I also love traditional talk therapy, because of the importance of a therapist hearing a client’s specific situation to come up with personalized solutions, and also to provide a safe and nonjudgmental place to air difficulties.
Anxiety and stress is caused by so many things, and can present in a variety of ways. Sometimes anxiety is more generalized, or experienced in a variety of situations, and sometimes it is more specific meaning that anxiety or stress is mostly connected to 1 or 2 areas of life. Clinically, anxiety is a part of many types of mental health concerns. Some anxiety-related issues that come up frequently in therapy are social anxiety, panic attacks, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (go here to learn more about working with me on OCD).
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People with social anxiety may be very worried about what people think of them. After a social event, they may find themselves replaying their interactions with others to determine if they may have said something “wrong” or “embarrassing.” Sometimes social situations are avoided completely due to these concerns. I love working with people on an exposure plan to gently create “wins” in social settings so that their “muscle” is continually developed to become more and more comfortable when going to new places or meeting new people.
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Someone may have Panic Disorder if they have recurrent panic attacks. The possible symptoms of panic attacks are numerous and vary from person to person. Some symptoms of panic attacks include palpitations, feeling like you are having a difficult time breathing, nausea, and chest pain. Because someone experiencing panic attacks is having physical symptoms sometimes it can be difficult to discern whether it is anxiety or an actual physical problem that is occurring. These physical symptoms can lead an individual to think they are dying, or at least that they need significant medical attention. Although it is important to rule out medical causes of physical health symptoms, it can be incredibly encouraging to become more aware of when physical symptoms are more likely to have been caused by anxiety.
From someone who has personally experienced significant anxiety, I can tell you anxiety is not a life-long sentence. I can also tell you that if you’re experiencing anxiety it does not mean that something is “wrong with you” or you are somehow “weaker” than another person. In fact–you are likely getting stronger every day because of the work required to deal with the struggles you are facing, even if it may not feel like it.
