Anxiety can take many forms.
Counseling Can Have A Positive Impact
We all experience some degree of anxiety in life, perhaps feeling fearful, on-edge, or jittery in response to a stressful situation. It is normal and even healthy for life challenges such as a new job, school, health issues or pregnancy, economic hardship and difficult social situations to trigger some degree of anxiety. When experienced in a positive way, these feelings of anxiety can help motivate us to take risks, move beyond our comfort zone, and discover new abilities. Sometimes, however, our feeling of anxiety keep us stuck. This is when counseling can help you to address the root of your anxiety and develop the skills to regulate your nervous system!
How can you know if you need help with anxiety?
So if anxiety is a normal response to a stressful event, how can you know if you need help? Clues might include:
- Are you overwhelmed with anxiety and fear about your life and unable to control your thoughts?
- Do you often feel tense, stressed or restless?
- Is your anxiety response to a challenging situation beyond what might be expected or considered healthy? Is it keeping you from coping in a positive way?
- Do people say you’re irritable or short-tempered, and do you find yourself regretting outbursts that felt beyond your control? Is you irritability causing tension with loved ones?
- Is your anxiety affecting your sleep or appetite?
- Has anxiety taken over your life with constant worry and fear?
First, you’re not alone in these feelings—they are far more common than you might imagine.
What is an anxiety disorder?
When feelings of anxiety take over, fear or panic can become chronic and overwhelming. The good news is that autonomic nervous system dyfuntion is very responsive to treatment. We know that anxiety has become a serious problem in our lives when it gets in the way of everyday living or enjoying important relationships. There are five broad categories of anxiety disorders:
Generalized anxiety
You may experience anxiety and worry that seems continuous and interferes with daily life and relationships, and perhaps may also experience depression. Feelings can include being tense and restless, irritable, tired, and having difficulty getting a good nights sleep.
Social anxiety
Do you ever struggle with being in groups of public and find yourself worrying that everyone is watching or judging you? While you may rationally know this isn’t the case, is it still difficult to relax due to fear of being judged or embarrassed?
Panic
Have you experienced repeated, unexpected attacks of intense fear mimicking the symptoms of a heart attack. Often there is accompanying anxiety and worry about when another attack will occur. The worry and anticipation about when another panic attack will happen can become so upsetting that you may become afraid to leave the house.
Post traumatic stress
Have you seen or experienced a traumatizing event and become overwhelmed with intrusive memories and thoughts so vivid that you feel like you are re-experiencing the event—accompanied by attempts to avoid these thoughts, memories, and body sensations leaving you feeling shut-down, detached, or numb.
Phobias
If you experience an persistent or irrational fear of a specific object or situation that is out of proportion to the actual danger or threat, such as fear of elevators, flying, or needles, you may be struggling with a phobia. Often there is intense worry and stress about the fear itself accompanied by interruptions in daily life and a tendency to avoid the feared situation or object.
