Our experienced team will help you slow down and breathe easier.
Anxiety might feel like…
A thousand bumblebees swirling around you at all times. The constant buzzing of unsteadiness, nervousness, fearfulness, a whirlwind of emotions that extend far beyond mere worrying. Like 80s television static, super intense bouncy balls flailing in your mind, a merry-go-round that just keeps spinning faster and faster and faster and you can’t get off. A pit in your stomach. Impossible to relax.
Constant jitteriness. Sweating, racing thoughts, stomachaches, like your central nervous system is always on turbo speed. Anxiety can have you spinning rapidly in circles yet it can also be paralyzing.
Without the right skills and strategies to control anxiety, it can easily take over your life.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. It might be centered either around a particular situation or you might experience anxiety without any observable cause. It is a normal human emotion, but it can become a disorder if it is severe or if it disrupts the normal functioning of everyday life.
Common symptoms of anxiety include excessive worrying, nervousness, racing thoughts, feelings of dread, uncontrollable negative thoughts, trouble sleeping, and difficulty concentrating. People can also experience strong fears with anxiety, such as fear of the future, fear of being judged, fear of failure, or fear of the unknown. These symptoms can lead to debilitating panic attacks and can significantly limit a person’s ability to lead a normal life. In general, people might also experience the inability to relax, restlessness, and agitation, as well as difficulty making decisions. People struggling with anxiety might even adopt avoidance behaviors, such as avoiding social situations and leaving situations that seem threatening or unsafe.
In addition, anxiety often includes physical symptoms. People might experience sweating, stomach troubles, fatigue, exhaustion, muscle tension, jitteriness, and a general feeling of tension. This might be the result of the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. When this happens, the body is flooded with large amounts of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which prepare us for action. These hormones increase heart rate and blood pressure, making us more alert and activated.
There are many different forms of anxiety and we want you to feel comfortable talking to us about your unique experiences. We care deeply about how anxiety can show up in a person’s life and we are here to listen and provide you with a non-judgmental space to explore how anxiety has affected you.
We treat all types of anxiety.
How can therapy help with Anxiety?
You don’t have to face anxiety alone. Talking about what you’re going through with a therapist can help you gain deeper self-insight and understanding on how to cope with anxiety. Through therapy, we help people learn new strategies for tackling difficult situations and feeling more empowered to take control. This could involve using strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure techniques, deep breathing, or mindfulness to address the root causes of your anxiety. Therapy also helps with anxiety because it allows you to gain a stronger sense of personal confidence and strengthens your ability to manage day-to-day problems that come your way.
Therapy can also provide a space for clients to identify and express the emotions that accompany their anxiety. By recognizing the connections between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in therapy, many people experience a reduction in anxiety symptoms and learn how to manage anxiety from both internal sources (our own thoughts/feelings) and external sources (other people and situations that bring anxiety).
In addition, developing healthier communication skills in therapy can also be beneficial for people with anxiety. Many people are able to learn how to communicate effectively and gain the confidence to express their feelings to others in a healthy and productive way. This is an excellent way to foster improved relationships with family and friends. People who are struggling with anxiety can begin to understand how their behavior and responses have affected those around them, and can often gain insight into their own struggles by exploring the dynamics of their relationships. Therapy can also help them to develop safer, more authentic, intimate ways of engaging in relationships with those close to be more interpersonally fulfilled.
Perhaps most importantly, therapy helps people express and regulate uncomfortable emotions that are sometimes unavoidable in life. For example, we all experience stress from time to time and it’s critical that we have the ability to manage our stress so that it does not escalate into uncontrollable anxiety. Working with a therapist allows you to pinpoint the strategies that are most effective for you, which will help you reduce everyday stress and avoid it spiraling into debilitating anxiety.
Overall, therapy is often a critical step toward recovery for people struggling with anxiety of all types. We want you to find greater balance in your life and be free from the burdens of anxiety. River Oaks Psychology was built on the foundation of empowerment and alleviating loneliness in the midst of struggle. Anxiety is often overwhelming, isolating, and misunderstood. We believe it’s important to have a safe space where you can authentically express your concerns. Our job is to support you on the path to greater wellness and we take that very seriously. If you’re struggling with anxiety, reach out to us. We would be honored to meet you.
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