Are Feelings of Fear, Worry and Anxiety Stealing Your Joy?

You may be wondering if anxiety counseling is right for you. On the outside, you look well-put-together, personally secure and have a sense of accomplishment. But on the inside, there’s a battle going on with your anxious emotions filled with so much stress, fear and worry.

People know you as being dependable, responsible, and always able to get things done. You might even have a good sense of humor that is skillful in covering up your anxiety. But at times, you feel like an imposter because the anxiety that fuels your inner alarm system, keeps reminding you of all the “what-if” worst-case scenarios that could happen.

Your anxiety motivates you enough to complete necessary tasks at work, school or in your community. Yet, the end of the day, you’re exhausted and worn out.

You may be experiencing anxiety intermittently or on a daily basis. The feelings vary in their intensity, but your fear-based emotions always lead to feelings of: wanting to leave situations, being on edge, or having a sense of being stuck. This fight, flight or freeze tendency is common when someone experiences anxiety, but it is also can be debilitating.

You may be wondering how an anxiety counselor can help you. Have you tried to fix things on your own through self-help articles and books, or even watched motivational videos? What ever you have tried, nothing seems helpful to you in identifying what steps you need to take to get control of your anxiety.

It may feel like it is impossible to have a life free from anxiety, dread, worry, and fear.”

What if you were able to talk with an anxiety counselor who gets the struggle with anxiety. A counselor who can teach you research-proven techniques to decrease anxiety. Someone who can help you begin to understand why you’re having anxious thoughts and can help quiet the alarms.

How Do You Know If You Need To Speak With An Anxiety Counselor?

Anxiety is an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or problem. There is a strong sense that something will go wrong, or is wrong about a person, place or thing that will have a negative affect on one’s life.

We all have occasional anxiety, from time to time. But with occasional anxiety, you can get through most days without feeling anxious. Sometimes occasional anxiety can even be helpful, as it can help us complete tasks with a deadline or put time into studying for an exam. Other times, occasional anxiety is an annoyance but it doesn’t keep you up most nights or stop us from doing what we want or need to do.

Sometimes, you might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision. Anxiety counseling is not always necessary to address occasional anxiety, as long as it does not interfere with your ability to successfully navigate through daily experiences.

But if you find yourself experiencing a pattern in your occasional anxiety, you can learn better coping skills through anxiety counseling. Working with an anxiety counselor will help you identify more healthy ways of thinking and problem solving.

You will learn techniques that help you get more grounded and maintain being in the present moment, which leads to more comfortable feelings and a better sense of control in life. You will also learn coping skills that are research proven to decrease anxiety and increase positive feelings.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms of anxiety, it may be time to consider anxiety counseling.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, these are some of the

Symptoms of Anxiety:

• restlessness, and a feeling of being “on-edge”
• uncontrollable feelings of worry
• increased irritability
• concentration difficulties
• sleep difficulties, such as problems in falling or staying asleep
• nauseousness or decreased appetite
• feelings of danger, panic, or dread
• rapid breathing or hyperventilation
• difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
• insomnia

When Is It Time To Seek Counseling?

Anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. These feelings can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships.

Anxiety that lasts at least six months is generally considered to be an anxiety disorder. Counseling can be beneficial in helping decrease the occurrence of anxiety, give you tools to help you work through an anxiety attack and get you feeling more in control of your anxiety, by giving you a plan on what to do when you experience anxiety.

Anxiety disorders are treatable.  With proper treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can lead normal, fulfilling lives. If you think you may have an anxiety disorder or if anxiety is interfering with your emotional peace and well-being, please call me.

What to Expect From Anxiety Counseling

In counseling, the goal is to learn how to be in control of your anxiety. This is done by first understanding what you have first tried in dealing with anxiety and building upon your skills. Then we will work together to learn more about messages of self-identity, self-worth, shame based thinking, and triggers to your anxiety.

After developing an understanding of when and why your anxiety is experienced, we will work together to help you learn effective coping skills that you will practice in and outside of your sessions. You will be the one to determine which skills work for you. We will build an individualized list of ways to quiet your anxiety.  These coping skills will be your critical “go to” techniques that will have you feeling calmer, peaceful and more in control of your emotions. Ultimately, we will work together to get you back on your feet and enjoying life again.

I have successfully worked with many who have experienced generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Clients have reported that they are living more fulfilled lives, with a plan on how to successfully work through an anxiety attack, and feel more in control of their lives.  Although everyone is different, I have yet to meet someone who has not benefitted by anxiety counseling that I provide.

I am someone who keeps up on tools and techniques that are the most effective and up-to-date techniques to combat anxiety. Some of my training is in CBT, ACT, DBT, Self-compassion, Grounding techniques and Mindfulness.

Still Have Some Questions About Anxiety Counseling?

Will Counseling Work For Me?

Anxiety counseling is not a guarantee that someone will never have anxiety or an anxiety attack. But, the anxiety reduction tools and techniques I teach are known to decrease anxiety when used regularly and especially before the anxiety starts. The tools you will gain through counseling also work when someone has an anxiety or panic attack.

Working together, we will identify which techniques work best for you and have you take your techniques with you where ever you go. I will have you keep your notes in your cellphone, so they are easily accessible to you when needed.

How Long Does Someone Need Counseling for Anxiety?

The first step is to work on understanding where the anxiety is coming from (i.e. upbringing, life experiences, faulty thinking, triggers, etc.). Then we can work on identifying and practicing individualized tools to reduce anxiety. Once you done these steps, anxiety is usually more in your control.

If you are experiencing anxiety for a short period of time in life, then the time in counseling tends to be shorter. If anxiety is part of your life for a long time, then the time in anxiety counseling will take a little longer to address what is at the core of your anxiety. It really depends on the individual, but my goal is to get you to feel more comfortable as soon as possible.

How Is Your Anxiety Counseling Different From Other Counselors?

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, understanding the whole person and their life’s story is important to me. Part of my work is to understand how anxiety has been serving a person both positively and negatively. I incorporate individual techniques based on each person’s ethnic background, spirituality, roles in growing up and any other influencing factors that encouraged the development of an anxiety-based way of living and thinking.

I have a whole tool kit to work with and I am also an out of the box thinker. This allows me to create an individualized approach to effectively address anxiety. This is part of my work since I became a Social Worker at Adelphi University.

Lastly, I genuinely care about everyone I work with and want to see you feel more comfortable in life. I have a great rapport with clients who know that I truly care and want to see you succeed.

Learn More About Anxiety Counseling

If you are ready to try working with a anxiety counselor, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. You can contact me at (631) 406-3139.