Anxiety Therapy
Has Anxiety Taken Away Your Ability To Live With Ease?
Does worry seem difficult or even impossible to control? Do you feel like you’re burdened with unrelenting stress? Are you suffering from frequent panic attacks? Have you been backing out of obligations or usually enjoyable activities because of your anxiety?
No matter how much you wish you could relax, you can’t seem to find relief from your anxiety. Perhaps you constantly worry about a variety of topics or endless “what-ifs” and feared disasters. You might be feeling overwhelmed, like you’re drowning under the weight of your responsibilities. You could be struggling with muscle tension, restlessness, stomach aches, headaches, or shortness of breath. You may even have trouble concentrating or sleeping at night.
Anxiety Can Make It Hard To Simply Enjoy Life
Maybe you’re always concerned about your performance at work or in school, your finances, your health, or the wellbeing of your loved ones. You can’t help but envision even minor mistakes leading to catastrophic outcomes. Even when things are going well, you may struggle with intrusive thoughts and assume that it’s only a matter of time before problems arise.
Anxiety makes it difficult to be fully present. Focusing on your studies or projects at work isn’t easy when you’re under chronic stress, and your symptoms can interfere with the same responsibilities that you’re nervous about falling behind on. Your incessant worrying can lead to brain fog, and your mind might go blank when you need to focus. You might even suffer from panic attacks, which holds you back from participating in the hobbies you used to enjoy and maintain healthy relationships.
You wish you could stop worrying about unlikely scenarios and release the fears that have been holding you back. Fortunately, through therapy, you can learn to distinguish helpful from unhelpful worries, get your symptoms under control, and alleviate your anxiety.
Anxiety And Fear Are Part Of The Human Experience
Everyone experiences stress and anxiety sometimes. Although these emotions are unpleasant, they serve an important purpose. Thousands of years ago, our brains evolved to react to perceived threats, preparing us to handle potentially fatal situations through a fight, flight, or freeze response.
Today, you can experience similar emotions when you’re facing any sort of stressful scenario, even if you’re not in danger. Our brains overestimate the severity of potential threats, which contributes to high levels of stress and anxiety.
Modern Societal Pressures Can Cause Chronic Stress
These days, people of all ages face intense pressure to perform to a high level at work and in school. The rising cost of living forces many people to work longer hours and chase higher salaries just to pay their bills. Furthermore, widespread social media usage can make people feel as though they need to put forth a certain image in order to fit in. Looking at other peoples’ “highlight reels” every day can leave people wondering if they’re good enough and striving for perfectionism.
Additionally, we still struggle with many of the same fears that human beings have faced throughout history. People might deal with anxiety over their own health or the health of their loved ones. Anyone who is facing uncertainty can end up ruminating on worst-case scenarios.
Many people hesitate to seek help for anxiety because of the stigma against therapy. People often minimize their own struggles and tell themselves that they should be able to handle their anxiety alone. But trying to suppress your anxiety can worsen your symptoms. With counseling, you can address the roots of your anxiety and embrace the healing process.
Anxiety Therapy Can Help You Let Go Of Your Worries
When you have anxiety, it’s perfectly natural to feel a bit apprehensive about talking to a therapist. At Foothills CBT, your therapist will create a relaxing, welcoming environment where you can be vulnerable and share your authentic feelings. You’ll be able to open about your experiences at your own pace with a compassionate counselor.
What To Expect In Anxiety Therapy Sessions
At our practice, we apply a solution-focused, forward-thinking approach to therapy, with your counselor working to help you identify the source of your anxiety. You’ll explore potential causes of your symptoms and understand how anxiety has affected your life. When you’re ready, you’ll focus on making changes to improve your quality of life. The past has led you to this moment, but it does not have to define your future.
Treatment Approaches For Anxiety Therapy
Your therapist will integrate techniques from several evidence-based therapeutic approaches into your treatment plan. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety helps you see how your thoughts and feelings influence your actions. Your therapist can guide you through evaluating your thinking patterns to improve your sense of well-being and reduce the need to avoid and escape anxiety provoking situations. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) allows you to identify what is truly important to you, understand the challenges you’ve faced so far because of your anxiety, and accept, rather than avoid, your emotions. These treatments ultimately help you begin charting a path forward.
Your therapist will also walk you through beneficial relaxation strategies that you can use to reduce the severity of your symptoms, such as progressive muscle relaxation and paced deep breathing. You will also learn mindfulness practices that allow you to live in the present moment, rather than entertaining the feared catastrophes of the future that are feeding your anxiety. Techniques like cognitive reappraisal and cognitive defusion can help you evaluate your anxious thoughts and unlearn ingrained thought patterns that intensify and reinforce your anxiety.
Furthermore, your therapist can lead you through guided exposure to anxiety triggers in and outside of the office so that you can practice your coping skills with active support. You can also learn how to block off “designated worry time” to head off uncontrolled obsessing, engage in soothing self-talk to navigate stressful situations, and discover your capacity for positive change through motivational interviewing. Your therapist might encourage you to start journaling outside of sessions to process your thoughts and reflect on your progress.
By working with a therapist at Foothills CBT, you can slowly begin feeling like yourself again and cultivate a sense of ease in your life. Your therapist will help you clarify what matters most to you and live in alignment with your values, rather than making decisions based on fear and anxiety.
But You May Still Have Questions About Anxiety Therapy…
The thought of talking to a therapist just makes me feel more anxious.
If you’ve been living with anxiety for a long time, and you’ve withdrawn from your social life because of your symptoms, you might feel nervous about the prospect of opening up to a stranger. Your therapist will go the extra mile to create a comfortable environment where you truly relax. Additionally, we offer virtual therapy, allowing you to pursue treatment from the comfort of your own home.
How long should I expect to spend in therapy?
Our therapists build their treatment plans around evidence-based approaches that typically help clients see significant improvements within 12 to 18 sessions. You may find you need fewer or more sessions to get better. In our experience, the tools and techniques from these approaches often start making a gradual impact within a few sessions. We recommend attending sessions for at least a few months to experience the benefits, but you can continue with therapy for as long as you’d like. Overall, we aim for clients to experience “fast-acting and long-lasting” benefits from treatment.
What if going to therapy makes my symptoms worse?
It’s normal to feel nervous about exploring the root causes of your anxiety during sessions or addressing the difficult thoughts and feelings that have been bothering you for some time. Some discussions might bring up complex emotions, but our skilled therapists will help you process these safely using treatments that will help you feel better. If you find yourself feeling down after sessions, you can bring this up with your therapist, and they can adjust your treatment plan accordingly.
With Treatment, You Can Find Freedom From Anxiety
By working with a therapist, you can enjoy lasting relief from anxiety and build a life you truly love. To learn more about our practice and if we’re a good fit, call our office at 720-432-7061 or email us at intake@foothillscbt.com to schedule a free 10-minute consultation or book an appointment.
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