ANXIETY THERAPY
Feeling stressed or anxious long enough?
Do any of these thoughts sound familiar:
☼ What if I get anxious again?
☼ Is tomorrow going to be worse than today?
☼ How will the board meeting go?
☼ What will they think of me?
☼ What if I can’t escape?
☼ Just relax.
☼ What if I can’t sleep?
☼ What if something bad happens?
If any do, you might be struggling with anxiety. Worrying about future threats and trying to control anxiety can be stressful—and draining, especially overtime. With specialized therapy from Southlake, TX, you can learn new ways to help better manage anxiety and get back to investing in the life you want.
Anxiety is “normal”
Anxiety can be helpful. If you’re reading this, you probably had ancestors who experienced anxiety. It likely helped them to stay alive and is part of why you’re living today. Our brains and bodies are made to protect us against immediate physical threats. However, not everything is as physically dangerous as our minds might tell us. Furthermore, anxiety can be really uncomfortable at times. And, it can actually be harmful.
The cost of anxiety
Chronic stress and worry can start to take a toll on our lives, especially during periods of transition and change. Anxiety can wear on our bodies, interfere with our sleep, and make it harder to be fully present at school, work, or with loved ones. Oftentimes, making life changes—even positive life changes—such as a new job, school, career, relationship, or home, can bring up more stress. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue, even more common than depression. Research indicates as much as a third of people will meet the criteria for an anxiety issue at some point in their life.
Good news: Anxiety therapy can help
The good news: an experienced therapist who specializes in anxiety can guide you in getting your life back on track from anxiety and stress. If you’re experiencing some of the common symptoms of anxiety in the list below, then therapy might help you.
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☼ worrying often
☼ difficulty managing worry
☼ hard to rest or relax (restlessness)
☼ feeling nervous or tense
☼ easily tired or worn out (fatigue)
☼ hard to concentrate or focus
Common Anxiety Symptoms
☼ mind seems to go “blank”
☼ more easily bothered
☼ muscle tension
☼ sleep difficulties
☼ avoid going certain places
☼ anxiety attacks
☼ persistent fears
Specialized Help to Manage Anxiety
If you’re experiencing some of the above signs of anxiety, then psychotherapy could help you learn to better manage it. At TherLively, we tailor your counseling to the specific types of anxiety you’re experiencing. For example, when worry and difficulty managing anxiety continue for three months after a stressor or life change, you might be experiencing what psychologists call an Adjustment Disorder, With Anxiety. When these symptoms persist for six months or more, you might be experiencing what’s called Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Check out our list of common anxiety issues that we’ve helped people like you overcome.
☼ Adjustment Disorder, With Anxiety
☼ Agoraphobia
☼ Phobias (e.g. flying, vomiting, heights, needles)
☼ Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
☼ Insomnia
Treatable Anxiety Issues:
☼ Panic Disorder
☼ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
☼ Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
☼ Stress related to life transitions (e.g. moving, new job, pregnancy, empty nesting)
To learn more about specific forms of anxiety, such as panic attacks and social anxiety, check out our Blog.
Anxiety Treatment: How we can help
Anxiety therapists at TherLively focus on getting to know you: your strengths, what you really care about, and your current anxiety struggles. We focus on utilizing therapeutic approaches that are evidence-based, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you reach your goals. In CBT for anxiety, we’ll usually take a two-prong approach to moving toward your goals.
1) Your therapist will guide you in making important shifts in your thinking patterns. This often looks like identifying patterns in your anxiety and thoughts. You’ll also work to develop more helpful thoughts and explore more adaptive ways of managing worry, such as problem-solving and mindfulness.
2) Your therapist will guide you in choosing more adaptive behavioral responses to perceived threats. Our anxiety disorder specialists from Texas will teach you new ways of responding to anxiety and stress (such as using relaxation strategies) backed by research. Depending on your goals, they might also guide you in exposures to help you conquer phobias or other fears.
Meaningful Therapy
We’ll also keep in mind the reasons you’re investing in therapy and what is most important to you as we help to clear out any barriers to better managing anxiety. This approach tends to make therapy more meaningful to you. Through a meaning-based, active approach to therapy, we strive to help you move toward a fuller life.
You Might Have Questions about Anxiety Therapy
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Millions of people struggle with anxiety every year. Many have tried the “get over it approach,” and it hasn’t worked for them either. Anxiety and the factors that cause and maintain it can be quite complex. Having the guidance of a professional psychologist who specializes in anxiety psychotherapy can make a real difference. Research shows that CBT can be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms. It also shows that therapy can “rewire the brain.” You wouldn’t expect yourself to perform brain surgery on yourself, would you? It’s not exactly fair to expect yourself to change how your mind responds to anxiety by yourself either.
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It’s possible that you might temporarily experience more anxiety as you start to open up more in counseling, talk about avoided topics, or face your fears. Research indicates that anxiety levels tend to decrease by the end of CBT. We think of this process as a better long-term investment strategy than continuing the short-term strategy of avoidance. Your counselor who specializes in anxiety therapy will also collaborate with you to move at your pace. They can also give you tools to help you manage anxiety, so you feel prepared as you face your fears together. Furthermore, many people describe experiencing relief after meeting with a trained therapist and sharing.
Potential Benefits of Anxiety Therapy:
We’ve helped plenty of people better manage anxiety through CBT and research-backed therapy approaches. Some of the benefits people who completed anxiety therapy have described are:
☼ sleeping better
☼ thinking more clearly
☼ more confidence in handling stressors
☼ pursuing their goals (such as going to events again, starting a new business venture, returning to work, etc.)
☼ being able to relax more
☼ less panic or anxiety attacks
☼ more patience with people
☼ more happiness
☼ less fear
☼ being able to manage worries
Get Started
If you have more questions about the logistics of starting psychotherapy for anxiety, please read our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you would like to contact us or request an appointment with an anxiety disorder specialist in Southlake, Texas, please click a button below.