Is Anxiety interfering with the life that you want?​

Anxiety can be exhausting. It can be hard to feel like your body ever gets a chance to have a break when your nervous system is constantly working on overdrive to help prepare you for the worst. This can lead to a frustrating cycle where something triggers your anxiety and your body pumps out stress hormones that amp you up so much that your body's response to anxiety can feel even more scary than the original trigger. It is common for there to be fear of anxiety itself because the experience of being anxious can feel out of control, extremely uncomfortable, and scary. This cycle of fear can lead to avoiding things that you used to enjoy because going out can trigger a cascade of anxiety. Anxiety can feel isolating, lonely, and overwhelming, and it can lead to depression.

​

Anxiety is extremely common

It is estimated that at least 30 percent of adults will be affected by an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Many of us have become accustomed to "running on anxiety," which can present its own problems in the form of exhaustion, burnout, and depletion. Anxiety can also have a huge impact on physical health.  It has been well studied that chronic anxiety and stress can play a major role in immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. The good news is that there are lots of highly effective, evidence based strategies for reducing anxiety.

​

How Does Anxiety Treatment Work?

The first step in anxiety treatment is in understanding your particular version of anxiety.  Anxiety shows up a little differently for everyone. Everyone will have their own triggers, patterns, thought process, and stuck places in their experience of anxiety. As we get to know it - where it comes from, how and why it shows up, what it wants for you, etc., we can turn the volume down on any anxiety about anxiety that might be adding to the stress of the situation. This also helps us develop a more compassionate lens as we work with your anxious parts, which in itself can be regulating for the nervous system. When the experience of anxiety itself feels less overwhelming, we can work more deeply with the underlying fears that create anxiety in your system. By understanding the building blocks of your anxiety and listening to the fears, we can create more space in your system to tolerate fear, the unknown, and distress. At the same time, I teach cutting edge tools for nervous system regulation that can help manage anxiety in the present moment (and in the future, as the effects tend to be cumulative). Tools like somatic grounding, mindfulness, and EMDR can help train your body and brain to return to a regulated baseline while we process the content of fears and triggers.

​

What if I am just like this?

I really do understand how it can feel like it will just never fully go away. A little bit of anxiety can be a good thing. Anxiety gives us energy and ideally a sufficient amount of worry can help us stay on top of things. At the same time, we don't want anxiety running the show. If you feel like anxiety is an inherent part of who you are, there may be some exploration that we can do around that. Anxiety can show up from biological factors, acutely stressful events, chronic stress, family dynamics, relational patterns, attachment issues, trauma, burnout, fatigue, chronic illness, as a reaction to other emotions, etc, etc. Because anxiety can have so many different causes, treatment might seem overwhelming or futile, but this actually gives us lots of treatment possibilities and ways to heal. There are likely themes within your system, so even if it feels like anxiety shows up from anything and everything, once we can understand some of the core contributors to your distress, we can begin to target treatment. Even if it has been around for a very very long time, there are tools that can help you reduce your anxiety and develop a different relationship with it so that it doesn't have to be so overwhelming when it shows up.

​

What if I'm Only Anxious Because of My Circumstances?

Then you are in great company, and yes, therapy can still help. Times are weird. We are still emerging from a global pandemic, the economy is unstable. Climate change, political chaos, I get it. And we can still look at your personal experience as you exist inside larger systems. What particular beliefs have you taken on from these global stressors? Do you struggle to set the boundaries that might give your nervous system a chance to recover after chronic stress at work? Looking at your unique experience in the world - even a chaotic world at that - can give you insight and tools to help you feel better.  

​

What if My Anxiety is Related to A Chronic Health Problem?

You are again in good company. There are many chronic health conditions that have been linked with anxiety including gut conditions, hormone imbalances, and a host of autoimmune conditions. In the case of a chronic health condition, if you're not already working with a doctor who you like, I would recommend starting there.  In addition to proper care within the western medical system, many survivors of chronic health issues find great success with practitioners in fields such as acupuncture, naturopathy, and functional medicine. As you work with your physical body with your doctor(s), therapy can help you manage the stress, grief, overwhelm, anxiety, and depression that can often come along for the ride in chronic illness. While your body may be unique to you, and it can feel like no one understands or experiences the physical stuff that you go through, you do not have to go through it alone.

​

It Is Possible to Have Long Lasting Anxiety Relief

Call (949) 506-0546 for a free 20 minute consultation where we can talk your particular version of anxiety and discuss what treatment might look like for you.