What is Anxiety?

First, anxiety is common to all forms of life. We need it to survive. Problematic anxiety is painful and causes many symptoms including:

• Nervousness about what you say/do and how it impacts others.

• Needing a lot a reassurance that your thoughts/feelings are valid.

• Second-guessing yourself frequently.

• Struggling to feel secure in your relationships or at work.

• Worrying about job performance.

• Struggling with intimacy.

• Worrying about the future (anticipation).

• Often thinking worst-case-scenario thoughts.

• Experiencing a sense of dread upon awakening or throughout the day.

• Hating to be alone with your thoughts because they are unpleasant, intrusive, or racing.

This is a technical summary of the symptoms of GENERALIZED anxiety:

• Worry that cannot be controlled, worrying about lots of different things.

• Feeling restless, keyed up, on edge.

• Muscle tension.

• Irritability.

• Difficulty staying or falling asleep.

• Difficulty concentrating, staying on task, blanking out.

The symptoms cause significant distress and difficulty functioning.

The other forms of anxiety include social anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Anxiety treatment is effective when anxiety is targeted at the root.

Anxiety is often rooted in your history or developmental background. Anxiety therapy will help you understand your biological, psychological, and environmental influences. It’s important to understand what drives anxiety and learn how to better respond.

Anxiety treatment can be short-term or long-term depending on the cause, learned responses, and any co-occurring symptoms or problems.

Anxiety impacts relationships and can cause conflict.

When one person is anxious, that is felt by everyone in a partnership/family. It’s hard to be anxious, and support someone who is. Anxiety can make life difficult for all involved.

Anxiety can lead to arguments about values, preferences, and differences. It drives the “chase-withdraw” cycle partners get into where one person must solve the problem right now, and the other cannot get enough space and shuts the conversation down to seek distance.

Anxiety perpetuates anxiety in a vicious spiral and often leads to other feelings such as shame, inadequacy, conflict, and self-worth issues. It’s like a weed that can slowly strangle out your ability to cope and like yourself or your life.

Anxiety treatment can help you achieve a sense of clarity and calm.

Fortunately, anxiety is highly treatable. If you’re suffering from problematic anxiety, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many useful tools you can learn to dial down the noise and untangle your thoughts and feelings. As someone who has suffered from anxiety, I know first-hand how difficult it is to live with and learn to control.

Feel free to reach out so we can talk about how anxiety therapy can help you quiet your mind and heart.