Anxiety Counseling

Are You Stuck In A Pattern Of Anxious And Counterproductive Thinking?

Do you tend to overthink things or develop “analysis paralysis” when it comes to making a decision? Are you often preoccupied with what you should do as opposed to what you really want? Have you spent months mulling over a decision or a worry only to end up doing practically nothing about it? 

Maybe you often feel stuck or constantly worry about the future, sending you into a tailspin of fear and self-doubt. Perhaps you find yourself pondering why nothing seems to ever go right or be easy and you’re left feeling perpetually unsatisfied. 

It may be that physical symptoms of anxiety have disrupted your daily life. You might experience the sensation of constantly feeling on edge or never being able to sit still. Or perhaps you become overactive in order to avoid uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. 

All of this might be more manageable if you had consistent social outlets, but maybe challenges with social anxiety have created barriers to forging strong interpersonal connections. Or it could be that you struggle in relationships because you’re constantly overexerting yourself in an effort to please others at the expense of your own satisfaction.

You’ve probably hammered into yourself the notion that there is a “right” way to do everything and that you simply have not yet mastered the art of perfection. Anxiety treatment with an effective therapist, however, can help you begin the process of letting go of these damaging misconceptions. 

Anxiety Is Often The Result Of Wanting To Appear Selfless, Capable, And Good

Anxiety is both an extremely common phenomenon and the most prevalent mental health disorder in the US. We are motivated to work towards obtaining satisfaction in all aspects of life, and when our needs don’t get met—which could be due to a multitude of reasons—we usually tell ourselves that we simply aren’t working hard enough. This is precisely where the damaging cycle of anxiety begins. 

American culture highly values those who are seen as kind and giving. And while these attributes are certainly positive, they tend to drive us to make decisions based not on what makes us happy or fulfilled but on what others will view as “good.” As a result, we live our life according to shoulds and what we deem as the right thing to do. 

Moreover, when our needs aren’t met by others, we often make excuses for them or justify their behaviors as understandable, extending to them a sense of compassion that we seldom offer to ourselves. Such tendencies, among other subtle behaviors, often creep up without us being fully aware of the problems that are being created—which then amplify our anxiety. 

And while anxiety may have become so deeply ingrained and familiar that it’s the only frame of mind you can use to solve problems, therapy can show you how to make decisions based on your needs instead of the opinions of others. 

Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Understand And Readjust Your Motivations

So many mental health issues are a result of counterproductive patterns and self-damaging cycles of thinking. As a trained and objective professional, I can offer a useful perspective on such patterns and maintain an objective, healing point-of-view on your anxiety so you no longer feel the need to be constantly spinning your wheels. 

After committing to therapy and filling out a few items of intake paperwork, we will meet together in our first session to go over your presenting issues and goals for anxiety treatment. I believe in the value of an established, trusted therapist-client relationship and will work to ensure that you feel comfortable and free to explore your emotions during the beginning stages of therapy. 

As I get to know you better, I’ll be equipped to identify certain patterns, behaviors, and signals that relate to your anxious thinking. We will likely discuss your day-to-day experiences and identify areas that trigger anxiety, pausing to examine exactly what you are thinking and feeling in the moment. Once we have a sense of the maladaptive patterns that you have established during past periods of distress, we can begin the work of getting to the root of your anxiety and help you with overcoming it. 

Using a psychodynamic therapeutic approach that aims to emphasize the contrast between what you’re feeling and what you think you should be feeling, we can begin to uncover what needs you’re really attempting to meet by constantly filling the needs of others. As a result, you will have a stronger sense of the purpose behind your thoughts and behaviors, revealing solutions that will help you to live more intentionally. And over time, you will build a foundation of emotional skills that derives from a sense of deliberateness rather than obligation. 

I know how it feels to possess a fast-moving mind that wants to explore all outcomes and bend to the needs of others, but I also know from two decades of professional experience that living this way is simply unsustainable. You don’t have to work so hard to be happy. And with anxiety treatment, you can begin to see that life is easier and more manageable than you may realize. 

Perhaps you’re curious about counseling for your anxiety, but you have some concerns…

I’m worried that my anxiety is just too big for a counselor to solve. 

A lot of folks come to me with the fear that their problems are too big for someone else. If this is a concern of yours, I invite you to come and have one session with me so that I can prove that notion wrong. I have decades of experience treating clients with a wide range of stressors and symptoms of anxiety, and the psychodynamic approach I use allows me to become acutely attuned to the emotional needs of my clients. I promise I can handle whatever it is that you bring to therapy.

Everyone else seems to have a much easier time managing their anxiety—what is wrong with me?

Sure, some people may have an easier time with some things than you do. But you probably have an easier time with some things than other people do. We’re all made up of different qualities and traits that either help or hinder our experience of the world, but that doesn’t mean that anything is inherently wrong. The issue is that you have developed problem-solving patterns and techniques that ultimately create other problems in your life. And it’s my job to work with and support you so that you can navigate around your fears and worries more effectively.

What if my anxiety never goes away? 

It’s important to accept that your anxiety will never fully go away because your feelings will never go away—and that is a good thing! Anxiety is, however, something that can be managed. Of course, you may experience highly intense and fearful moments in the future. However, therapy offers you a lifelong blueprint for effectively identifying difficult emotions and essential coping mechanisms for overcoming anxiety. 

You Can Learn To Live Intentionally And According To Your Needs

If you find yourself making decisions out of fear rather than self-confidence, anxiety treatment can help you to readjust your relationship to your worries. To find out more about if we’re a good match and how I can help, email me to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation. 

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