Anxiety
“I just can’t seem to relax...”
“I can’t stop worrying.”
Many of us have a hard time relaxing at the end of a busy day - work demands, cleaning house, feeding the pets, getting kids to bed. The to-do lists seem endless. It’s easy to get caught up in a sense of never-ending urgency. After a while, you may notice that you have a hard time slowing down. Your back and shoulders feel tense. Your thoughts keep going, even when it’s time to shut your brain off and head to bed. It even could start to interfere with your sleep, concentration, or productivity during the day.
Or worse, maybe you’ve started to notice that there’s a looming feeling that something bad may happen at any minute. You’re worried about finances, your health, your relationships. After a while, these fears can turn into all out panic attacks. You may have periods of time where you suddenly feel hot all over and like your heart could pound right out of your chest. You may feel like you’re going crazy or that you’re heart is going to give out on you. This can be an absolutely terrifying feeling.
Some common struggles related to anxiety
Worry, rumination, difficulty controlling your thoughts
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Problems with concentration and focus
Feeling restless or unable to sit still
Body tension or headaches
Stomach or GI problems
Increased rate of breathing
Fast or pounding heartrate
Unexplained feelings of terror or like you’re “going crazy”
Feeling light-headed or dizzy
Sweating or hot flashes
The path back to inner calm.
My approach to stress and anxiety is somewhat different from traditional CBT approaches. We will spend some time understanding and intervening in the thoughts that are leading to your anxiety. We will also acknowledge some of the childhood roots of anxious thinking. But, we will spend the majority of our time learning to shift focus from your thoughts to your body - learning many new skills for how to relax into your body including breathing, body scans, behavior relaxation, temperature change, and polyvagal techniques. This is where true relief will start. Calm body >>>> calm mind.
Relaxation & Mindfulness
I incorporate a great deal of relaxation and mindfulness exercises into my work with anxiety. Both are great skills for helping us to get back in touch with ourselves as well as reducing stress, anxiety, and attention problems (APA, 2012; APA, 2008). Relaxation and mindfulness training can be a stand-alone treatment or incorporated with any individual/couples sessions you are already doing. During the first few sessions, I will provide psychoeducation on aspects of relaxation and mindfulness and walk though guided relaxation/mindfulness exercises. The following sessions will be spent checking in on your home practice of relaxation/mindfulness skills, troubleshooting difficulties as needed, and continuing guided relaxation/mindfulness exercises in session.