Anxiety Counseling

How to Identify Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural response that helps you avoid danger. However, for some people, their body responds to various situations as if there is a physical threat, even when there is none. This can cause physical and cognitive symptoms, such as a fast, pounding heart, rapid breathing, increased blood pressure, sweating, excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, depressive thoughts, and aggressive thoughts/behaviors.

Symptoms of anxiety are designed to motivate a person to either fight or flee a real or perceived threat by providing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the muscles needed to fight or flee. Similarly, cognitive symptoms of anxiety are trying to help you notice and respond to real or perceived threats.

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety: What your body feels and does

• • Fast, pounding heart
  • Rapid breathing
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Sweating
  • A sense of impending doom (this often feels ‘physical’. . . like a stone in your gut, or as I mentioned above, bats in your stomach)

Cognitive Symptoms of Anxiety: What your mind thinks and does

• • The above-mentioned sense of impending doom
  • Excessive worry about what others may think of you
  • Excessive concern about health and well-being
  • A racing mind, often creating insomnia
  • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions (analysis paralysis)
  • Depressive thoughts
  • Aggressive thoughts/behaviors. Irritability

You are not alone. There is help

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety impacts over 40 million people in the United States, and it is highly treatable. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help you retrain your mind to counteract these symptoms, and even learn to leverage them to your benefit. By engaging in new strategies that unravel the thought knots that lead to anxiety, you can manage anxiety effectively. Medication is usually not required to manage anxiety, but when it is, using it in combination with talk therapy produces incredible results.

Managing Anxiety

Anxiety management is based on a strong relationship between a person’s strengths and their ability to use them to deal with all facets of anxiety. You can solve issues like anxiety. Our time will be spent as a conversation, not a clinical interview. You get to just be yourself, not worrying about asking the right questions or revealing all the right details. Our style is conversational and very interactive. We offer warmth and compassion along with a direct and honest style.

If you are struggling with anxiety, effective anxiety counseling in Austin can help. Mindfulness-based counseling can help you get to the root of the issue and learn how to structure thoughts and behavioral responses that are more effective. Remember that telephone counseling is also an option in most situations.

What to expect in anxiety counseling

Don’t worry, our conversation will be friendly and informal, without any clinical jargon. You can simply be yourself and feel free to share your experiences without fear of judgment. Plus, you’ll have the added benefit of Buddy the Therapy Dog, who’s always there to offer comfort and support.

During our sessions, we’ll focus on identifying the early signs of anxiety and learning how to cope with them. You’ll also learn how to recognize situations that trigger your anxiety and develop personalized strategies to manage them effectively. For instance, if you tend to feel anxious before a meeting with your boss, we’ll explore techniques such as deep breathing and positive self-talk to help you stay calm and confident. We can even practice scenarios and role-play conversations to build your confidence and prepare you for real-life situations.

I’ve helped many people overcome anxiety, including high-powered executives, artists, celebrities, and couples struggling with relationship issues. It’s always inspiring to see my clients achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. Don’t just take my word for it – check out the testimonials from satisfied clients and mental health professionals who have worked with me.

If you’re ready to take control of your anxiety and live a more fulfilling life, I’m here to help. Let’s work together to develop practical strategies and techniques that work for you.