Have Fear And Self-Doubt Taken Over?

Does excessive worry cause your life to regularly feel imbalanced and out of whack? Are fear and panic making everyday situations increasingly difficult to bear? Is concern about the future taking away from your sense of presence and peace? 

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You may be finding that activities and relationships you once enjoyed now present feelings of apprehension and discomfort. Perhaps you dread being social or meeting new people, causing you to avoid others or dwell on your interactions. You spend so much time thinking about what you did wrong or what could go wrong that you no longer feel present or in control of your life. 

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If this is the case, you may lack confidence and self-esteem. Perhaps you spend so much time ruminating on your missteps and worries that you’ve noticed fear becoming your predominant emotion. 

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Living with anxiety, you may notice physical signs and symptoms impacting your ability to function. Always preoccupied, you may find it difficult to focus or get a good night’s sleep. And in some cases, you may experience symptoms of panic, which include hypervigilance, sweating, and trouble breathing. You may wonder if you’ll ever feel comfortable or at ease again. 

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Yet, you are capable of overcoming the hurdles that anxiety creates in your life. And with therapeutic treatment, you can learn meaningful tools to manage symptoms, reduce anxiety, and live more confidently. 

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Anxiety Is A Side Dish To The Main Course Of Life

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Anxiety is a natural part of being human. We as a species are uniquely inclined to envision the future and understand that life is limited—it’s only natural that we develop fears and worries, especially during moments of uncertainty.

 

Chronic and excessive worry are characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder, but there are many other forms of anxiety, including panic disorder, phobias, and social anxiety. Though each of these present varying symptoms, they all make life feel uncomfortable and taxing. 

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Moreover, several common stressors may lead to the onset of anxiety, including crisis and conflict. Relationship issues are a common catalyst for worry. And those of us who have suffered a loss or trauma can become conditioned to fall into fight-or-flight mode, living in a constant state of fear. 

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Not to mention, our culture has greatly contributed to symptoms of anxiety in individuals. We have created unrealistic expectations when it comes to beauty, wealth, and career. In the age of social media, we are faced with constant comparisons and snapshots of seeming perfection. 

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Though anxiety can be motivating, it is a problem as soon as it becomes paralyzing or causes chronic discomfort—often jeopardizing our mental, physical, and emotional health. When our fears and worries begin to take control of our decisions, a harmful cycle of catastrophic thinking is established that can be hard to escape. 

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If your anxiety has taken on a life of its own, relief is possible. Therapeutic treatment can help you target fear and worry. And at SafeSpace, you can take control of your anxiety and learn to manage its effect on you. 

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Treatment Allows You To Make Healthy Space For Anxiety 

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While you’d probably like to find a way to silence your anxiety, the truth is that your worries contain helpful information about who you are and where you want to go in life. Because anxiety is a necessary biological reaction, it can lead to both meaningful action as well as irrational thinking. 

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Therapy gives you a chance to verbalize your fears and create a sensible space for your anxiety so that you can understand what it’s trying to communicate to you. Deborah can help you differentiate healthy concerns from those that are harmful or damaging. 

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Beginning with an intake process during which we will discuss symptoms and establish goals for treatment, your therapist will get a sense of the severity of your anxiety. Working through your history together, we can identify where certain concerns originated and work toward changing and even resolving your fears. 

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Depending on which emotions and experiences you want to explore in counseling, she will draw from a range of approaches that can help you achieve lasting, meaningful solutions to the problems anxiety has presented in your life. 

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) will help you establish a more positive and accepting dynamic with your anxiety, while behavioral therapies (including Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavior Therapies) allow you to identify thought patterns and emotions while learning skills for distress tolerance. 

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We also incorporate strengths-based and solution-focused methods that will use your innate abilities to create a sense of progress and empowerment. And art therapy or mindfulness practices take more holistic approaches to offer you a sense of calm and control. 

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At SafeSpace, you can gain a deeper awareness about why your anxiety exists and what it’s trying to protect you from. With this information, you can better understand specific triggers and strengthen your coping skills to combat disruptive symptoms of anxiety. 

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You no longer have to feel out of control and unsure of yourself—with anxiety treatment at SafeSpace, you can find relief from the symptoms getting in the way of your sense of peace.

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Maybe you’re ready to see a therapist about your anxiety, but you have some questions…

I’ve noticed an increasing fear of social situations—can anxiety treatment help?

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Since the onset of COVID-19, social anxiety has been on the rise. People haven’t interacted as much, and fears around groups and gatherings are common in the midst of a pandemic. 

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Many of our clients have reached out for therapy for social anxiety and noticed positive results within a few sessions. Deborah has been able to help them establish effective coping skills, allowing them to navigate social situations with more ease and confidence. 

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What is generalized anxiety disorder and how do I know if I have it?

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If you live with an underlying sense of apprehension and fear but don’t know where it originated, you may have generalized anxiety disorder. 

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The good news is that treatment allows you to understand where your anxiety developed and how to manage the symptoms it presents in your everyday life. Working together with us at SafeSpace, you can explore your emotions and experiences as you foster a deeper awareness of what your anxiety is telling you and how to cope with it. 

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I have a phobia and I am worried you will judge me for my fear in therapy. 

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Phobias are a common form of anxiety, and she sees many clients who struggle with overwhelming fear related to their phobia. You are not alone. 

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Our treatment approach draws from evidence-based methods that allow you to target your phobia and manage the anxiety it causes when confronted. She has seen our clients take great strides in overcoming their phobias with anxiety treatment, and we are confident that therapy can help you too. 

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You Can Achieve A Healthy Balance Again

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If anxiety has thrown your life off-kilter, counseling at SafeSpace can help. To schedule an intake, we invite you to fill out our contact form or call (630) 551-8602 to find out more about how we can help you manage your anxiety.