can anxiety therapy help me?

You’re struggling with anxiety.   You want your life to be different, so you’re looking for help. Here are some of the ways anxiety shows up in people’s lives and how counseling can help improve things.

As you may already know, anxiety can take on different forms for different people.  You feel anxious about upcoming events, or even about things that may never happen.  Or you constantly overthink.  Maybe you are anxious about talking to people you care about, so you keep important things inside.  Or you have social anxiety that prevents you from being around people or from fully engaging in life.  You may even have anxiety in very specific situations, like when you get ready to travel. Counseling can be helpful in dealing with these scenarios and more.

decrease worry about the future

Anxiety is a response to a perceived threat.  This means that you feel scared, even if there is no imminent or possibly no actual danger to your health or safety.  Since anxiety is fear-based, it makes sense that you feel anxious when you are worrying about something that might happen  in the future.  After all, the future is completely unknown.  Excessive worry can hurt your ability to focus on what is happening right now, it can sap your time and energy, and it can prevent you from trying things that might be important or that you might enjoy.  

The good news is that therapy can help you find ways to recognize when your worry is excessive and come back into the present moment.  You can learn to act with more confidence, doing things even when you are scared about how they might come out.  

Therapy for overthinking

Overthinking is a term I hear all the time.  If you are like many of my clients, you might have difficulty getting out of your head and into your life.  You might have a running list of things that you need (or want) to do.  Or you go over and over something you did or said recently, wishing you had responded in a different way.  Sometimes, you get carried from one thought to the other without even realizing it.

In counseling, you can learn tools to interrupt the stream of thoughts that carry you away and to let the thoughts you are stuck on have less power over you.  Therapy can help you reframe your past actions and even your mistakes, so you can shift your focus to being more of the type of person you want to be.  

Therapy for anxiety and relationships

Anxiety often shows up in relationships.  If you have difficulty talking with your partner about things that bother you or things that you hope for, or you don’t say something to your friend because you are afraid they’ll stop wanting to hang out, therapy may help you improve these and other relationship challenges.  You can learn to recognize your fear and settle your body before moving forward with important conversations. A counselor can also help you learn effective communication skills.

Sometimes anxiety over relationships is internal, and you’ll interpret things someone does or doesn’t do in a way that causes you to perseverate, withdraw, or constantly look for reassurance.  This can wear on you or your people.  A therapist can help you learn how to respond differently to these types of thoughts, so that you can either manage your anxiety on your own or address your concerns appropriately with the other person.

Counseling for social anxiety 

Social anxiety looks somewhat like what I just described as anxiety showing up in relationships, but it goes further.  You might consistently fear the judgment of others and get the sense that people are scrutinizing your every move.  You might get embarrassed easily and regularly, worry that you will say something wrong or embarrassing, feel intensely nervous about being in a group or the center of attention.  

A therapist can help you learn tools for regulating your emotions and your body’s response to social situations.  They can work with you on strategies to recognize the thought patterns that lead to social anxiety and to get some relief from the power those thoughts have over you.  You can benefit from a structured plan to practice your new skills in uncomfortable situations, beginning with small steps. For some people, this might begin with attending telehealth sessions with your therapist and building up to in-person visits. The key is to start from where you are and work on building the confidence and courage you need to live your life more fully.

Counseling for travel anxiety

Travel anxiety is just one example of a specific situation that causes some people undue stress relative to the task at hand.  In an act of vulnerability, I’m writing about this because it is something I’ve struggled with over the past few years.  Maybe you’ve also felt nervous about travel or something else that you need to or want to continue doing.  

Preparation and planning can help you manage situations that cause anxiety, but it can also be beneficial to recognize when you have the strength, the knowledge, or the resources to handle unforeseen circumstances.  If you feel your heartbeat racing or you feel flush before travel, you can use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing to settle your body.  I recently found a guided meditation that helped me connect to the idea that “everything will be okay.”  And one of my personal favorite tools for when I am ruminating over the possibility of things going wrong is to listen to something outside of my mind, such as music, birdsong, or flowing water.  

Ready for a change?

What helps you manage your anxiety depends on where it shows up, how it shows up, and how you best learn and engage with the world.  You likely have the tools within you; if you’re interested in seeing how therapy can help you find those tools, reach out to see if we might be a good fit. 

Anne Graham, LCPC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Missoula, MT and the founder of Free to Be Counseling. Her specialties include managing anxiety, addressing people-pleasing habits, and finding the balance that allows you to care for yourself while you care for other people in your life.  Anne uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness, self-compassion practices, and boundary-setting in much of her work.