You’ve always been a bit of an anxious person. Your friends have even joked that you have a Type A personality, and you don’t disagree. Although you’ve been productive and successful, life has been been difficult lately. It’s tough to focus, and you can’t shake this feeling of panic. You thoughts loops around in a familiar pattern, making it difficult to relax. You feel overwhelmed by little things, which isn’t normally like you. Everything seems important, and you don’t know where to start. It’s becoming clear that anxiety is getting the better of you.

Here are some of the common sources of anxiety:

• Future uncertainty (e.g., job instability, divorce)
• Life changes or loss (e.g., death, moving, job change)
• Life demands (e.g., job stress, raising children, answering email)
• Stressful situations (e.g., public speaking, travel)
• Relationship problems (e.g., conflict, breakups)

Anxiety is a natural part of life, and it helps us to respond to life’s challenges. However, when anxiety becomes too intense, it can impacts our productivity and quality of life.

Here are some of the signs your anxiety may be impacting your life:

• Shortness of breath
• Trouble sleeping
• Racing thoughts
• Digestive problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Forgetfulness
• Irritability
• Self-doubt
• Head aches
• Muscle tightness
• Hot flashes
• Chronic pain
• Confusion
• Procrastination

If you have experienced 2 or more of these symptoms regularly in the past month, you may be struggling with disordered anxiety.

My Approach

I work with anxiety using a variety of techniques designed to release tension in the body and calm the mind. One of the approaches I use is Somatic Experiencing, a body-based therapy designed by Peter Levine. One of my goals is to help clients determine the difference between anxiety that is alerting them to something important, and unhelpful anxiety.

In our first session, I will gather some personal history and information about the nature of your anxiety. Typically I am able to create a plan based on our first session, and make some initial recommendations. 

I can help you to:

• Understand the severity of your anxiety
• Decrease your anxiety
• Address any underlying issues that may be causing your anxiety

Clients report the following benefits: 

• More energy
• Better quality of sleep
• Clearer thinking
• Increased productivity
• Greater enjoyment of life
• More able to be present with family and friends

Sometimes life gets overwhelming and we need a place to catch our breath and regroup. By talking to someone who specializes in anxiety reduction, we can gain perspective and control over anxiety. It is possible to life a life where we feel calmer and in greater control. In my experience, anxiety can be a debilitating issue but is also very treatable.

To get started, download my free Anxiety Assessment Starter Kit.