Anxiety Therapy - Inner Abundance Counseling

Is your mind always racing?

Is it hard to enjoy what is in front of you because your anxiety makes it so hard to be present?

Are there things you would like to do but avoid because anxiety holds you back?

Do you overthink everything and have a hard time making decisions?

Anxiety can feel frightening, isolating, and exhausting. It can make you feel like you are at war with your mind and it can affect your body too, causing you to feel restless, unfocused, fatigued, tense, or unable to sleep or eat. Maybe your anxiety even reaches peaks where you experience panic or anxiety attacks, terrifying experiences that are often described as feeling like you are going to die or go crazy. You might feel like there is so much you would like to do in life but find yourself holding back because your anxiety makes the prospect of getting started feel overwhelming. Anxiety saps your attention and energy so that you have little left to give to actually enjoying your life.   

we all have anxiety

We evolved a fear system for a reason: it helps us recognize and respond appropriately to threats in our environment so that we keep ourselves safe. In our modern world, anxiety in small doses can actually be helpful as it focuses our attention on tasks or issues that matter to us. If we had no anxiety at all, we probably wouldn’t do much day to day. Anxiety is that little motivator in the back of our minds nudging us to do the things that make our lives feel meaningful.

But there can be too much of a good thing. When anxiety doesn’t turn off, it can start to wreak havoc on our bodies, minds, and lives. It can make just getting through the day feel like you are climbing a mountain with a 100 pound backpack on. And so many of us are shouldering this extra weight. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults in the US experience an anxiety disorder every year, and, though anxiety is highly responsive to treatment, only about 37% of people experiencing anxiety actually get help. You don’t have to allow anxiety to continue to steal your ability to go after what you want in life, to relax, and to feel contentment and joy. That’s where I come in.

Individualized and Research-Backed Anxiety Therapy

I have helped hundreds of clients experience relief from their anxiety with my personalized and evidence-based treatment approach. Because no two peoples’ anxiety looks or feels the same, I will first take my time to get to know you, understand your anxiety and how it affects your life, and envision with you what your life would be like if anxiety weren’t an issue. I will then offer a custom treatment plan tailored to your unique needs, interests, and preferences.

I draw from several research-backed therapies to help my clients develop the tools and perspectives they need to effectively manage their anxiety, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In CBT, we identify the unhelpful thought and behavior patterns that are creating and maintaining your anxiety. I then teach you new skills and strategies that will enable you to modify your thoughts and behavior to be more adaptive and aligned with how you want your life to look.

In ACT, we start from the assumption that uncomfortable thoughts and emotions, like anxiety, are a natural and expected part of life. We then work to find ways to stop fighting a futile war with your anxiety and instead learn to live a good, full, and happy life in spite of it.

I also believe in the power of being grounded in one’s body as a means to feel in control of rather than overwhelmed by anxiety. When helpful, I utilize mindfulness and yoga-based exercises in sessions to offer my clients tools to come back to their bodies and find rootedness and stability there. Lastly, EMDR therapy can be a valuable add-on to anxiety treatment for some people, particularly for those experiencing specific phobias or panic attacks, and I explore this possibility with my clients when relevant.

Even if your anxiety feels unmanageable right now, with the help of an experienced and compassionate anxiety therapist it is possible to learn to coexist peacefully with your anxiety so it no longer dictates your life. Anxiety is treatable, and together we will find the right combination of tools to alleviate yours.

you may still have some apprehension about anxiety therapy…

Will I have to take medication?

While medication is an important and useful part of anxiety management for many people, it is not the only way to achieve symptom relief. Psychotherapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, has also been found to be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms. I believe that whether to take medication or not is a personal choice and I do not try to influence my clients in either direction. If you are interested in medication, I will help you identify appropriate avenues to pursue this option further. If you are not interested in medication, then we will focus on developing other impactful skills and tools to help you see the change you want.

Is my anxiety really bad enough that I need to spend all this money on therapy?

I find that many people have a tendency to minimize or invalidate the effects that their anxiety has on their lives. They see their anxiety as “silly” and as something they should “just get over” on their own. Chances are, however, that if you have ever wondered if you could benefit from therapy for your anxiety, then you probably would.

Therapy is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get unbiased, professional, and personalized feedback on what will be most helpful for you. Moreover, because I know that your time and resources are valuable, I never seek to keep my clients in therapy for longer than they need or want to be. We will be focused in our work together, and I will offer you tools, strategies, and perspectives to try out in and between sessions so we can quickly zero in on what will be most transformative for you. Therapy is an investment, but a worthwhile one for all it offers in the way of regained time, energy, productivity, peace, and happiness.

Will you just tell me to breathe/meditate/exercise more, etc.? I have heard that all before and it doesn’t help.

Many people have been on the receiving end of well-intentioned but oversimplified suggestions like these. While breathing, meditation, and exercise can all be tremendously beneficial components of anxiety management, I don’t believe that giving one size fits all recommendations like these to my clients qualifies as therapy. We all know what we should be doing to be healthy, and yet it is a human universal to struggle with follow-through. I will delve beyond the surface with you to get to deeper answers regarding tools/strategies that complement your personality, preferences, and values, obstacles that impede your ability to consistently apply these tools, and solutions to make anxiety management a seamless part of your life.

start living better today

I invite you to connect with me today to discuss how anxiety therapy can benefit you. I offer a free phone consultation where we can get to know one another and see if we feel like a good fit. You can reach me at 720-399-7465 or by filling out my contact form found by clicking on the button below to get started.

RECENT BLOG POSTS RELATED TO Anxiety