Chronic Worry
Do you worry chronically about life events such as work, health or relationships?
Worry and anxiety can make you feel extremely uneasy and effect your concentration, sleep, memory and confidence. You may be unable to relax, be indecisive and prone to think the worst-case scenario will occur. People who chronically worry often find that even when they get relief from one issue another one spouts up like a weed. Chronic worry may indicate a generalized anxiety disorder.
How I Can Help with Chronic Worry
I can teach you mindfulness skills to help you let go of worry. You will learn techniques to help you to decrease unrealistic fears. You will learn how to better manage the unknown and make decisions. I will teach you skills to help improve your concentration and quiet your mind. You will gain insight regarding the underlying causes and triggers leading to your anxiety.
Social Anxiety
Some people become extremely anxious interacting with others in groups or even
one on one. Fear and concerns about being judged negatively may occur. Fears that others will see that you are blushing or anxious may also be a concern. Anxiety about interacting with others can cause some people to avoid social situations. Others may not avoid social situations, but remain extremely reserved and quiet. Social anxiety may impact both social and employment settings. In employment settings social anxiety can adversely effect participation in meetings, presentations or relationships with colleagues. For overall tips to mange social anxiety see the social anxiety blog.
How I Can Help with Social Anxiety
You will become less preoccupied with others perceptions of you by learning acceptance techniques. You will develop skills to soothe yourself when interacting with others. You will learn to confront social situations that you typically avoid via exposure. I will teach you techniques to reduce thoughts and concerns about negative social events. You will learn to express yourself more authentically when interacting with others through mindfulness.
Unpleasant Thoughts/Obsessive Thinking
Do you have thoughts that are unwanted? These thoughts may be intrusive, obsessive thoughts that you cannot get out of your head. The content of the thoughts may be aggressive, revolve around sexual identity or fears about losing control. The thoughts may lead to excessive anxiety and panic attacks because they conflict with how you see yourself. The thoughts may make you feel like a bad person. This is not the case and is a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
How I Can Help with Unpleasant Thoughts
You will learn mindfulness techniques to reduce the intensity/duration of unwanted thoughts. You will learn how to reduce anxiety associated with your unwanted thoughts. You will learn coping skills to manage the anxiety associated with your unwanted thoughts. I will provide psycho-education about the neuropsychology of your obsession. And I will help you understand factors that exacerbate your obsessions.
Panic Attacks
Do you have intense anxiety episodes where you feel afraid and overwhelmed? During these episodes you may have difficulty breathing, experience heart palpitations, hot flashes and sweating. You may even feel like you are going to faint or die. Often people with panic attacks may believe something is medically wrong and end up at the emergency room or their internist, where they may first learn about their anxiety disorder. After you experience panic episodes you may develop fears about having another one in the future (anticipatory anxiety). This can cause you to avoid situations where they have occurred.
How I Can Help with Panic Attacks
I will teach you mindfulness and acceptance techniques to manage panic attacks. You will learn physiologically what is happening when you are having panic attacks, which can help calm and ground you. I will teach you relaxation techniques to implement while you’re having a panic attack. We will work on skills to help you manage anticipatory anxiety, as well as, exposure techniques to desensitize you to panic attack triggers.