Anxiety Therapy

Can’t Shut Off That Million-Mile-A-Minute Brain?

Maybe you’re thinking…

• WHAT IF things don’t work out?
• HOW do I make the right choice?
• I’m NEVER going to feel better!
• I SHOULD have done that instead.

Your thoughts come so fast and lead in every direction…

• The worst-case scenario
• The things, places, and people you should avoid
• What you should be doing if only you could concentrate

Does It Feel Like Everybody’s Eyes Are On You When You Feel Anxious?

Maybe your heart starts racing, you begin sweating, and you’re short of breath. The tightness in your chest may even make you feel as if you’re having a heart attack or you’re dying.

You may wonder…

• “Do I have to go to the hospital?”
• “Am I going crazy?”

It feels like an out-of-body sensation—a full-blown anxiety attack is in progress.

The worry cycle repeats, and there’s no escaping it. You have knots in your stomach thinking about what could happen. And you know you can’t keep this up much longer.

All you want is to feel normal again. So perhaps it’s time to try getting treatment for your anxiety.

Anxiety Is Our Body’s Way Of Saying, “There’s Too Much Stress!”

Most people experience some level of anxiety in their lives, and it’s useful to some degree. Whether anxiety helps us cross the street or meet an important deadline, it can motivate us, help us be alert, warn us about risks, and encourage us to solve problems.

When we feel anxious, our bodies go on alert, prompting the brain to prepare itself for fight or flight mode. It’s the sense of fear and apprehension that is meant to heighten our sense of awareness so we are prepared for potential threats.

But when the feeling of constantly “being on alert” becomes background noise that doesn’t go away, that’s when anxiety counseling needs to come into place.

Don’t Become Paralyzed By Negative Thoughts!

When you keep your worries and fears to yourself, you’re creating more problems. This can cloud every thought—and it can feel like isolation is the only escape.

The idea of being around others can be terrifying because the thought of “What will they think about me?” can cause a lot of concerns.

When anxiety controls your life, even simple tasks become a chore. You’re forgetful, not focused on what is in front of you, and you can’t get anything done. The spiraling thoughts consume everything.

You don’t want to think about them, but you just can’t stop. Your head is a worry machine!

But your life doesn’t have to be ruled by anxiety. Anxiety therapy can show you how to turn off the excess noise in your brain and be more productive.

Anxiety Therapy Is About Changing How You Think—One Step At A Time

Here at Niyama Center, we provide a space for you to feel calm and work through your anxiety by using questions, digging deep, and restructuring your thoughts.

For example, our therapists can teach you tools to respond to your anxiety, such as:

• Stop and breathe: Take a time out and think about what makes you nervous.
• Figure out what’s bothering you: Explore your thoughts and feelings to get down to what is causing you stress.
• Focus on what you can change: Replace your fears and improve your attitude about them. For instance, you can ask yourself, “Is this a productive thought? Is it helping me reach my goal?”
• Find something less provoking to help you cope: Listen to your favorite album, go for a walk or run, or read a book by your favorite author.

We will also teach you techniques to interrupt your anxious thoughts and control them—to challenge them—to feel calm again and take control of your body. When you change the way you think, you’ll change the way you feel!

With our help, you’ll learn to change your thinking to:

• What if things do work out?
• What if I choose to see my challenges as an opportunity?
• I feel anxious, but so what? I know what it feels like, and I will get through it.
• What if I can learn from this, and it will be easier next time?

What Will Treatment Sessions For Anxiety Look Like?

In session, we use a variety of steps to help you change your thinking, personalizing treatment to your unique experiences with anxiety and your individual needs.

Bringing Awareness To Your Thoughts

It’s important to understand your worries and fears. The way you think and what you do affect how you feel.

During anxiety therapy, we will teach you how to pay attention to what is going on in your mind, particularly when you notice a change in how you feel. A therapist may have you use a thought record to help you recognize unhelpful thoughts that cause you anxiety. This exercise will make your negative automatic thoughts visible so you make changes to your thinking.

Identifying And Correcting Negative Beliefs About Yourself

To help you make changes, we may utilize worksheets, journaling, and talk therapy. An anxiety counselor will look at your core beliefs of self—the advantages and disadvantages of them and how they serve you—and work with you to replace negative ones with positive beliefs about yourself.

We may also go through scenarios to test your thoughts. For example: What makes you think this thought is true? What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the best that can happen? What is most likely to happen?

Showing You What It Means To Get In Touch With Your Body

When you are dealing with anxiety, it can be difficult to feel like your body supports you. A factor in finding healing and becoming stronger is allowing your body to be a resource to help you.

• Notice: Pay attention to your body sensations—what you feel in and around your body. Are you tense? How is your speed of breath, heart rate, and body temperature?
• Think back to calm/safety: Recall a time when you felt the calmest and safest—most like your “self.”
• Identify: Determine the point in time and where your body began experiencing stress.
• Replay: Imagine the situation in your mind, like watching a movie (watching everyone in it and what you’re doing).
• Use healing hands/somatic experiencing: Place your hands on your body to release the tension caused by your anxiety. Notice what comes up for you: images, sensations, awareness, or anything that offers clarity.

Learning To Relax And Soothe Yourself

In anxiety therapy, we can teach you how to unwind and calm yourself by guiding you through relaxation exercises, such as:

• A simple controlled breathing technique to breathe properly in the face of anxiety or panic.
• A progressive muscle relaxation exercise to focus your attention on different parts of your body.
• A mindfulness attention control exercise to identify your worry/anxiety, rate it, and then place an object in front of you that you will look at while thinking of the stressful situation.
• Other exercises you can try at home, outside of sessions.

The goal of all of these steps is to provide you with strategies to help you to manage your anxiety by yourself without the continuous need for therapy.

You May Still Have Questions Or Concerns About Anxiety Treatment…

Does online therapy for anxiety work?

Research shows that online therapy is just as effective as in-person sessions. Most people love online therapy because it allows them to be in their own environment and space.

Aside from that, you never have to miss a session because you can talk to us from your home! During online anxiety treatment, we welcome your animals to be by your side to help calm the nerves.

Do I have to be on medication?

You don’t have to be on medication to cure anxiety. Sometimes medication can help, but we teach our clients how to manage anxiety without medication.

How long will my anxiety treatment last?

It depends on what your anxiety looks like and if you are willing to do the work on it in between sessions. We are here to dig deep into your anxiety, help you manage it, and show you how to apply the tools you learn in therapy sessions to your life.