Anxiety Therapy

Your mind won’t stop asking questions. Your stomach is in knots. You feel unsettled or worried all the time. You are so tired from having to be alert and vigilant all the time. You doubt yourself; you doubt others. Your heart is racing. You can never get a deep breath. It’s hard to concentrate and impossible to relax. 

This is what anxiety looks like for some people:

• Anxiety can be this rolling snowball that gets bigger and bigger as the years go on. A small thing turns into something bigger and more unmanageable as you struggle to shake it off. 
• Anxiety is brand new. You weren’t a worried person until something happened - you had a baby, you got sick, you lost a relationship - and now you just can’t cope the same way you used to. You’re over-anticipating everything that could go wrong and you don’t know how to regulate yourself. 
• You may feel like you’ve been hiding your anxiety for years. People would be shocked that under your calm demeanor, you are over-thinking every detail, so insecure and worried that people are going to find out you’re such a mess. 
• Anxiety mostly shows up in your relationships. You worry that your partner is going to realize they don’t love you and they’ll leave.  At work, you’re nervous that your coworkers find you annoying and your boss thinks you’re incompetent. 
• There’s always something to worry about. Things that other people seem unfazed by are the things that you can’t let go of. You can’t just be ok. 

Anxiety is closely related to fear, which is a natural and adaptive response to danger. Feeling fear when we’re in danger means that we can escape or confront the threat and find safety. 

However, anxiety is when our body thinks we’re in danger when we’re actually not. It reacts to the memory of fear and our physiological system responds as if we were experiencing the actual threat. 

Changes in mood can be challenging to navigate, whether it’s the first time you’ve ever felt this way or it’s a cycle that you’ve experienced off and on your whole life. There are several different types of anxiety and each type can affect your life in significant ways.

Recognizing anxiety can be the first step towards seeking help. While the experience of anxiety varies, some common signs include:

• Persistent and excessive worry about everyday situations
• Feeling restless or on-edge
• Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Headaches
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heart rate
• Sleep disturbances such as insomnia
• Panic attacks
• Avoidance of situations where you’re not in control 
• Feeling impending doom

While just having one or two of these symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you're suffering from anxiety, all of these symptoms can be supported in therapy. 

At Relational Psych, we recognize the distinctiveness of each individual and their experience of anxiety. Whether you're an adult, teenager, or child dealing with anxiety, our experienced psychodynamic therapists are dedicated to guiding you through your healing journey with care and expertise.

• Changing at the root: We want you to experience life-long transformation so we will delve into the roots of your anxiety. We will help you actually look at what you’re anxious about and explore what is underneath it and where it comes from. We will seek to increase your self awareness, identify triggers, explore cognitions, and understand your unmet needs. We will process childhood attachment relationships, address past traumas, and engage with your physical symptoms and lifestyle. 
• Specialists in diagnosing anxiety: Your clinician has extensive training in the different types of anxiety and can provide you with an accurate diagnosis. They can explain what’s happening in your brain, body, hormones, and relationships with your anxiety. If there's significant complexity, you may consider a psychological assessment.
• Strong therapeutic alliance: Again and again, research shows that the most impactful aspect of therapeutic change is the therapeutic relationship. We believe change happens in relationships and will be intentional to build a strong, trusting relationship with you at your pace. 
• Long-term therapy: Your experience with anxiety can be so woven together with your personality, ways of thinking, and ways of relating to others. You may actually be resistant to letting go of your anxiety because it’s your internal security system that has worked to keep you safe for a long time. It will take time to understand how to be with your anxiety in a new way and we won’t rush that process. 
• Skills & coping: We can help you develop effective coping mechanisms and emotional regulation skills to manage and mitigate symptoms of anxiety. And, reducing anxiety symptoms won’t be the only goal that we’ll have to support your long-term growth. If you are primarily looking for skills building instead of in-depth transformation, we’d love to refer you to another therapy practice who specializes in behavioral therapy. 

Reach out to us at Relational Psych, and let's embark on your healing journey together.

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