Anxiety Therapy Lisle

Anxiety Therapy Naperville

Although the term “anxiety” is often used to refer to a singular psychological disorder, it actually refers to a collection of disorders. These disorders, characterized by an irrational fear of everyday situations, include social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attacks, separation anxiety, selective mutism, and phobias.

With all types of anxiety disorder, the discomfort surrounding everyday situations is persistent to the point of being disabling. That is the difference between a disorder and normal anxiousness. Everybody feels anxious sometimes, but not everybody who feels anxious has a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Sometimes, it can be difficult to tie the symptoms you experience to an anxiety disorder, especially if they have been present for years. A few symptoms that could point to generalized anxiety or anxiety in specific situations include:

• An upset stomach;
• Muscle tension;
• Sweaty hands;
• Shortness of breath;
• Constant worry;
• Poor concentration; and
• Physical weakness.

Ways Anxiety Can Impact your Life

An anxiety disorder can keep you from reaching your personal goals and living your life the way you truly want to live it. It can keep you from applying for jobs or promotions you want or keep you from approaching new people, leaving you socially isolated. Other ways anxiety can have a negative impact on an individual’s daily life include:

• Damaging his or her personal relationships;
• Increasing his or her risk of suffering from depression;
• Creating financial difficulties due to job loss; and
• Causing him or her to avoid normal, everyday interactions like buying groceries and withdrawing money from the bank.

How Therapy Can Help

Some anxiety sufferers use anti-anxiety medication along with therapy to overcome their difficulties. For many sufferers, therapy alone is enough to manage and work through anxiety symptoms. Treating anxiety typically involves cognitive-behavioral and behavioral therapy techniques that help the sufferer adapt to stressful situations and learn how to approach them without becoming anxious. A few of the techniques employed in therapy for treating anxiety are:

• Learning to adjust anxiety-inducing thought patterns to healthier ones, putting stressful situations in a more accurate perspective;
• With these new thought patterns, the sufferer might then work through stressful scenarios with the therapist to learn how to make them less stressful; and
• To combat anxiety symptoms when they arise, the patient might learn relaxation techniques like deep breathing.

Anxiety is treatable. But to stop suffering from anxiety, you need to take the first step toward treatment and schedule an appointment with a counselor who specializes in treating anxiety disorders.

Work with an Experienced Naperville Counselor

At Counseling Works, our team of counselors is equipped to help you work through your anxiety and start living a healthier, happier life. We work with teens, adolescents, and adults and when individual therapy is not the ideal option, we offer couples and group therapy. Don’t let your anxiety continue keeping you from living your best life. Contact Counseling Works today to schedule your first appointment.