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Anxiety Counseling in Scottsdale, AZ

Reclaim Your Inner Peace

Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. When the anxiety feels like it is taking over your life, is when you need to make changes.

Sometimes anxiety shows up as worrisome thoughts, or mental movies projecting terrible outcomes.

The anxiety experience can also show up in your body. The list of symptoms is long, from tension to sleeplessness and irritability. You might also have difficulty eating, teeth grinding, ulcers, or headaches. It can also include difficulty concentrating, and feeling like you are in a fog.

Anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. The anxiety does not go away for a person with an anxiety disorder and can get worse over time.

Know you are not alone in your feelings, there is support available.

You do not have to continue to fear the scary thoughts or behaviors. You can learn the skills that will stop anxiety in its tracks, and allow you to move forward. You can learn how to feel calm, competent, and secure again. We can show you how.

Effective treatment for anxiety can help you by teaching you how to relax your body and your mind. The good news is that for most people, anxiety is easy to treat.

You might feel like you are not sure what “kind” of anxiety you are experiencing – do any of these seem familiar?

Examples include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder includes feeling nervous, restless or tense. You have that impending sense of doom and panic. Your heart rate can increase, along with rapid breathing. Sweating, trembling, feeling weak, or tired are all outward symptoms. If the stress is out of proportion to the impact of the event, or the inability to set aside a worry it’s time to look for help.

Panic disorder/panic attacks are sudden episodes with intense fear. It triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or clear cause. A panic attack can be frightening, and leave you feeling out of control. You might think you’re having a heart attack or dying. Panic disorder is when you have recurrent, unexpected attacks. And, you worry about another attack happening.

Social anxiety disorder includes anxiety, fear, and avoidance of situations. This can impact and interfere with relationships, daily routines, work, or school. You might have a fear of situations where you may be negatively judged. There’s a concern about embarrassing or humiliating yourself. You clam up when you think of talking with strangers. There’s an avoidance of activities where you might be the center of attention. You try not to interact with unfamiliar people or strangers. In extreme cases, you might avoid work, school, or even using a public restroom.

Tips for dealing with anxiety – click here

Treatment options for Anxiety counseling include:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. CBT focuses on teaching you specific skills to improve your symptoms and gradually return to the activities you’ve avoided because of anxiety.

Exposure Therapy can be utilized to gradually and intentionally expose you to the situations or stimuli that trigger your anxiety, The goal is to help you face your fears. In doing so you learn to manage anxiety in a controlled and safe environment.

Mindfulness-based therapy emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the present moment. It teaches you to accept your thoughts and feelings without judgment. You learn to become more aware of and to accept thoughts and feelings. You learn to better manage your symptoms of anxiety

Relaxation techniques can involve different methods. They include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and visualization. They can help you reduce symptoms of anxiety. You can achieve feelings of calmness and relaxation.

Pathways Counseling Services, a Scottsdale counseling practice, offers the tools and techniques to heal anxiety. They are simple to learn and highly effective.

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