If you are a living breathing human, anxiety will make an appearance in your life at some point.  Even though it’s normal, that doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. In fact, our first instinct may be to try whatever we can to push anxiety away and resist the current or to just give in to it and get swept away by it. Unfortunately this often has the effect of making our anxiety worse. 

In small amounts at the right times though, anxiety can actually be useful. Anxiety helps us to have the necessary level of activation to meet demands from stressful situations that arise in life.. But sometimes our anxiety can go overboard. Anxiety really becomes problematic when it happens too often, it lasts for too long, or its intensity does not match the situation. It becomes problemac when it removes us from living out of what we value most and takes us out of being present in the moment.

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Some of the ways anxiety might be showing up for you:

Anxious Thoughts:

It might show up as worried thoughts popping in and circling around in your head. It might sound like an inner critic hurling judgements at you for making mistakes. Maybe you have trouble sleeping because you keep worrying about if you said the wrong thing or made the wrong choice. Maybe your thoughts are occupied by running through all the possible worst-case scenarios for the future. Or maybe you can’t stop telling yourself that you are falling short, letting others down, or being left out. 

Anxious Feelings:

When anxiety is worsening you might notice you feel nervous or a sense of dread. You might feel rushed or pressured. There may be feelings of insecurity, shame, or inadequacy. All the uncertainties in life may be causing fear to ramp up.  Lastly, all of this may ultimately lead to feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and burnt out. 

Anxiety in the Body:

Anxiety also shows up in the body through restlessness and feeling on edge. It can make breathing more constricted or shallow. You might notice your heart pounding or racing. It’s common to experience muscle tension, tightness in the chest, headaches, and stomach upset. People also sometimes experience dizziness or feeling shaky or weak when their anxiety is ramping up. 

Trying to Manage Anxiety:

A lot of time people find themselves trying to handle their anxiety by putting off tasks that they can’t do perfectly. It may mean you tend to avoid stressful situations or try to keep other people happy to avoid conflict. Or maybe you spend a lot of time over-preparing to try to keep the worst from happening, to keep people from thinking you are a fraud, or to avoid failure. I get it, I’ve tried most of these things too! But there are other ways that we can work together in therapy to help you change how anxiety impacts your life.

If you are at the point where it seems like your anxiety is unmanageable and out of control, therapy can help. 

My clients want a life where they don’t have to feel the constant pressure, overwhelm, and exhaustion from their anxiety. They fine relief, learn more about the nature of their anxiety, and change their relationship to their anxiety

If you’re ready to start feeling better, schedule a complimentary consultation with me today.

Even though anxiety may be a part of life, it does not have to rule your life. Anxiety may feel powerful, but so are you!