anxiety counseling
what’s normal and what’s a disorder?
It is normal for everyone to experience anxiety from time to time. That is a normal part of being human. Truly, you would be hard pressed to find a person who has never worried or felt tense. But how do you know when it’s something beyond normal human experiences?
presentation, intensity, and frequency
First off, anxiety can have different presentations for various people and even different presentations for an individual person depending on the circumstances. For instance did you know there are at least 20 different possible symptoms of panic? With only 4 symptoms required for a diagnosis of a panic attack this means that there can be 5 different experiences of panic attacks that have no overlapping symptoms, so 5 clearly distinct presentations of panic attacks. Anxiety symptoms can also vary in intensity with each occurance. There can also be great variation in frequency of panic symptoms.
what is anxiety?
Anxiety is an umbrella term that captures an overall feeling of tension, unease, and fear combined with worrisome thoughts that are difficult to control or stop. The worries are generally future oriented—what if this goes wrong, what if this terrible thing happens, what if I look like a fool. Essentially it’s negative self-talk that’s gone awry and also manifests as physiological symptoms like tension, muscle tightness, headache, stomach upset, or dizziness on up to strong sensations of panic that are so intense, they sometimes get mistaken for a heart attack or pending death.
Although feeling like you’re dying is as intense as anxiety can get, anxiety can be much more subtle. In fact, many people experience low-grade anxiety for years without realizing their symptoms were a problem. They had just accepted the symptoms as normal.
Once introduced to psychoeducation about anxiety, including the range of possible symptoms which is quite vast, they began to realize they had in fact been experiencing anxiety for years. With identifying the problem and then learning anxiety management tools, they became amazed at how much better they felt after treating the problem. So much bandwidth had been devoted to anxiety they didn’t know they were being weighed down by.
Releasing that burden opened up energy, calm, and peace. AROSE eTherapy is here to help you feel renewed in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
symptoms of anxiety
Symptoms of anxiety involve two key components: physiological symptoms and cognitive symptoms.
physiological symptoms of anxiety
Physiological symptoms are the symptoms that manifest in your physical body such as shallow breathing or hyperventilating, difficulty sleeping soundly, sweating, dizziness, muscle tensions, upset stomach, pounding heart, tightness in chest, and shakiness, to name a few.
cognitive symptoms of anxiety
Cognitive symptoms have to do with your thoughts. With anxiety there is a worry, usually about things that could go wrong in the future or feared negative perceptions by others. The problem with anxiety is that these thoughts aren’t just a fleeting thought or idea. They linger. They repeat. They can become so intense you are convinced they are guaranteed to happen. In this way, they are ruminative and you may find yourself obsessively fixating on a troublesome thought.
what are the types of anxiety?
Again, anxiety is a broad category to capture nervousness, worry, and fear. It is possible to experience more than one type of anxiety. Under the umbrella of anxiety are several types:
SPECIFIC PHOBIAS—e.g., snakes, heights, planes, or even worse, snakes on a plane!
PANIC ATTACKS—brief and intense bursts of anxiety that seemingly come on unexpectedly
PANIC DISORDER—panic attacks can occur with all types of anxiety; panic disorder is a condition unto itself whereby someone begins to fear recurring attacks and generally cannot identify a trigger for the attacks
SOCIAL ANXIETY—fear of performing in front of others lest there is negative evaluation
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER—an overall constant worry and tension about a range of topics with little reprieve
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER—repetitive thoughts or behaviors that one feels compelled to think about or do
online counseling for anxiety is effective
in colorado, florida, maryland, & pennsylvania
Stress, tension, frustration, worry, and overwhelm are normal reactions to life situations at times. It’s normal to feel stress and tension with looming deadlines, big projects, or overpacked schedules. However, when our anxiety persists into the night, lasts over a long period of time, or constantly returns, it may be time to seek an opinion from a professional.
Assessment from an online psychologist is an important first step because there can be symptom overlap between different psychological conditions. For instance, some people believe they have ADHD when in fact they are struggling with anxiety. There are also times where medical conditions can cause symptoms of anxiety, so it is always good to begin by working with healthcare professional. Thus, a professional assessment is highly recommended over asking Dr. Google!
Online therapy can be the perfect solution for accessing care. You’ll have the opportunity to talk with a licensed psychologist, like Dr. Rozycki, who can explore your concerns and symptoms in greater detail and determine if you’re having a normal reaction to stress, may be struggling with an adjustment to difficult circumstances, or contending with an anxiety disorder. Should we discover that your symptoms are impacting your functioning at home, work, or in relationships, we can develop a plan for treating anxiety. Sometimes making simple changes to thinking patterns or behaviors can be enough to start experiencing relief.
AROSE eTherapy offers online treatment for anxiety disorders, like Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder, from Pittsburgh to Miami and Baltimore to Denver. Online therapy is available in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
ONLINE COUNSELING CAN SUPPORT YOU
with anxiety management
IN COLORADO, FLORIDA, MARYLAND, AND PENNSYLVANIA
If any of this sounds familiar, it may be time to seek support as you go through life changes. Although life changes can be a normal part of life, big life changes, multiple life changes, or excessive overwhelm left ignored can lead to clinical conditions like an adjustment disorder, insomnia, depression, or anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or needing support for depression, worry, or sleeplessness, reach out today for a Free 15 Minute Consult and let’s talk about how we can get you feeling better.
