By: Sara Y. Arce, LMHC, CAP
Have you ever struggled with a major change in your life? Has a loved one passed on? Ended a relationship that was difficulty for you to move on from? Do the bills seem to be pilling up and is making the ends meet getting harder? Life can sometimes be challenging and worry or fear may keep you up at night or make it hard to focus. The National Institute of Mental Health defines Anxiety as a disorder that involves worry or fear that is consistent and gets worse over time. Most people have some sort of anxiety at one time or another during a difficult or stressful time in their life. If the anxiety becomes constant however, making it hard to focus on work, family or even enjoy pleasure, it may be time to seek professional help.
Anxiety can manifest in many ways. Often times people report rapid heart beat, racing and intrusive thoughts, difficulty sleeping, poor appetite, sweating, restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, and many others symptoms. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 18% of adults in the United States are affected by anxiety. If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms and you are finding it hard to control the worry, therapy can be very helpful.
A properly trained therapist can help you develop coping techniques to soothe the symptoms of anxiety in the moment. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapist can teach you to reframe any thinking patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety. Sometimes it can even just be helpful to talk to someone who understands how you feel and let’s you know that you are not alone.
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