Anxiety
Anxiousness and worrying ruled Sarah’s* life.
Sarah worried about having cancer despite the contradictions provided by doctors and tests. Flying for work created major worries for Sarah – her fear of a plane crash constantly caused her to check the weather.
Being with friends was out of the question, especially with potential exposure to COVID. She imagined, “What if I give it to my mom? She is older and has delicate health. If she caught it, I would never forgive myself.”
Sarah’s relationship with her partner felt strained, especially her worries about him taking the subway created fights. She worried about her anxiety causing a potential break-up in the relationship, leading her to seek therapy.
Sarah suffered from Generalized Anxiety.
In therapy, we explored the history of Sarah’s anxiety. She had suffered for a long time, creating feelings of shame and irrational behaviors that seemed unstoppable. I explained to Sarah that she suffered from a Generalized Anxiety Disorder, causing her to respond to situations emotionally.
We discovered that Sarah’s anxiety started while viewing the struggles with anxiety displayed by her parents. I helped Sarah calm her brain with mindfulness techniques and suggested that she receive a medical consult.
Although Sarah worried about the effects of the medication, she decided to try it after discussing the issues with the physician. She started taking the medication twice a week while consulting with me. Through therapy, I helped Sarah identify thoughts that made her fearful, reframe her response to them, and focus on more practical issues.
Besides mindfulness exercises, I assigned optional homework and prescribed videos and books to read between sessions, helping Sarah take charge of her therapy and become empowered. As a result, Sarah worried less about the future, her sleep and dreams improved, and she became inspired to make her own decisions without worrying.
Sue* feared judgment from others.
Sue was sure people were judging her. That fear caused her to freeze and be unable to concentrate on any conversation. If asked a question, Sue would freeze, stumble awkwardly over her words, and not make any sense because she worried about what the person would think. After the conversation, Sue would replay it and wish she had responded differently – keeping her awake at night.
Sue suffered Social Anxiety or what Tara Brach called The Trance of Unworthiness. When Sue started therapy with me, I assured her that most people suffer from these same feelings of unworthiness at one time or another.
We explored the origins of her fears using Applied Mindfulness, and I referred her to a medication consult. Outside of therapy, I recommended to Sue some resources to watch and read, including a video.
Due to our work together, Sue became less nervous, more spontaneous, more confident – more connected to people. She slept better and did things she enjoyed without ruminating over her thoughts or what other people thought.
Beth* had difficulties with relationships.
Everything was good for a while, but Beth started dating. Suddenly, she experienced a level of anxiety she had never experienced before. She liked him but was filled with doubt and fear and thought he would abandon her at any moment.
Beth needed constant reassurance not to feel this anxiety that was always in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t eat and would toss and turn all night, expecting the worst.
She was good when she was with him, but when they were apart, she looked for negative signs. If she thought he didn’t text her enough, she wondered, “Is he pulling away?” She started to feel clingy, upsetting her, but she couldn’t help it. “What was happening? Should I break up with him to rrelievethe anxiety?”
While working with Beth, I told her that Relationship Anxiety is more common than anyone would imagine. People often feel this way because they have old attachment wounds that never healed. I suggested Attachment-Focused EMDR. And I referred her to this YouTube resource.
Beth realized that she had many feelings and memories that triggered her anxiety. We worked together to help her reprocess those memories in a new way, helping her heal. After a few sessions, Beth noticed a decrease in her Relationship Anxiety, making her feel hopeful and relieved.
Don’t let Anxiety rule your life.
Therapy helped Sarah, Sue, and Beth overcome their anxieties and provided them with the tools they needed to reprocess their responses to triggers that caused them to be anxious.
We can help; all we need to get started is a conversation.
*Names and stories do not reflect actual clients.