Take back your life from anxiety and stress.
Anxiety can be emotional feelings as well as feelings in your body. Unexplained tension in your muscles, clenching your jaw, and making fists, any of these can be a sign of anxiety.
You might feel overwhelmed a lot. Lately you have been more irritable or cranky than usual, snapping at your loved ones over things that are not usually a big deal.
Your heart can sometimes feel like it is pounding, maybe so hard you worry you will have a heart attack! Many of my clients describe a tight feeling as though someone in standing on their chest.
“Living with anxiety is like being followed by a voice. It knows all your insecurities and uses them against you. It gets to the point when it’s the loudest voice in the room. The only one you can hear.” -HealthyPlace
What is Anxiety
Anxiety can be specific, like a fear of talking to people you don’t know or being in situations you can’t control. It might be hyper-focus on grades or work performance. People with anxiety frequently describe themselves as “perfectionists.” If anxiety is taking over your daily life, there are techniques you can learn to control it.
Anxiety can also be more generalized. It is more than just worrying, although people with anxiety often worry about things. People who are anxious frequently cannot find a cause for it. They notice they are not worrying about anything in particular, they just have the sense of dread like something bad is about to happen.
Therapy for Anxiety
Therapy for anxiety involves exploring your thoughts and feelings as well as learning anxiety management techniques that you can use when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Because it is difficult for many people with social anxiety to make phone calls, you can schedule a consultation call or send us a message directly from our website! We want to make it as easy as possible for you to ask questions or make an appointment without having to make a phone call if that is too overwhelming!
How is Stress Different Than Anxiety
Stress is something that everyone experiences at one time or another in life. Unfortunately we are not usually taught ways to deal with stress so often we turn to unhealthy ways of coping like drinking alcohol; eating a pint of ice cream; or zoning out to Netflix or social media to “de-stress.” Usually these things leave us feeling worse instead of better. Stress can be caused by work, school, or family life. No one is too young to experience stress! Children and teens stress about bills, adults stress about money, any time we feel like something is out of our control it can cause stress.
Left unaddressed, chronic stress can lead to anxiety as well as a myriad of physical health problems. There is a reason stress is sometimes referred to as “the silent killer.” The physical symptoms of stress can be very similar to the physical symptoms of anxiety – tension in your body; stomach and digestive issues; headaches; and a tight feeling in the chest.
When to See a Professional About Stress
If you are questioning whether or not you should seek professional help in dealing with stress, you can likely benefit from talking with a therapist!
Don’t wait until it gets so bad that you can’t function any longer, contact us today to set up an appointment.
Stacey Aldridge, LCSW
Stacey is a therapist in private practice and the owner of Inspired Happiness Therapy and Wellness in Ridgeland, MS. If you are in the state of Mississippi and are interested in seeing Stacey for therapy, please visit the Appointments page.
Want to read more?
Here are some blog posts about anxiety you might find useful!
Stop Procrastinating
Many people with anxiety are chronic procrastinators (putting off tasks that you would rather avoid.)
DON’T GET TRAPPED IN ALL OR NOTHING THINKING
People with anxiety are prone to all or nothing or black and white thinking.