Counseling for Stress & Anxiety

Are stress and anxiety taking over your life?
Does it feel like you can’t control it no matter how hard you try?
Have you already tried therapy but found it ineffective?

If this sounds like you, I’m confident I can help.

My practice offers the most effective forms of treatment, to get the relief from stress and anxiety that you deserve.
When it comes to treating stress and anxiety, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because therapy – as opposed to medication – treats more than just symptoms to the problem.

Ahhhh..…anxiety. My annoying constant companion. At least that is how I used to feel about my anxiety.

Yes, I am a therapist who has anxiety. I am human right?

I’ve had ups and downs with anxiety all my life. The interesting thing is my anxiety symptoms have changed over the years. Probably because I have gotten smarter about how to identify them earlier and have practiced a handful of my favorite coping skills long enough for my anxiety to actually respond to help now. Of course, that wasn’t always the case.

One thing I’ve learned is that anxiety is a broad term. If I can hone in on the signs and symptoms of anxiety then I can work with them and have a fighting chance of calming down a little.

The signs and symptoms of anxiety simply read like a laundry list for being human.

You’ve got your common signs of anxiety:

Racing heart
Shortness of breath
Lightheaded
Spinning thoughts
Jittery, restless feeling inside

Then you’ve got your sneaky signs of anxiety:

Future dwelling – thoughts focused mostly on “what if…” and worst-case scenarios.
Overgeneralizing – making things a bigger deal than they would normally be when not stressed.
Focus on details – striving for perfection to avoid criticism which leads to going over things multiple times.
Difficulty with decisions – scattered thinking creates self-doubt, second guessing and lack of clarity.
Avoidance – decrease in socializing, or other activities that feel too stimulating and therefore unsafe.
Assurance – increased need to be soothed and told “its going to be okay.”
Unusual behaviors – restless energy leads to repetitive behaviors intended to soothe, picking, checking, washing, fiddling with pen/phone, chewing on straws/toothpicks, twirling or pulling out hair, shaking foot/legs. Anything to get that energy out!
Physical issues – digestive changes, headaches, loss of appetite, body aches from muscle tightness.
Forgetfulness – focus is short circuited by too many thoughts.
Irritability – normal tasks seem overwhelming, other people’s moods/actions are too much to manage.

We can get impatient trying to manage intense and urgent feelings. We feel frustrated with ourselves for having these feelings in the first place. It’s upsetting to not be able to get through them easily. And frankly, its exhausting to have to use so much of our emotional energy fighting the feelings.

Even if you’ve grown accustomed to the tension and the high level of anxiety that comes with life, counseling can help you find a middle ground.

Even if you get impatient trying to manage the intense and urgent feelings, counseling can help you break down your anxiety into pieces so you can address small bites one at a time.

Even if you don’t feel relaxed anywhere, counseling can help you find moments where the burden of worry eases.

Feeling annoyed, ashamed and angry towards your anxiety is understandable because we believe we have two choices, ignore and avoid it the best we can by micromanaging the heck out of our lives, or attacking it head on by shaming and hating ourselves into changing.

It doesn’t matter if we are the most intelligent and logical person on the planet, anxiety is scary and it’s an emotional thing. It doesn’t respond to being methodical with our lives. Getting tighter and smaller to avoid anything that can trigger us.

Anxiety treatment can help you get to the bottom of it.

My approach focuses on slowing down first and foremost. Getting curious about the external conditions as well as the internal belief system that contribute to the symptoms.
Mindfulness helps us slow down and look inside without feeling so overwhelmed. Most of us ignore our feelings because we think if we get into them it will be a darker journey than we are ready for. That is why I am here to help. I will go spelunking with you!

Internal Family Systems helps us break down the blob of anxiety that we couldn’t get a hold of, into smaller parts so we can deal with each part on its own and actually feel like we are making progress.

Both of have a basis of curiosity and compassion woven in. We can’t make changes in our lives unless we can work with what is currently happening. If that is intense feelings of anxiety, hating ourselves for having those feelings won’t help us. Going slow, getting curious, working with ourselves in a kind way…that is where counseling for anxiety can offer relief.

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Therapy Can Help You Regain Control Over Your Emotional Life

You may think—this all sounds wonderful, if only it could be done! If this is the case, your reaction is completely understandable. Multiple attempts at managing anxiety with little lasting gain may leave us feeling somewhat skeptical or even afraid of believing again. Even when you feel hesitant or uncertain, it helps knowing that anxiety symptoms tend to lessen when you have a safe space to delve into your feelings of anxiety and all that relates to them in the presence of a therapist trained to facilitate the process of looking inward to find your own answers.

You Can Find Relief

If you’re ready to get help with anxiety, click the button below to set up an appointment with one of our specialists!

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Common Questions About Anxiety Treatment in Denver, CO

A: Right now, you are likely stuck in patterns of behavior that you have been unable to change on your own. You may not even be aware of these patterns. However, just as you would seek out a mechanic for your car or a personal trainer for the gym, an anxiety therapist can help you take concrete steps to make sustainable improvements in your overall well-being. I am very passionate about what I do because I love seeing my clients grow. Therefore, I know from personal experience just how life-changing anxiety treatment can be.

A: Anxiety treatment has many layers, some of which can be uncomfortable but so are the limitations, edginess, and unhappiness that anxiety causes. Often there is a lot of avoidance around seemingly negative experiences, such as feeling shameful, being angry, needing something/someone, or not feeling good enough. What we frequently ignore is that avoiding all these negative emotions also means that we’re shutting down positive emotions.

As a result, life starts to feel dull and even depression might kick in. So one of my goals is to honor your healing process by striking a balance in which you always feel challenged—but safe. In doing so, I can help you develop a healthier skill set to manage things like fear, self-doubt, and vulnerability.

A: My clients appreciate the value of working with a professional to overcome personal struggles. This is especially helpful as it relates to mental health because it impacts every single aspect of their lives. Yet, they initially struggle to reach out because they are not comfortable relying on other people. This is a clear indicator of the problem at hand. Some people may also believe that what's happened to them is "silly" compared to what other people have been through. Therefore, they should be able to resolve it on their own.

However, anxiety therapy in Denver, CO with me is about validating your experiences, fostering inner safety, and ultimately putting yourself (not your anxiety) in control. even though you are temporarily relying on someone else, we both know that you don’t need help forever. Therefore, my hope is to quickly get you to a place where you no longer need my guidance.

Give Yourself Permission To Stop Worrying And Be Happy

If you are struggling with anxiety, imposter syndrome, or self-esteem issues, I can help. Please call 720-460-0969 for your free, 15-minute consultation to see how my approach to anxiety treatment may be able to help you feel happy, healthy, and whole.