Do you feel nervous, anxious or on edge?
Can you stop worrying?
Are you so restless it’s hard to sit still?
Do you easily become annoyed or irritable?
Do you have trouble relaxing?
Do you have trouble sleeping at night because you are worried about your work, family, finances, or Covid-19? Are you feeling overwhelmed by uncomfortable feelings and find it hard to concentrate? Do you feel stuck in your life? Unfulfilled? Unable to follow through on simple tasks and life plans? Do you get nervous around people? Many people are nervous or panic in situations that cause no distress for other people.
Most people experience Stress and Distress in their lives.
Almost everyone is going to deal with challenges in their life. It’s normal to feel stress about starting a new job, moving to a new home, or starting a new relationship. This type of stress can cause anxiety which is uncomfortable, but it can motivate us to do a better job. Ordinarily anxiety is a feeling that comes and goes, but doesn’t interfere with your life. If we perceive anxiety as helpful and motivating we consider it stress. Most stress is temporary and is relieved when a situation is over, deadline, speech, test, ie. Over time, the accumulation of everyday responses in the mind and body build up and cause our mood to become overwhelmed and become distressed.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety affects about 18% of adults. While anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, distress can still stop you from doing things you enjoy. It can affect both your body and mind. It can cause increased heart rate, rapid breathing, restlessness, back issues, trouble concentrating, and difficulty falling asleep. Stress is unavoidable. However, the good news is that with the help of a compassionate, experienced marriage and family therapist you can feel more calm and satisfied in your life.
Getting help for anxiety as early as possible gives you the best chance for recovery. When you work with a therapist who understands your suffering; they can help you focus on feeling better. In our sessions we will address your worries, fears, concerns, and troubles. We will focus on the effects your anxiety has on your family, friends, and relationships, work, as well as your well-being.
In anxiety therapy, we utilize different strategies and techniques to help you manage anxiety and panic attacks. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral therapy that aims to change the relationship individuals have with their unwanted fears, thoughts, memories, and physical sensations. Acceptance and mindfulness strategies are used to teach clients to decrease avoidance, attachment to thoughts, instead focusing on the present and psychological flexibility. Clients learn to clarify their goals and values and to commit to behavioral change strategies. A form of therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR which directs eye movements while you are imagining a stressful situation or negative belief. EMDR helps you process the intensity of the emotions. It helps you shift focus to more positive, adaptive beliefs, naturally reducing your anxiety levels. Another form of therapy is called cognitive-behavioral therapy, which involves learning behavioral relaxation techniques as well as restructuring patterns of thinking that create anxiety. Hypnotherapy may be used as a complementary treatment with any of the other therapies to help clients reduce anxiety by removing fear, panic, or irrational thinking and encourage their minds to more positive thinking.
At Eugene Relationship Counseling Richard Pomper, LMFT has more than 30 years of experience working with individuals. Richard’s approach to anxiety therapy is to help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Richard Pomper, LMFT creates a safe, nurturing, environment to give you the tools to overcome anxiety and how to use them.
I know I need help but I resist when someone says” you should go to therapy.”
People feel shamed and it contributes to psychotherapy being stigmatized. “You should go to therapy! “ which is shorthand for “ I think you’re crazy, go pay someone to fix you.”This isn’t a thoughtful way to tell someone to get help. Many rebel at this insult and refuse to comply because they feel that to go would be losing the argument. We don’t generally do things we” should” do because they are a demand: we do things we want to do.
I’d feel weird talking to a stranger about my stuff.
Most therapists are skilled at making you feel comfortable quickly and don’t want to come across as judgmental strangers. If after a few sessions you don’t feel comfortable you can try being open about your concerns, or you can seek out a different therapist. Your relationship with your counselor is an important factor in your therapy. Usually after a few sessions clients feel comfortable and can work toward relieving their anxiety and live up to their full potential.
If you would like to schedule an appointment or discuss any questions you may have about couples counseling, please phone me at 541-520-1535.