Anxiety Counselling
What is Anxiety?
Feeling occasional anxiety is a completely normal part of being a busy and fully-functioning adult. However, if your anxiety is a nearly constant presence, then it may be an anxiety disorder.
The human nervous system is designed to detect and respond to threats. When we perceive a threat, our nervous system kicks into gear, releasing stress hormones and preparing us to fight or flee. This response is essential for survival, but it can also be dysregulated in people with anxiety disorders. In these individuals, the threat detection system is constantly on high alert, leading to feelings of anxiety and vulnerability.
There are treatments that can help to regulate the nervous system and reduce anxiety symptoms. Our anxiety counsellors provide effective anxiety treatments in Vancouver and throughout BC.
Types of anxiety
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Specific Phobias
Signs & Symptoms of Anxiety
- Excessive worry that feels out of control
- Difficulty concentrating
- Obsessive thoughts
- Avoidance of triggers
- A recurrent sense of panic
- Restlessness or feeling irritable
- Physical symptoms such as trembling, rapid heart rate, or sweating.
- Trouble sleeping (e.g. insomnia)
- Gastrointestinal (GI) problems
What is Postpartum anxiety?
Postpartum anxiety is a type of anxiety that can develop after having a baby. It’s normal to feel some anxiety after becoming a parent, but postpartum anxiety is more severe. It can interfere with your ability to care for your baby and enjoy the postpartum period. Symptoms of postpartum anxiety can include:
- Feeling restless or on edge
- Feeling like you can’t concentrate
- Feeling irritable or impatient
- Feeling like you’re in danger or that something bad is going to happen
- Feeling like you might lose control
- Excessive worry about the health or well-being of the baby.
- Having trouble sleeping
- Having intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or your baby
- Having a hard time bonding with your baby
- Feeling disconnected from your baby
- Feeling like you’re not a good mother.
If you have any of these symptoms, feel free to book a consultation one of our anxiety experts. Working with a therapist gives you the tools to overcome anxiety. With the right treatment, you can learn to manage your symptoms and enjoy your new baby
How Can Anxiety Counselling Help?
There are two main approaches in treating anxiety: top-down and bottom-up approaches. The top-down approach focuses on altering the way the brain processes information in order to reduce anxiety. This can be done through traditional talk therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which helps you identify and change negative thought patterns.
The bottom-up approach, on the other hand, focuses on treating the physical symptoms of anxiety. This can be done through EMDR and Somatic Therapies that work with the brain and the nervous system.
How to Deal with Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety attacks can be debilitating. They can prevent you from participating in activities you love, make it hard to concentrate at work or school, and cause severe physical symptoms.
One way to calm the anxiety is to practice mindfulness. It involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgement. This can help you to accept your thoughts and feelings, instead of trying to fight them.
As paradoxical as it may sound, if we approach anxiety as if it were a friend, we learn to make peace with it and even learn from it. When we approach it with frustration, we are caught in a power struggle, adding tension on top of the anxiety that already exists. It can be helpful to acknowledge it when it arises and simply notice it without judging.
Types of Anxiety Therapy
Mindfulness-based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) help you become more aware of and accepting of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. These approaches can help you reduce your anxiety by learning to accept your thoughts and feelings rather than trying to resist them.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) can alleviate most of your symptoms of anxiety.
Our anxiety counsellors use a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to help you cope with anxiety and process any past trauma that your anxiety may be rooted in.
Living with anxiety can be exhausting and debilitating, but with the support of our anxiety therapists you can find relief.
Book A Complementary Consultation With One Of Our Anxiety Specialists Today. We Look Forward To Hearing From You.
“There is a wisdom in trauma when we realize that our traumatic responses and imprints are not ourselves and that we can work them through and thus become ourselves.”