Anxiety Disorders
You may feel like you're constantly on edge, with a sense of unease that permeates your daily life. It’s as if your mind is perpetually racing, filled with worries about the future, what others think of you, or whether you’re making the right choices. Simple situations—like meeting new people, attending social events, or even leaving the house—can become sources of overwhelming dread, making it hard to relax or feel at ease.
With social anxiety, the fear of judgment can loom large, causing you to avoid gatherings or interactions that others might find routine. Each encounter feels like a high-stakes performance, prompting urges to escape, and leaving you drained afterwards. On the other hand, if agoraphobia is a part of your experience, the thought of being in crowded or unfamiliar places can trigger intense panic, leading you to restrict yourself to familiar spaces, further feeding the cycle of fear and isolation. Others find the anxiety focuses on a particular subject: an intense fear of illness, driving a car, or even returning to work become subjects of crippling worry. Yet others still experience intense bursts of anxiety known as panic attacks, resulting in intense physical symptoms and the feeling that they may be dying.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a different kind of anxiety-related concern, and often feels like being trapped in a loop of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that you can't escape. The anxiety caused by these persistent thoughts can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming, and the urge to perform rituals may seem like the only way to regain a sense of control. Over time, this cycle can take a heavy toll on your well-being, leaving you feeling isolated and frustrated.
Regardless of the specifics of your anxiety, the constant worry can become a heavy burden that interferes with your ability to enjoy life. You may feel like you’re walking on a tightrope, struggling to maintain balance while fearing that one wrong move will send you tumbling into chaos. Seeking therapy can help you navigate these feelings, providing you with strategies to manage anxiety and reclaim your sense of control. The goal is to uncover the underlying fears, develop coping mechanisms, and ultimately embrace life with greater confidence and peace of mind.
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Anxiety Disorders are one of the most common mental health issues in North America.
As of 2024, approximately 19% of adults aged 18+ are affected by anxiety disorders
Specific phobias affect 19.3 million adults or 9.1% of the U.S. population.
Women are twice as likely to be affected than men.
Symptoms often begin in childhood or adolescence and can worsen as time passes without treatment.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are closely related to anxiety disorders, which some may experience at the same time, - along with depression.
Anxiety is treatable
Therapy for anxiety is about finding new ways of responding to the symptoms of the disorder that continue to impact your day to day life. For example: when we feel anxious towards something we see as overwhelming or even threatening (whether that’s things in the world or things inside ourselves), the typical response is for us to find a way to avoid that thing. When we do this it often affords us the relief we’ve been craving, and it brings that relief fast! But how long is it until the anxiety returns? Over time, getting caught in this pattern can become all-consuming- leaving us feeling like the only way to cope is to distract, avoid, or escape.
In treatment, we want to work together to find new ways of handling anxiety so we don’t have to keep relying on avoidance or escape. As we teach our brains that we can find ways of handling whatever the source of the anxiety is, we see recovery start to take root. Together we will work to identify the issue's core, help you understand symptoms, and make a plan to help you return to enjoying a rich, full, and meaningful life.