Is Anxiety Robbing Your Quality of Life?

Anxiety is so pervasive in our society that many people just accept it as a “given.” The symptoms of tightness in chest and stomach, fearful thoughts and others have come to be commonplace for many people. As a psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, I feel like shouting from the rooftops that you don’t have to live with these symptoms!

When I direct a client to take a few minutes and just focus on the bodily symptoms they are experiencing and to apply a few simple interventions (some as simple as merely BREATHING) they report a reduction of symptoms across the board. Just taking the time to notice the body and to tend to the symptoms can provide relief.

Doing the OPPOSITE of what the body wants to do is frequently effective. If the body wants to take shallow, quick breaths, then a few slow, deep breaths may provide significant relief. If the body wants to tense up, then a quick progressive relaxation exercise may help you feel better quickly.

Addressing symptoms can provide relief, but addressing the THOUGHTS that cause the symptoms is the key to long term relief. There are always thoughts that trigger the hormonal cascade that causes the anxiety symptoms to manifest. Targeting those thoughts and reframing them is the tricky part, and is frequently the work that is done in therapy. Many clients come to me for a few visits, address the thoughts causing the problems, learn a few coping skills and are on their way having an increased quality of life.

If you are having symptoms of anxiety that are interfering with you finding joy in your everyday life I urge you to give me a call at 770-789-0847 or see my website www.carolyntuckertherapist.com to set up an appointment for a free consultation. You could be well on your way to finding tools to a relaxed, happy life after one call!