If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be experiencing anxiety. Anxiety is a normal part of life and in fact, can be very adaptive. For example, anxiety can alert you to danger and you can then take steps to make yourself safer, such as when you back away from the edge of a cliff or slow down when you are skiing too fast. Anxiety can also be motivational. For example, when you feel anxious about an exam at school or meeting at work, you may take steps to study or prepare that you wouldn’t take if you didn’t feel any anxiety at all.
Anxiety exists on a continuum and becomes problematic when you are experiencing too much anxiety. When anxiety becomes excessive, it is no longer helpful and adaptive. Rather, the anxiety starts to get in your way and negatively impacts your personal life or functioning at school or work. If you are too anxious, then you may not be able to settle down and concentrate to study or work. Every time you start to work on one aspect of the problem, your mind may race forward with questions about what if it is a different aspect that you should be focused upon and you become overwhelmed with fear about the dreaded consequences that will occur if you are not successful at your task. This can happen in the social arena as well. You may become so fearful of not being interesting to others or being judged negatively that you begin to withdraw and avoid others, leaving you feeling alone and isolated.
Getting Help
Research has shown that psychotherapy, and particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), can be very effective for treating anxiety issues. The psychotherapists at The Snow Psychology Group, LLC have many years of experience teaching people tools and strategies to combat anxiety provoking thoughts and to help promote relaxation. We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), relaxation strategies, and mindfulness to help you change the patterns of your thoughts and behaviors so that you can cope more effectively with worry and anxiety. You can start feeling better and take back your life.
Contact The Snow Psychology Group
We offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your specific situation. Call us at (240) 676-4206 x1 or email us at info@snowpsych.com to see how we can help you to overcome your anxiety and worry. Our group practice is located in Rockville, MD and all of our clinicians have expertise in working with anxiety. More information about our psychotherapists is also available on the Meet the Staff page. We hope to speak with you soon.