Anxiety

 Anxiety is a normal emotional reaction.  It is one of the most basic human emotions and it's purpose is to protect us from harm.  But sometimes this normal emotion can become overwhelming and unbearable.  Everyone faces difficult situations or life challenges such as finances, relationship difficulties, health problems, or stress at work.   For some, constant or excessive worry disrupts their daily activities and quality of life.  This can cause difficulty sleeping, excessive worry about what others think, difficulty concentrating, and irritability.  For others, panic or a specific fear can disrupt their lives.  This can cause physical symptoms such as chest pain, muscle tension, or shortness of breath.   If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you are not alone.  Anxiety disorders are common and 1 in every 10 Americans will suffer with anxiety at some point in their lives.  

Fortunately, anxiety disorders can be treated using cognitive behavioral techniques.  Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an evidenced-based treatment.  That means that it has been scientifically proven effective in treating anxiety.  CBT primarily focuses on the present rather than the past and addresses the negative thoughts that are affecting your emotions.  Using cognitive behavioral techniques, you will learn to identify the negative thoughts influencing your emotions.  Once identified, they can be changed.  Replacing thoughts that are harmful to your happiness with thoughts that allow you to live a fulfilling life is a common goal of cognitive behavior therapy. Together we can achieve this goal.