Anxiety and Depression

Life isn’t supposed to be this hard.

Your performance at work has been slipping for a while now, and the boss is noticing.

“What will happen during my next performance evaluation? Is she going to demote me, or worse, fire me?!?”

Your family complains that even when you’re home, you’re not there… not engaging… not interested.

“Why do you even bother showing up for game-night if you just sit alone in the corner?”

You didn’t use to be like this. Friends sought you out to plan the next weekend getaway. You loved playing with the kids and chasing them around the backyard.

But now you don’t recognize who you’ve become – never wanting to leave the house, ignoring the things and people you enjoyed, and constantly worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.

You feel like a complete failure.

You just want to be the you that you used to be.

If they only knew…

… the intense shame and guilt you feel for “not being enough.” The anxiety is so bad your feel like you are crawling out of your skin.

… that no matter what you do, you can’t get your mind to stop racing – to shut off for just a few minutes.

… the terrible self-deprecating things you tell yourself.

… that you’ve tried everything you can to avoid it, push it down, and pretend it’s not there (but that’s not working anymore).

… that on top of all the emotional pain, the physical pain is just as strong and debilitating. Tension headaches are now common… and pain in your shoulders… and overall fatigue like you’ve never experienced before.

With therapy, there is hope…

In a relaxed, comfortable, and confidential atmosphere, I will teach you how your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations work together to influence your life – for good or bad.

Emotions are like fire. If we just watch them and let them be, eventually, they die out and go away. Thoughts are like wood or gasoline. If we are experiencing an emotion, say anxiety, and we add thoughts, “I’m going to fail,” “People are going to laugh at me,” or “What if the boss doesn’t like my presentation and he fires me?” What if I have another panic attack in public?” Our bodies tense, the thoughts become more fatalistic, and the anxiety increases. It’s a vicious cycle.

But if we relax our bodies, stay in the present moment, challenge irrational beliefs, “Just because I had a panic attack last week at the grocery doesn’t mean I will have one today,” although the experience may not be pleasant, it is manageable.

I’ll also give you tools that will help you turn your life around. You will learn distress tolerance skills, regulating emotions, and asking for what you need in assertive ways. You will learn tools to reduce anxiety, boost memory and concentration, and improve self-esteem.

I use a variety of techniques to help treat anxiety and depression that may include:

Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that allows for self-regulation of brain function through stimulation and mental strategies. The therapeutic aim is to increase brain efficacy.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) uses bilateral sensory input such as side-to-side eye movements to stimulate the brain to process difficult thoughts, memories, and emotions.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy that focuses on how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are related. The goal is to help clients identify negative, false, or irrational thoughts and replace them with healthier, more realistic ones. As you change your thinking patterns to more positive thoughts, your attitude changes, leading to changes in behaviors, which can help ease anxiety and depression.

Life doesn’t have to be this hard…

Imagine a life where you’re confident, happy, and in control of your emotions…

… a life where you’re comfortable in your skin…

… a life where you’re engaged and connected to the important people in your life…

… a life where you might actually LIKE and LOVE yourself…

… a life where you are in control!

Committing to a process of healing is your ticket out of the hell you are currently living. I will be with you every step of the way.

Take that first step… take control of your life!

Call me today at (307) 444-2308.