Did you know that anxiety is actually good for you?

 

That’s right!  Anxiety is a normal, natural reaction to stress, and it helps ready us for whatever life throws our way.  If you didn’t worry about burning your food on the stove, you might forget about it and let it burn.  If you weren’t anxious about getting good grades in school, you might not study very hard.  And, if you had no fear of getting a speeding ticket or getting into an accident, you might not drive very safely. 

 

When anxiety is manageable, it’s healthy.  It is supposed to help prepare us for danger and hardship. However, many people struggle with unhealthy levels of anxiety.  This often looks like:

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• Feeling overwhelmed

• Racing thoughts (or thinking about the same worries over and over)

• Worrying about too many things

• Difficulty sleeping or resting

• Difficulty concentrating

• Muscle tension

• Feeling irritable or on-edge

• Difficulty controlling anxious thoughts or feelings

 

Recent research has found that unhealthy anxiety is actually quite deadly.  Some metanalyses have indicated that chronic stress and anxiety increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, decreased immune function, and more.  If you or a loved one are struggling with unhealthy levels of anxiety, seek professional help. 
 

What tends to cause unhealthy anxiety?

 

Anxiety often runs in families, as there is a strong genetic component to anxious tendencies.  Some people are just a bit more wired for anxiety, more likely to get caught up in their thoughts and feelings.  Of course, even if that is the case, therapy can still help anxious people get better.

 

Anxiety disorders can also arise in response to significant life events.  You might have begun feeling anxious in college when you had major exams and deadlines to meet.  The anxiety might have started after a car accident, divorce, faith crisis, or pregnancy.  At some point, you learned to use anxiety to respond to the world around you – but now, things have gotten out of hand. 

 

No matter what caused the anxiety, therapy can help.

 

How can therapy help?

 

Anxiety feels incredibly uncomfortable.  So, naturally, when we feel anxious about something, we try to get rid of those feelings.  We might try to numb out through food, television, and other habits.  We put off things that make us anxious and procrastinate.  We try to avoid the anxious thing altogether – decline social invitations, stick with the job rather than quit, stay silent rather than speak up. 

 

Over time, this creates a pattern of avoidance:

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The more we avoid and experience the relief of avoidance, the more the anxiety grows.  The more the anxiety grows, the less empowered and capable we feel.  We begin to feel helpless, overwhelmed, and out of control. 

 

That’s where therapy comes in.

 

Therapy for anxiety is designed to help you feel supported and empowered, learn essential coping skills, and break the pattern of avoidance.  Your therapist can help you use mindfulness and other strategies that help you find freedom from the stress.  You can discover the origins of your anxiety and how you carry anxious feelings in your body.  You can get your life back on track. 

 

All you have to do is get started.

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What does therapy look like at

Bearing Witness Therapy?

 

 

You don’t have to do this alone!

 

Bearing Witness Therapy provides down-to-earth, evidence-based care for people from all over Boulder (where our office is located), as well as Denver and Longmont.  Each session is fully confidential and tailored to help you meet your goals.  We strive to help you feel understood, supported, and cared for as you work to enhance your wellbeing. 

 

Our practice utilizes therapy techniques drawn primarily from Gestalt and Hakomi therapy, both of which focus heavily on the present moment (rather than dwelling on the past) and your mind-body experience.  The body is able to access more of the conscious mind than we realize, and so we utilize body-centered modalities to help you gain deeper awareness. 

 

Therapy for anxiety can help you learn to:

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• Relax the mind and body

• Focus and be productive

• Use effective mindfulness techniques

• Find a balance between work, school, life, and other responsibilities

• Recognize and change unhealthy patterns

• Sleep well and rest

 

We call our practice Bearing Witness Therapy for a reason. 

 

We all experience suffering and hardship in life.  We all endure moments where we feel helpless, defeated, and broken.  We ride the ups and downs of life as best we can.  And yet, all of these experiences are harder to carry when we carry them alone.  We believe in the healing power of having someone to lean on, someone to bear witness to the hurt and heartache you are facing. 

 

You deserve nothing less.

 

Interested?  We are here for you.

 

Interested in learning about us?  Want to hear more about how we can help?  Contact us today - we would love to hear from you.