Your Mind Doesn’t Have To Be On Overdrive All The Time
Anxiety Therapist in Los Angeles, Orange County, CA, and Throughout California
It’s 7 AM and you’re already noticing a heavy feeling in your stomach and a sense of impending doom. Your mind concludes that something bad is on the way because you’re feeling “off”. At the same time, you’ve had this feeling show up the last couple of weeks without any catastrophe occurring. But how could you be certain it won’t be different this time? Is there something important that you might be forgetting about? Why is this happening to you? And how do you make it stop? Your mind starts to analyze. And the more you get sucked into your thoughts, the more doubtful and anxious you become.
Before you know it, 20 minutes go by and you realize you’ve been stuck in your head, and still in bed. You have a couple of in-person meetings scheduled at work today, but there’s no way that you can make it to the office now. Your anxiety is in a heightened state and it feels impossible to leave home. You start to think about what excuse you could give your boss and how you could get out of leaving your house.
But what if your boss gets upset? What if they notice your lack of focus and productivity lately? What if this gets worse and you end up losing your job? What if you can’t keep up with your rent payments? What if you have to move in with your parents again? What if they start thinking the worst of you? What if you have to live life feeling like this every day? SO MANY WHAT IF QUESTIONS. Meanwhile, your heart is racing, your underarms are sweaty, and your mouth feels dry.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal human response that serves a good purpose. On a basic and primitive level, it protects us from threats so that we can take quick and appropriate action. Think way back to when our ancestors needed to be on the lookout for potential threats. Anxiety helped with life-saving decisions when a sabertooth tiger was ready to attack. This “fight-or-flight” response helped increase the likelihood of survival of early humans. Our ancestors were able to recognize danger and either fight or flee to safety. Thankfully, sabertooth tigers no longer pose a threat in this modern world.
From a more evolved perspective, anxiety can help with other stressful situations. For example, if you have an upcoming job interview. Anxiety can motivate you to plan, rehearse, and increase your chances of getting hired. But, it can be problematic when this anxiety response is overactive. You might have trouble focusing, sleeping, and thinking the worst will happen. As a result, you might not perform your best in that interview.
Anxiety is like our body’s natural alarm system. It’s helpful and essential in keeping us safe. It alerts us of dangerous situations so that we can respond fast and get out of harm’s way. But when our alarm system is faulty, it can confuse us. Going off without a real threat will lead to a false alarm. We don’t want to eliminate our alarm system because we need it. We want to adjust it so that it’s reliable for true emergencies.
Let’s regulate your body’s natural alarm system so it serves its intended purpose. Learn how with help from an Anxiety Therapist in Orange County, CA.
You need help and you’re ready to take the next step. Connect with Online Anxiety Treatment in California below!
You may benefit from Online Anxiety Treatment in California if you are experiencing symptoms like:
Constant worry about many different things in your life (i.e. work, family, health, finances, etc.)
Being in a restless state, unable to relax.
Getting stuck in continuous thought loops about the past or the future.
Fearing that something bad will happen, having a sense of dread or doom.
Turning worries into catastrophes, playing out worst-case scenarios in your mind.
Headaches, nausea, stomach pain, increased heart rate, shakiness, shortness of breath, etc.
Persistent fatigue.
Being on edge, irritable, or snappy with those around you.
Frequently avoiding things that may provoke an anxious response or cause discomfort.
Muscle tension, tightness, or pain.
Trouble falling asleep or waking up during the night.
Online Anxiety Treatment in California can help you:
Learn better ways to handle unhelpful thinking patterns. For example, “what-if” questions or worst-case scenario thinking.
Increase self-awareness so that you are better able to interrupt autopilot ruminations.
Get back to doing things that you have been avoiding.
Try new meaningful activities that you’ve been too anxious to do.
Identify triggers to your anxiety and learn new strategies to help regulate.
Change your relationship with anxiety so that you are not so bothered when it shows up.
Live less in the past or future, and be more connected to the now.
If you are struggling with anxiety, it doesn’t have to be that way. Online Therapy for Anxiety in California could be of help.
Get help from an Anxiety Therapist in Los Angeles, Orange County, CA (and anywhere in California.) Schedule a 15-minute intro call by clicking below!
Where can I learn more about Anxiety?
Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA)
The ADAA is a non-profit organization with a wealth of information for the public. You can learn about anxiety disorders, depression, and other co-occurring disorders. There are educational materials on generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc. Resources include articles, blogs, webinars, podcasts, downloadable infographics/brochures, book recommendations, and more.