Anxiety Therapy in Kansas City – Liberty MO

Anxiety can be simply defined as having difficulty controlling worries and having extreme reactions to those worries.

However, anxiety comes in many forms that range from an obsession about something specific to generalized anxiety about the day-to-day business of life in general. People who experience anxiety live with a nervous restlessness and spend their days on-edge.

Some anxiety is a natural response to stimuli and is a vital part of our self-preservation and flight or fight system. If that anxiety becomes ever-present or extreme, however, seeking help from a therapist could be beneficial.

Talking with a therapist helps you identify situations in which you have a disproportionate response. Through sessions with your therapist, you’ll work together to identify why you’re having extreme reactions and you’ll learn different ways to manage your anxiety.

Anxiety comes with a wide range of symptoms that are both physical and psychological. Sometimes, your mind will be consumed with too many thoughts. Other times, you may feel depleted or altogether empty. Anxiety causes people to obsess over events, assumptions, worries and fears. Physical symptoms can include headaches and nausea, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping and more.

Talking with a therapist helps you put the events of your life into perspective and allows you to analyze your symptoms in a safe space. Together, with your therapist, you can identify anxiety triggers and find ways to manage your anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety:

• Obsession or worry over daily events
• Sense of impending doom or panic
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased heart rate
• Rapid breathing

The biggest difference between experiencing anxiety and being stressed out is that stress is usually caused by external stimuli and anxiety is caused by internal stimulus. Examples of stress triggers include major life events, problems in relationships or at work and health issues. Chronic stress can contribute to anxiety and, in some cases, can cause anxiety.

Talking with a therapist can help manage both stress and anxiety. Through sessions with a therapist, you can learn how to manage your life to reduce stress. You can also learn tools for managing anxiety and create a more peaceful lifestyle for yourself.

Talking with a therapist can help you learn triggers and ways to manage anxiety. When you meet with your therapist, you get the chance to investigate your responses to life in a safe environment. Together, you analyze the thoughts that accompany physical symptoms and work to learn where those thoughts come from. You and your therapist are also able to create a list of interventions and ways to manage anxiety. The goal is to build toward a healthier and more peaceful outlook on life.

Though the physical symptoms of anxiety disorders are addressed through sessions, talking with a therapist helps address the foundation of many anxiety disorders: intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are thoughts that enter your mind unbidden and often take up a large amount of time and energy. These thoughts are the seeds of anxiety obsession, and it is important to learn how to work through having intrusive thoughts. Talking with a therapist about intrusive thoughts and other symptoms of anxiety can help you find freedom from chronic nervousness, self-isolation and self-esteem issues.