Virtual Anxiety Therapy in Ohio

“Things are going well in life, but I’m still so anxious.”

Have you ever had this thought? If so, you’re not alone. We like to think that “something must be wrong” if someone has anxiety symptoms, but the fact is that you can be anxious without an obvious cause. When we experience anxiety during times that things are going well in life, often that comes with feelings of shame - you don’t want to think of yourself as being “ungrateful for what I have” or have others view you this way. But guess what? Anxiety has nothing to do with whether or not you’re grateful for your life! Anxiety is a nervous system response that your brain might activate at any time, no matter what your circumstances are!

Why am I so anxious?

Sometimes trying to understand your anxiety makes you feel even more anxious! There’s often many contributing factors to anxiety, and it’s hard to narrow it down to any one thing. Genetics, past trauma, lifestyle factors, and your environment can all play a role in anxiety. This is why it’s important to work with a holistic anxiety specialist who will address all the ways anxiety is impacting your life and relationships.

Stress is a normal part of life

Some amount of stress is a normal part of life - especially during times of transition. Things like: moving, starting or ending a job, a new medical diagnosis or change in physical health, starting a new relationship, starting a new personal venture, losing a partner or friendship, becoming parents or empty nesters, can all come with stress.

We can even have GOOD stress (eustress) - which enables us to feel confident, stimulated, and motivated to complete a task or challenge. But you’re not here because you have too much good stress in your life. You’re here because even though you have a lot of good things happening in life, you’re STILL experiencing anxiety - too much stress!

Stress impacts your body, emotions, & relationships

Anxiety symptoms might first show up as physical aches and pains

Did you know that your whole digestive system shuts down when you’re anxious?! It’s a really cool part of your body’s survival response, and it’s also frustrating when this happens during your everyday life, outside of actual life-or-death situations.

It’s no wonder then that stress affects your weight and causes lots of uncomfortable (and sometimes embarrassing!) gastrointestinal distress. Thoughts of “what ifs” and making endless to-do lists might make it difficult for you to fall or stay asleep - and the exhaustion certainly doesn’t help your anxiety. You might have headaches or muscle tension that makes it difficult to focus at work, move your body in ways you enjoy, be present in your relationships, or embrace your sensual side. You might have occasional panic attacks that kick in when you’re even more anxious.

Childhood trauma can show up as adulthood anxiety

Trauma, just like anxiety, is actually nervous system response. In fact, the response that happens in your brain and body when you’re anxious is THE SAME response your nervous system has when you’re anxious! This makes it hard to properly store memories. Sometimes even after the threat is long gone, our body remembers a past threat and gets activated in the present.

A heated conversation with your friend might subconsciously trigger feeling unloved or unheard by one of your parents growing up. A loving embrace from your partner might trigger a past experience where your body and boundaries were violated. You might find yourself “overreacting to a normal part of life” (your brain’s “fight” response!) - or you might be on the opposite end, and find yourself shutting down and becoming distant during tough conversations with family (your brain’s “freeze” response!). You might find that it’s difficult to assert yourself in relationships and set boundaries. Finding yourself saying “yes” when you want to say “no” (your brain’s “fawn” response!).

Anxiety negatively impacts your relationships - with yourself, and others

All of these anxiety responses make your relationships tough, to say the least. You might find yourself becoming more irritable than normal, overcommitting and overexhausting yourself, and finding it hard to connect with your loved ones and form new relationships.

It’s hard to carry on with life and maintain good relationships when you’re overcome by anxiety symptoms. You might be trying SO hard to keep it all together and make sure everything seems fine on the surface. It might feel important to you to not show your emotions to your spouse, your kids, your friends, or at work. You might have thoughts like, “I don’t want to burden anyone else with my problems.” You end up feeling more alone and unknown, and fighting anxiety on the inside.

Anxiety impacts your relationship with your most important relationship - the one you have with yourself! As if anxiety isn’t bad enough on its own, it often comes with judgmental thoughts towards yourself.

“Therapy is for people who have worse anxiety than me.”

Because of what we know about the neurobiology of stress, we genuinely believe there’s no such thing as “small worries” or “too small of a problem for therapy.” If you’re struggling to manage constant worry, have trouble sleeping, and feel unsafe in your body more often than not – your life has probably been impacted by anxiety more than you think.

We will never judge you, dismiss your fears, or compare you to others (you’re probably doing enough of that on your own – and we can help you to overcome it!).

“It’s just stress. I should be able to get over it on my own.”

Says who? People need people – for all sorts of reasons. And lots of people need a therapist to help them manage their anxiety symptoms. Please don’t let stigma keep you from getting the help you deserve. Needing a mental health professional to help you navigate your anxiety is no different than needing a dentist to help you keep your teeth healthy and free of cavities.

Trying to “tough it out” and overcome stress and anxiety on your own can actually prolong your symptoms and make it worse. You do not have to continue silently suffering with anxiety – we are here and ready to compassionately support you with the most effective techniques out there to treat anxiety.

“I’ve been to therapy before and it didn’t work.”

We love that you’re here and considering therapy again. We definitely understand the hesitation to return to therapy after a negative experience in the past. We can’t speak to your past experience, but please know that the relationship you have with your counselor is one of the most important factors in reaching your goals. Which is why we offer a free 15-minute phone consultation prior to scheduling - so you can be confident you’ve found the best anxiety therapist for you. Our extensive training in treating trauma and anxiety gives us a unique lens through which we’ll approach your anxiety treatment, and an effective set of tools to help you reach your goals this time around.

“Will I have to take medication if I see a therapist for anxiety?”

This one’s tricky. The short answer is that no – counseling for anxiety does not automatically mean also taking medications. However, for some people, medication is one of many helpful tools for managing anxiety symptoms.

If you think medication could be helpful for you, we will gladly provide referrals since we are not licensed to prescribe medication. If you’re not interested in medication, we will respect that decision and help you find other holistic ways to manage your symptoms.