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Managing Anxiety through Counseling and Therapy

Feeling anxious is a natural emotional response for all human beings. Anxiety is a psychological condition that is characterized by intense feelings of fear, apprehension and uneasiness.

Normal anxiety is triggered by environmental factors caused by the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is activated when a person experiences an event that may be perceived as dangerous, stressful or a threat.

Although anxiety is a normal experience for any human being, it can be quite an obstacle when experienced too often. People who experience too much anxiety should be helped and guided accordingly. If the anxiety continues to build up, then the outcome can be quite devastating. In such a scenario, worry and fear will tend to run your life. You would rather avoid certain terrifying situations than confront them and experience the outcomes. For some people, this overwhelming feeling can cause them to become unproductive and unresponsive. For others, it may cause them to become overly productive and hypervigilant. The latter may seem adaptive, however, such over exertion may lead them to burnout. High levels of anxiety can start to feel like a burden and moving forward becomes a big challenge.

Symptoms of anxiety include panic attacks, dizziness, sudden waves of fear, tension, nausea, heart palpitations alongside with other physical symptoms. Counselling tends to be prescribed for several anxiety disorders. These include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and phobias such as fear of spiders and height.

Anxiety disorder

As the most common form of emotional disorders, anxiety disorders affect millions of people around the world. While being anxious is normal, having anxiety disorder makes you feel anxious all the time. There are even times that you find yourself fully consumed by it that you can’t do anything else but worry.

People who have an anxiety disorder begin to withdraw themselves from the world for fear of the unknown.

They stop doing things they love and even distance themselves from family and friends just because the anxiety can be too extreme or debilitating.

The types of anxiety disorder

  • Panic disorder. This is manifested by a sudden attack of intense worry, apprehension and terror, and it can last anywhere from 10 minutes to hours. Patients with panic disorder can suffer from dizziness, shaking, confusion and even breathing difficulty when having a panic attack.
  • Generalized anxiety disorder. This is a long-term anxiety over things, situations and events that are otherwise normal for other people. Being te most common form of anxiety disorder, patients suffering from GAD may sometimes find it hard to pinpoint the exact cause of their anxiety.
  • Social anxiety disorder. This is manifested through social withdrawal and extreme self-consciousness even in daily social interactions. Patients suffering from social anxiety disorder always fear the judgment of others, which causes them to distance themselves from social situations which could affect their relationships.

Seeking Therapy as a Solution?

Anxiety can have a paralyzing effect on your life and bring everything to a standstill. Counselling can be helpful to restore a sense of hope and regain a sense of control over your responses to the intense fear. There are several counselling approaches that can be used to support clients experiencing anxiety. These include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT). There are many myths and misinformation regarding anxiety and anxiety disorders. Find out how much you actually know about anxiety by taking this Anxiety Knowledge quiz.

Here are five reasons psychotherapy can help relieve your anxiety symptoms:

  • It Can Help You Identify Anxiety Triggers
  • It Can Help Correct or Change Behaviors
  • It Can Help Improve Your Thought Patterns
  • It Helps You Establish Some Coping Mechanisms
  • It Can Give You the Support That You Need

Want to know more? Check out our blogs related to anxiety.

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Andi Kujtan

Andi Kujtan
In-Person Counselling & Online Therapy

**ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS**
(Individual Therapy for Adults and Teens 16+)

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Anxiety, Depression, Relationship Issues, Trauma, Emotional Regulation, Inner Child Work, Autism, ADHD, Parenting Support, Post-Partum Support, Life Transitions, Stress Management and Sexuality (LGBTQIA+).

Janna Pardy

Janna Pardy
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Anxiety, Depression, Creativity, Stress Management, Life Transitions, Grief and Loss, Relationship Issues, Attachment and Early Life Trauma, Sexual Trauma, Self Esteem, Self Discovery.

Melanie Bowman

Melanie Bowman
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Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Suicidality, Self-Harm, Relationship Issues/Loss of Connection, Grief & Loss, Family Conflict, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Trauma, Situational Crisis, LGBTQ+, Identity Related Concerns.

Craig Holman

Craig Holman
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ADHD Management, Relationship Issues, Anxiety, Anger Management, Communication Skills, Depression, Chronic Pain and Illness, Emotional Expression & Regulation, Stress, Grief & Loss, Parenting Support, and Burnout.

Dana MacDonald

Dana MacDonald
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Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Stress Management, Life Stage Transitions, Chronic Pain, Illness, Grief and Loss, Caregiver Stress, Emotion Regulation, Relationships, Acute, Attachment and Early Life Trauma, Self-Esteem, Self Discovery.

Mary Lee Knox-Bauer

Mary Lee Knox-Bauer
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Anxiety, Stress Management, Depression, Trauma, Relationship Issues, Communication Skills, Self-Esteem and Body-Image Concerns, Sexuality (LGBTQIA+), Grief and Loss, Chronic Pain and Illness, Parenting Support, Blended Family Support.

Hari Chettiar

Hari Chettiar
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Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Anger management, Grief & Loss, Relationship Issues, Life Transitions, Couples Therapy, Gaming Issues, Parenting Support.

Kelly O'Hearn

Kelly O'Hearn
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Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Life Transitions, Emotional Regulation, School-Related stressors and challenges, Self-Esteem Issues, Body Image Concerns, Maternal stress and anxiety, Teen and Youth self-discovery, Parenting Concerns, Relationship Issues.

Heidi Baker

Heidi Baker
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Anxiety, Depression, Parenting Support, Separation and Divorce, Relationship Issues, Spirituality and Faith Concerns, Life Transitions, Stress Management, Grief & Loss, Work‑Life Balance.

Rochelle Martin

Rochelle Martin
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Relationship and Attachment Issues, Anxiety, Stress, Loss of Sense of Self and/or Connection with Others, Trauma, Emotion Regulation, Depression, Self‑Esteem Issues.

Caitlin Heximer

Caitlin Heximer
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Anxiety, Depression, Relationship Issues, Self-Esteem, ADHD Management, Boundaries Setting, Grief and Loss, Stress Management, Trauma, Sexuality (LGBTQIA+), Workplace Stress, Burnout, Career Transitions.

Kelly Nancekivell

Kelly Nancekivell
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Self-Esteem and Body-Image Concerns, Anxiety, ADHD Management, Relationship Issues, Depression, Stress Management, Life Transitions, Divorce, Grief & Loss.

Courtney Johnston

Courtney Johnston
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Communication Strategies, Depression, Stress Management, Trauma, Sexual Assault, Anxiety, Life Transitions, Burnout, Self-Esteem, Chronic Pain, Relationship Issues and Sexuality (LGBTQIA+).

Susan Vanleeuwen

Susan Vanleeuwen
In-Person Counselling & Online Therapy

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Couples and Family Counselling)

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Anxiety, Depression, Relationship Issues, Communication Strategies, Life Transitions, Grief & Loss, Stress Management, Parenting Support and Strategies.

Jelum Raval

Jelum Raval
Online Therapy

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Relationship Issues, Depression, Parenting Support, Communication Strategies, Couples Therapy, Anxiety, Life Transitions, Self-Esteem Concerns, ADHD Management.

Chris Jarvis

Chris Jarvis
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Relationship Issues, Anxiety, Anger Management, Couples Therapy, Depression, Grief & Loss, Burnout, Spirituality and Faith Concerns, Life Transitions, Parenting Support and Communication Skills.

Natasha Busic

Natasha Busic
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Depression, Relationship Issues, Burnout, Anxiety, Stress Reduction and Management, Emotional Regulation, Trauma, Life Transitions, Grief & Loss.

Madelyn Whittle

Madelyn Whittle
Online Therapy

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(Individual Therapy for Adults)

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Emotion Regulation, Trauma, Grief & Loss, Anxiety, Depression, Relationship Issues, Life Transitions, Self‑Discovery.

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