Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, or panic attacks?
You don't have to face these challenges alone.
Counselling can provide the guidance and tools you need to thrive and regain control over your life.
When experiencing anxiety,
your thoughts can become consumed by worry, fear, and a sense of unease.
These thoughts can be persistent and may feel difficult to control. Here are some common thought patterns associated with anxiety:
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Catastrophic Thinking: You may find yourself imagining the worst possible outcomes in various situations, even when they are unlikely. For example, if you have a health concern, you might think that minor symptoms indicate a severe illness.
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What-If Scenarios: Your mind might race with "what-if" questions and scenarios. You constantly ask yourself, "What if this happens? What if that goes wrong?" This can lead to excessive planning and anticipation of potential problems.
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Overanalyzing: You may obsessively analyze past events or conversations, searching for signs that you did something wrong or made a mistake. This can contribute to feelings of guilt or regret.
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Self-Doubt: Anxiety often brings self-doubt, where you question your abilities, decisions, or self-worth. You may worry about not being good enough or fear that others will judge you negatively.
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Rumination: Anxiety can lead to rumination, where you continuously replay distressing thoughts or situations in your mind, making it difficult to let go of negative experiences.
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Social Anxiety Thoughts: In social situations, you might fear being judged, embarrassed, or rejected. You might constantly evaluate your performance or worry about saying the wrong thing.
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Insecurity: Feelings of insecurity and self-consciousness can be pervasive. You may compare yourself to others and feel like you fall short.
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Perfectionism: Striving for perfection and fearing mistakes can be a common thought pattern. You may feel a strong need to control everything to avoid any potential problems.
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Impending Doom: There may be a sense of impending doom or a feeling that something terrible is about to happen, even when there's no clear threat.
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Mind Racing: Your mind may feel like it's racing, making it challenging to concentrate on tasks or stay in the present moment.
It's important to recognize that these thought patterns are characteristic of anxiety and can vary in intensity and frequency from person to person. They can lead to emotional distress and physical symptoms. Therapy can help you manage and change these thought patterns, allowing you to better cope with anxiety.
Here are some key aspects of anxiety counseling:
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Assess: In the initial stages of counselling, we will seek to understand the nature of your anxiety by discussing symptoms, triggers, and the impact of anxiety on daily life.
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Tools and Education: To help you understand the underlying causes of anxiety, and how to take back your life from generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobias.
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a widely used therapeutic approach in anxiety counseling. It focuses on identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to anxiety. You wil learn strategies to reframe their thoughts and develop more helpful thinking patterns.
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Exposure Therapy: For specific phobias and certain anxiety disorders, exposure therapy might be helpful to reduce the fear response.
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Relaxation and Stress Management Techniques: These techniques can help individuals manage anxiety symptoms in real-time.
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Behavioral Interventions: We will work together to develop specific behavioral strategies to cope with anxiety, including developing effective problem-solving skills and implementing healthy coping mechanisms.