STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION
Q: Summertime and the living is easy—but not for me! This is a time when I’m off my normal schedule and I start to get anxious. It becomes debilitating. What’s going on? Do you deal with anxiety?
A: Stress, anxiety and associated depression are the most common reasons people come to see me at any time of year. Children are out of school and families often have vacation time. Child-care arrangements are different and often schedules are out the window. Many parents are overstressed in their workplace at the best of times and struggle to balance home and work. New schedules and obligations just add more pressure. Many teens and young adults are facing changes in the next short while as they begin new jobs, new careers and new schools.
Anxiety and the stress or panic attacks that are associated with it can be debilitating for sure. If left unchecked, it can have you afraid to go out anywhere or do anything, for fear of having an “attack”. First of all, be aware that people do not die from anxiety attacks. It may feel like you are dying at the time, but once you have ruled out medical reasons, be assured that you are not.
Next, you should know that anxiety is something that is very responsive to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in both adults and children. Often people will come to see me saying that their doctors told them to come to see me for CBT. CBT is a somewhat short-term (10-12 sessions) therapy mode that is based in the thinking that your cognitions (thoughts) affect your actions (behaviours). See if you can relate to this example: For whatever reason, you think you are ugly. You think you are ugly and so you do not act confident; if you do not present as confident, you may not be listened to by your friends or work colleagues and you feel unimportant and become frustrated. You come home and your partner seems too busy or disinterested to listen to you and the children do not follow your rules. You feel unheard, invisible and beaten and lose your temper. Out of frustration, you yell at your family and everyone tells you it is nicer when you are not there. You feel anxious depressed and unloveable. There are many such strings of events that can lead to these feelings and are responsive to CBT. Change the initial thinking, and change the resultant behaviour.
Many individuals have extended benefits that cover my services. So if you are experiencing difficulty because of anxiety, you do not need to struggle any longer. I can teach you easily learned techniques that will make your life much more satisfying. Call today and learn how to take back your life.
