What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the body’s natural reaction to stressful situations, like work deadlines, school projects, or relationship problems. If you experience overwhelming feelings of fear or worry, you may benefit from speaking with one of our compassionate therapists at Red Cedar Counseling.
Anxiety disorders can cause persistent and excessive distress, even in seemingly light situations. You might notice a disconnect between your mind and body during episodes, increased heart rate, or even shakiness. These are all very common but very troublesome symptoms that many people experience, and Red Cedar Counseling is committed to helping you overcome anxiety in a way that works for you.
If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and feel like you may benefit from speaking with one of our kind and thoughtful counselors, please feel free to contact us online or give us a call to schedule an appointment with one of our therapists. Our counselors understand the suffering associated with anxiety and are here to help you work through those troubles with non-judgmental guidance.
You May Benefit From Counseling for Anxiety If…
- You experience excessive levels of distress for at least six months
- You spend at least one hour each day overthinking particular topics
- You find it difficult to get enough sleep, especially before major life events
- You feel tired every day, no matter how much sleep you get the night before
- Your irritability has caused a rift in your relationships
Frequently Asked
Many mental health specialists, including licensed professional counselors, clinical therapists, psychologists, and clinical social workers are equipped with the right tools to help you explore coping skills and new ways of living to help you live a fulfilling and healthy life. At Red Cedar Counseling, we have many qualified therapists for anxiety who can help you address your unique needs. You can read more about each individual counselor on our website.
Most social anxiety therapists use cognitive-behavioral therapy strategies to help patients overcome overwhelming feelings of unease. Together, we can work to achieve desired results that help build your confidence, enhance your social skills, and handle scary situations.
One of the fastest anti-anxiety measures you can perform on your own is to practice the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Breathe in for four seconds; hold your breath for seven and release it in eight. Repeat this process until you feel your body relax. There is anecdotal evidence to show that this type of rhythmic breathing, often used in meditation and therapy, can help manage anxiety because controlled breathing can help regulate the heart rate, which is associated with stress and cognitive functioning.
Mental health experts still haven’t pinpointed the exact causes of anxiety. However, genetic, environmental, and brain chemistry factors likely play a role in this condition. Family history, personality traits, and health problems often cause anxiety. Traumatic events, abuse, and major life changes may trigger anxiety for some individuals. When your condition affects your quality of life, we recommend seeing a therapist for anxiety immediately.
Steps To Help Reduce Anxiety
Everyone feels anxious from time to time. If you begin to feel like your anxiety is taking control of your life, a gentle approach to reducing anxiety can make a huge difference in how you live daily. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for individuals, but below are some of the most common ones that can help reduce feelings of anxiety.
Therapy
Therapy for anxiety can help you discover the underlying causes of your worries. Our goal at Red Cedar is to empower you to make changes in your life that work for you to manage anxiety levels better. Suppressing or trying to decrease emotions usually isn’t the best approach to lessening anxiety. Instead, we can help you find new ways to cope with these natural emotions in a way that does not trigger the physical and mental responses that are anxiety symptoms.
Physical Activity
Many people find physical activity can help relieve anxiety because it can produce endorphins, the chemical compounds that cope with stress. Adding daily exercise as part of your routine may help lessen your symptoms of anxiety. Physical activity can also help boost confidence, enhance moods, and improve sleep patterns — all essential components in strengthening one’s mental health.
Avoid Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol or recreational drugs may offer temporary relief but can also exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety. Feelings of distress can even potentially worsen once their effects wear off. Our counselors can help you explore and find alternative fulfilling activities that offer more substantial relief from anxiety.
Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques
A few minutes of mindfulness meditation can help reduce anxiety. Whenever you feel overwhelmed with heightened worry or fear, try to find a quiet place to practice relaxation exercises. While many individuals find it difficult to stay mindful while practicing meditation alone, our therapists are experienced in guiding brief and rewarding mindfulness meditations.
Sleep Wellness
Trouble sleeping can be a symptom and a cause of anxiety. Developing healthy sleep patterns may offer great relief from anxiety, but many don’t know where to begin. A licensed counselor can help you explore tactics for your routine that work best for you to improve your sleep quality.
Healthy Eating
Generally, maintaining a healthy diet and eating habits can help contribute to reducing anxiety. Nutrition and overall wellness can play a role in how we react to emotions. Not enough nutrients or too little food intake may worsen anxiety symptoms. Many people with anxiety have found it helpful to adjust their intake of food by increasing or decreasing the amount they eat or improving the nutritional value of the food they eat.
Keep a Journal
Writing in a journal may seem like a tedious task, but it has helped many people with anxiety identify patterns in their symptoms and find relief from writing down worries and fears. We encourage this technique to allow thoughts and feelings to surface.
Preparing for Your Appointment
To make the most of your counseling session, it can help to be prepared to discuss some of these topics.
Symptoms
Let us know how anxiety affects your daily life. Whether you always feel on edge, tired, or irritable, it can help your therapist to be aware of the symptoms you experience.
Stressors
Your counselor may ask questions about your home, work, family, relationships, and social life to discover which components aggravate your condition. Try to note when and where you often experience anxiety attacks.
Physical conditions
Physical conditions and health problems may cause anxiety as well. It can help your therapist develop an ideal treatment plan and help guide the conversations by understanding these conditions if it feels safe and comfortable to disclose that information.
Medications
Sometimes, prescription medicines can have unpleasant side effects. For instance, corticosteroids, ADHD drugs, and asthma treatments can trigger anxiety.
Questions
At Red Cedar Counseling, we respect and value every patient. All questions are welcome during live or online sessions — no matter how embarrassing you think they are. Write down or take a mental note of everything you want to know about anxiety before the start of each session to enhance your healing experience.
Therapy and your privacy
The therapists at Red Cedar Counseling respect your privacy. The information shared in a therapy session is strictly confidential. The relationship between the counselor and the patient is based on trust, compassion, and respect, so that each individual feels comfortable in the therapy environment.
Let Red Cedar Counseling help you manage your mental health and explore new ways of living that work for you. We serve people in the greater Lansing, Michigan area. To learn more about therapy for anxiety and to talk with a professional counselor in the Lansing, Michigan area, contact Red Cedar Counseling today.
Therapy for Anxiety at Red Cedar Counseling
Our therapists at Red Cedar are devoted to helping our community feel healthier and live more enjoyable lives. They are kind and compassionate individuals with the knowledge and experience necessary to help make this happen. Our counselors do not try to tell you how to live your life or make any judgments. Our goal is to guide you to paths and solutions that work best for you. Red Cedar Counseling offers transformative, personalized, compassionate, and non-judgmental treatment solutions for anxiety and mental health. We proudly serve anyone from the greater Lansing area and surrounding communities. Call us at (517) 301-5011 to create a custom treatment plan for your anxiety.