Confront Anxiety and Manage Stress

 ANXIETY is useful in moderation. Moderate stress spurs us on, keeps us alert, encourages us to organize. Excessive anxiety can take over our thinking. When that happens to you, find experienced anxiety counselling. 

Anxiety can dominate our mood, prevent us from focusing on other things or enjoying life. Our worries can convince us that life is too dangerous, that one slip will lead to disaster. They can spiral us into panic attacks or lead to compulsive behavior and to mental obsessions. Our fight or flight instincts may push us to lash out in destructive anger, or to freeze and withdraw.

Excess anxiety may be a temporary response to an overwhelming situation which passes. It also may become a painful mental habit.

Disfunctional anxiety can stem from our own overly high expectations. Sometimes we will fail. That is inevitable. We can evaluate the causes and try again with better tools. Or we can fall into self blame and depression.

As an anxiety counselling professional I start by helping you to address habitual anxiety. Each person has a history, habits, and viewpoints. Each person has certain prejudices and automatic  reactions. We begin by helping you gain self awareness, by looking at your assumptions. Then experimentation, self-talk and patience can gradually broaden your perspective.

The best known anxiety counselling is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Mind, body and emotions are all connected. Change one, and you effect the others. CBT has various offshoots, variations and augmentations which can make it more effective for certain people.

Mindfulness is another useful tool to manage stress.

 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder requires more specialized counselling approaches. PTSD results from emotionally painful shock. Afterwards the victim lives in fear, expects danger to lurk around every corner. Flashbacks and dreams can bring the danger back as large as life.  Here in Niagara Region you can talk with this  professional counsellor to gradually defang those memories. 

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