Is Anxiety Taking Over Your Life?

Persistent anxiety symptoms can be extremely debilitating. When overwhelmed by anxiety, you may feel trapped by an unrelenting wave of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that cloud your ability to think clearly, and most importantly, to experience joy and live fully. Fears may have taken the driver’s seat in your life. It may seem like inner peace and serenity are a gift that only others enjoy and that you, for some elusive reason, cannot seem to find or maintain.

You may try to live life in the most predictable way, carefully monitoring your actions to ensure you minimize the likelihood that something will trigger uncomfortable anxiety symptoms. At the same time, you might be painfully aware of the high price that you are paying—a restricted life, less spontaneity, more worry, and fewer possibilities of freedom, joy, growth, and overall well-being. 

The pervasive effects of paralyzing anxiety can leave you feeling tired and worn down, and you may be more than ready to start a journey toward a life with more ease, both emotionally and physically.

If Anxiety Has Become Your Constant Companion, You Are Certainly Not Alone

Countless individuals struggle with anxiety, either every so often or as a “constant companion.” And understandably so— there are many aspects of life that can trigger anxiety. Life is characterized by change, and even when everything goes well, the realities of endings, losses, illness, and old age, are part and parcel of life.

For many of us, the need to “perform”—be it in our chosen profession, at school, or in sports—can leave us questioning ourselves, our values, and our abilities. We may set unrealistic goals for ourselves at work or at home and feel less confident and more overwhelmed when we fail to meet them. In addition to the pressure to perform that we place on ourselves, millions of people are affected by social anxiety, which severely interferes their ability to feel comfortable and relatively at ease in social situations. A strong need to be in control can also trigger uncomfortable anxiety feelings. From stress and uncertainty to thoughts about the pervasiveness of change and the impermanence of life, there are countless reasons why you may be feeling anxious.

Regardless of the specific kind and quality of your anxiety, it is comforting to know that many individuals, perhaps like yourself, whose lives have been adversely affected by anxiety have found relief and healing by pursuing anxiety treatment. Over time and with the help of an anxiety therapist, you can see significant changes in the way you feel, think, and manage anxiety when it does come up. 

Therapy Can Help You Regain Control Over Your Emotional Life

You may think—this all sounds wonderful, if only it could be done! If this is the case, your reaction is completely understandable. Multiple attempts at managing anxiety with little lasting gain may leave us feeling somewhat skeptical or even afraid of believing again. Even when you feel hesitant or uncertain, it helps knowing that anxiety symptoms tend to lessen when you have a safe space to delve into your feelings of anxiety and all that relates to them in the presence of a therapist trained to facilitate the process of looking inward to find your own answers.

Decades of scientific research show that psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for anxiety. My approach to psychotherapy entails providing a safe space where you feel supported as you freely connect with the parts of yourself or your history that need to be heard, expressed, made sense of, and integrated with the rest of who you are. Being able to speak about difficult feelings, sensations, images, or thoughts that trigger anxiety within the unique framework of therapy can help you feel more in control, decrease painful or distressing physiological reactions, and increase your ability to cope with anxiety-provoking triggers.

As a clinician, I view the therapeutic relationship as the key element of transformation in this unique journey of psychotherapy. The context of the therapeutic relationship aims to provide a secure base, facilitating an honest exploration of your own truths, a process needed for lasting growth and/or change to occur. My passion for helping alleviate the pain and suffering that anxiety can bring, coupled with my experience helping individuals find meaningful, lasting relief give me the confidence to hold a new vision for you while we work toward the fulfillment of your therapeutic goals.

You can see the potential benefits of anxiety counseling, yet you may still have questions…

Isn’t some degree of anxiety normal in today’s day and age? 

Absolutely. For most of us, a certain degree of anxiety is a part of life. It is also true that there are certain life characteristics that may heighten our anxiety, like the many pressures and demands we experience in our day to day life and the competitive environments in which we live and work. In addition, the strong changes that technology has imposed in most of our individual and family lives, and the interpersonal isolation we may experience as a result, can also exacerbate feelings of anxiety.

Yet, if you feel immobilized or constrained by feelings of anxiety, or that some of the joy, spontaneity, and flow has been taken away from your life, counseling offers the possibility of deliberately addressing anxiety-related feelings so they lose the power and strength to control your life.

Why can’t I do it myself? I should be able to!

There are certainly things that you can do yourself to manage anxiety, and I wholeheartedly praise your efforts in this regard. Yet, even if you have invested considerable time and effort learning strategies to effectively manage anxiety, you may still feel there is a gap between where you are and where you want to be. Wanting the support and expertise of a trained professional to help you move toward a life with more ease is in no way a sign of weakness or “failure” on your part. Much to the contrary, your willingness to seek help speaks of your commitment to finding the path that you need to help you get where you want to be.

Do I have an anxiety disorder or am I just an anxious person?

We certainly all have certain predispositions and vulnerabilities. Some of us are more prone to experience anxiety, and we likely all experience anxiety slightly differently. Some may experience anxious thoughts that seem to just “pop up” and are difficult to control. Others feel anxiety more in their body, be it through a tight stomach or a pounding heart. Yet others experience it more through feelings of nervousness, dread, worry, or exhaustion. If anxiety is getting in the way of your living a full life, or if it is affecting your ability to engage or perform at work or home, therapy may be a pathway to resolve distressing thoughts or emotions and work toward a more fulfilling life.

You Can Find Relief

If you are ready to work toward understanding and effectively managing feelings and symptoms of anxiety, please know you don’t need to be alone during this process. Simply schedule a free 20-minute consultation by clicking below. As a psychologist in Weston, I feel honored and passionate every day about the possibility of helping individuals reconnect with their inner wisdom through the work we do together.

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Testimonial

"There are many qualities that make up a good therapist: genuine, approachable, non-judgmental, empathetic, knowledgeable, and an excellent listener. Dr. Perolini possesses all these attributes, along with many others that make her stand out as an exceptional psychologist. Her superior therapeutic skills and keen ability to connect with others are second to none. Her understanding of anxiety, including the different ways it manifests itself in our daily lives, as well as its causes and how to effectively treat it, is particularly noteworthy. The ease Dr. Perolini conveys, through her kind, compassionate manner creates a comfortable, safe space in which successful, effective therapy takes place. She is undoubtedly a gifted clinician that takes pride in the quality of care she provides each one of her clients. It is without reservation that I highly recommend Dr. Perolini to anyone seeking to embark on the rewarding journey of psychotherapy."

- Dr. Caroline Gomez
Licensed Psychologist