Anxiety Counselling in Kitchener-Waterloo

Anxiety is a distressing and oppressive emotion to experience. The physical symptoms can include sweaty palms, muscle tension, racing heart, and lightheadedness. Anxiety makes people irritable and can interfere with day-to-day functioning. Anxiety counselling has been proven to help people, with anxiety, feel better.

Anxiety Counselling: Anxiety starts as a Natural Response

Anxiety counseling understands that anxiety is part of the "fight, flight, or freeze" responses. The symptoms of anxiety prepare people to react to danger or threat. These responses can be adaptive, or they can be maladaptive. Anxiety counselling also considers the cognitive aspect to anxiety. Anxiety is caused when a person perceives a threat, danger, or vulnerability. A history of experiencing threats or danger can instill this perception in a person.

Anxiety Counselling: Identifying Thoughts the Influence Anxiety

Anxiety counselling operates on the premise that anxiety is largely influenced by thinking. Anxiety counselling understands that thoughts connected with anxiety are usually about the future and some impending catastrophe. People can have images of danger when boarding an airplane, while others can see disastrous results in a close relationship. Anxiety counselling understands that a person who experiences anxiety in a relationship likely worries about being judged, rejected, or embarrassed. Anxiety counselling understands that the thoughts influencing anxiety are usually future orientated and involve feelings of a catastrophe. For instance, a person who worries in a relationship might think, "What if I get hurt, or “What if I’m rejected?"

Anxiety Counselling: Changing Thoughts that Influence Anxiety

A large part of anxiety counseling involves cognitive restructuring. Anxiety can be decreased by reducing the view of danger or increasing a person's confidence in the ability to cope with the situation or threat.  Anxiety counselling helps a person examine their thinking to discover the evidence for and against the danger and to find more realistic thinking. Anxiety counselling involves the use of CBT counseling.

Anxiety Counselling: Finding ways to Stay in Anxious Situations

Anxiety counseling also involves relaxation training, which includes progressive muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, imagery, and distraction. In addition, anxiety counseling involves overcoming avoidance. People who are anxious often avoid situations which trigger or increase anxiety. Avoidance can make with anxiety worse, and part of anxiety counseling is to be able to manage in these anxiety provoking situations. 

Anxiety Counselling: Helping Panic Attacks

Panic is a more serious form of anxiety. Anxiety counseling understands panic as extreme anxiety accompanied by catastrophic views of a physical or mental sensation such as "I'm having a heart attack" or "I'm losing my mind”. Anxiety counselling will help people with panic attacks. 
Ryan is also an Anti-Bullying Motivational Speaker - presentations to inspire students to stand up against bullying in schools, as well as a Guest Speaker for a variety of other topics. He travels any distance but will speak in Kitchener, Guelph, Hamilton, London, Toronto, Mississauga, Barrie, Markham, St. Catharines, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Stratford, Owen Sound, Oshawa, Ottawa, Windsor, Kingston, New Market.