Therapy for Anxiety & Stress
Is anxiety interfering with your life and happiness?
In today’s world, anxiety is rampant.
And exhausting! Navigating young adulthood brings a host of internal and external pressures: to figure out who we are and what we want, to succeed at work or school, to find the right partner, to keep up with our social circles, and more. And when we’re constantly on the go, that pressure and uncertainty teaches us to push down or avoid that anxiety, stress, and other uncomfortable feelings. Who has time to deal with all that?
Because we live in such a fast-paced, high-pressure world that is (fortunately!) starting to normalize the mental health and emotional struggles that come with it, we hear words like ‘anxiety’ and ‘stress’ so frequently that they can start to feel unclear, vague, and even overused. When it’s hard to know or sit with exactly what we’re feeling, we tend to more broadly label our emotional experiences as ‘overwhelming,’ ‘stressful, or ‘anxiety-inducing’, making it hard to know when the right time is to get support.
While mild anxiety now and then is a universal human emotion, heightened anxiety can be an indication that something is wrong or out of balance in your life. At times, there is a clear explanation for what is triggering your worries (i.e. big life changes, public speaking, performance anxiety, financial concerns). But at other times, anxiety can feel unexplained and/or constant, which may leave you feeling confused and even more unsettled. Fortunately, adult anxiety counseling can help you clarify the sources of your anxiety and learn effective methods for alleviating your pain.
If you’re feeling a little “stressy & depressy” or unsure if this is just “how you are” because it’s hard to remember life without anxiety, it can be easy to dismiss the warning signs our body and brain are trying to send you that something is off. These signs all point to the fact that we need to slow down, tune into our emotions, and work to find the best way to cope and allow those emotions to exist. Learning to manage your anxiety and feel in control of your life and feelings again is possible!
Common Signs of Anxiety and Stress
Physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, upset stomach, muscle tension, tingling, racing heart, trouble breathing, headaches, sleep or appetite issues, fatigue, sweating, and trembling
Excessive or exaggerated worrying
Racing, illogical, or obsessive thoughts
Persistent self-doubt
Negative thought patterns such as perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and fixating on what-ifs
Overwhelming fear of judgment, criticism, rejection, or abandonment from others
Hyper-awareness of others’ moods or a tendency to take on others’ emotions
Difficulty setting boundaries, saying no, or straight up people-pleasing!
Signs your anxiety or stress might be trying to tell you something:
Spacing or numbing out for long periods of time
Procrastinating on tasks
Avoiding situations that bring up potential conflict or the actual stressor itself
Being overly polite and agreeable
Feeling easily irritated or ‘set off’ by minor inconveniences or misunderstandings
Holding strict unspoken rules for how you do things
Binging on self-soothing skills like TV, video games, social media doom-scrolling, comfort foods, or emotionally dumping on friends
Good News, Therapy for Anxiety and Stress Can Help!
When anxiety or stress feels too overwhelming or uncomfortable to face, we become skilled at avoiding or ignoring the feelings until they get out of control. Therapy for anxiety can open the door to accepting and learning how to cope with and manage these real, raw emotions. We are here to help you break through the patterns of avoidance and internal resistance that tell you:
“I don’t want to burden anyone else with my insignificant problems.”
“It can’t be that bad if everyone is experiencing it, too.”
“This is just the way I am; I’ll learn to deal with it.”
If you are feeling it, it is real! Full stop.
You Don’t Have to Handle Anxiety and Stress Alone
Have you ever wished for someone to listen to you – really listen – without trying to fix it or interject their own opinions, and give you the reassurance that what you have experienced is actually really difficult? That is where our anxiety therapists at The Sterling Group come in. Nonjudgmental, authentic listening; an opportunity for you to be truly seen and heard. We listen, we create space for your pain, and then guide you toward new options and tangible steps to overcome that pain.
We hear too often, from others and even our own self-talk, to just “try not to worry about it,” “you have a good life; what’s there to stress about?,” or the classic “pull yourself up from your bootstraps” mentality. These responses, while well-intentioned, are at best, a quick fix attempt and at worst, a dismissal of your complex, vulnerable emotions. Therapy for anxiety teaches you a completely different set of tools to get to the root fear driving your emotional experience. It is possible to learn new ways of dealing with life’s stress and anxiety so that you feel back in the driver’s seat!
The Sterling Group’s Approach to Anxiety & Stress Treatment
Our anxiety therapists use an eclectic and individualized approach and will work with you to create a solutions-focused plan that best suits your specific needs. Our goal is to help you understand the underlying core beliefs and unhelpful thought patterns that are keeping you stuck and making the anxiety worse, so that you can unlearn and replace them with patterns of thinking and coping that feel healthy, productive, and empowering.
We work from models such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Psychodynamic Therapy. All to say, we want to partner with you, teach you the skills to conquer that anxiety, and allow you to feel more confident and self-empowered.
Begin Therapy for Anxiety and Stress in Washington, DC and Virginia
You don’t have to continue letting anxiety and stress take away your joy. The Sterling Group can help you uncover and unlearn the patterns that have crept in and put your life into overwhelm. We will help you take back your life and start living it more joyfully and authentically. Get started with these steps:
Schedule a consultation with us using our contact form.
Meet with one of our skilled, anxiety therapists.
Start living a life with more joy!
Other Services at The Sterling Group
Our skilled therapists offer a range of services if therapy for anxiety is not what you’re needing. If you’re looking for support on an individual level, we offer Individual Therapy and Executive Function Support, as well as EMDR Therapy and IFS Therapy. We also offer Couples Therapy for those that are looking to grow in their relationships. Additionally, our therapists offer services online or in-person in Washington, DC, and Online Therapy in Virginia to cater to your schedule and make it as easy as possible for you to prioritize your healing. We would love to chat with you today about the ways we can support your growth in all areas of life!