Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Buffalo Grove, IL.

Anxiety and stress can keep you locked up from living your life fully. Often anxiety can be biochemical in nature or can result from ongoing stress, lack of balance or unresolved issues. Christians can struggle with these issues and often feel quite guilty in knowing that they shouldn't worry or have fear. In therapy we will carefully assess these issues in a loving, grace based manner so that you can be free from debilitating anxiety and stress.

Anxiety can be like a feedback loop that repeatedly criticizes you. It can show up as irritability and feeling like you’re on edge all the time. It can present as panic and you feel like you’ll never stop feeling anxious. Maybe you feel anxious about so many different things and you even feel anxious about feeling anxious. With anxiety, my approach is to first listen and create a safe space to express all this energy. We will also examine the thoughts that can increase our anxiety and practice reframing them. We will build a “coping skills toolkit”, as I like to say, to help you navigate when you feel anxious. You don’t need to be “fixed”. It’s okay to struggle. Let’s work on managing it.

Anxiety is a physiological response that occurs in several body systems. Stress may be one contributing cause. But there are so many others including undiscovered medical issues, unproductive thought processes, the use of stimulants, and co-occurring mental health issues. Once we identify anxiety's origin, we can draft a useful treatment plan and address the problem. And depending upon the anxiety's origin, our approach will vary. It's a cognitive-behavioral, reality based, solution-focused process that takes some time, but the results are worth the process.

Similar in approach to the treatment of depression, I take a holistic approach to the treatment of anxiety and stress disorders. I seek to restore function and break the momentum cause by ineffective habits that were created as a knee-jerk way of responding to anxiety symptoms. The instinct to try to control our emotional experience is strong and understandable, but often creates difficulties that make anxiety symptoms more entrenched and difficult to treat. Learning techniques of relaxation and mindfulness are instrumental in the effective treatment of anxiety symptoms and regaining the kind of balance lost in the unrestrained experience of anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety and fear comes in many forms yet stems from living a life in the future not the present. Walking through what the fear might be helps the client become strong face what life in the present has in store for them. Focusing not he here and now eliminates many fears and anxieties. Understanding if brain chemistry is playing a significant role in the intense sometimes out of control emotions will need to be determined before effective psychotherapy can be utilized.

Our best approach on anxiety and stress counseling include teaching mindfulness techniques, cognitive restructuring strategies, and relaxation practices to help individuals identify and manage their anxious thoughts and physical sensations in the present moment. We also address the underlying triggers and beliefs contributing to their anxiety which involves deep breathing exercises, grounding techniques, and exploring cognitive distortions to challenge negative thought patterns.

Does your child seem more anxious or stressed than normal? I work with youth aged 3-25 who are experiencing some level of anxiety, or experiencing some level of stress. This may include homework stress, behavioral issues, self-harm, sexting, tantrums and arguing/talking back. I can support parents in different techniques, because even good parents need extra support at times. Kids don't come with owner's manuals, and we tend to default to our own family's dynamics as parents. Simple changes can have a significant effect on your child's behaviors. I also help youth identify their feelings and make better choices. Don't hesitate to call for a free phone consultation!

Today's world brings many stressors into our lives. I would encourage the individual to discuss their stressors, and assist them in learning positive coping strategies. Sometimes it is difficult to make these changes after years of habits, but I would stress the benefits of change. I would encourage the individual not to have such impossible standards for their behavior, which often leads to stress and anxiety. I have found that many individuals who are supportive of their friends often over extend themselves, so I would also encourage healthy boundaries.

I work with anxiety and stress using a cognitive behavioral approach. The goal is to help the client learn that they can manage their anxiety and stress. This is done through gaining insight into their perception and thinking around the circumstances causing them stress. We also work to help them reduce the anxiety through physical activity including exercise and relaxation. Combining the thought process with the physical component work well in reducing anxiety and stress.

While most treatment approaches for anxiety and stress are effective on the surface, they don’t treat the real problem. Mantras, deep breathing, and rational dialogues about your fear being irrational rarely work---for most people don’t believe it or you! Imagine if you can trick the brain into changing without you telling your conscious mind that you are changing it? Problem with anxiety and stress is that the brain in this state knows you want to change it and it resists. Contact Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com for the ultimate stress and anxiety solution that will literally change your brain's autonomic nervous system patterns while you sit on your butt. 877-606-6161.

Anxiety is what we feel when we worry too much about the future or overthink events from the past in the present moment. It's a physiological experience that can feel overwhelming, even frightening at times, it can prevent us from making good decisions or prevent us from making any decisions at all! Fortunately anxiety is treatable, in many case without medication. I will help you understand anxiety and provide you with tools and strategies you can use to begin to free your mind. Within a few sessions, most clients are able to think more clearly and make better decisions. They feel more at ease and relaxed to do the things they'd like to do to lead a happier life.

Anxiety and Stress (and Phobias) are common and can be treated with many tools. We can examine the source of your stress or anxiety, determine how it plays itself out in your day-to-day life, and develop very specific, customized strategies for your unique situation and issues. For example, with Fear of Flying - we can use printed material, homework assignments, educational information/teaching approaches, hypnosis.

Worry is a normal reaction to everyday stress and traumatic life events. Some ways of coping will reduce your discomfort. However, you may be one of the millions who experience anxiety to such a degree that it impairs your functioning at home, work or school. Left unchecked, anxiety will affect your overall quality of life. CBT, Mindfulness, and Exposure Therapy are proven methods for dealing social or performance anxiety, nightmares and sleep fears, intrusive negative thoughts, or OCD. Kari can assist you, your child or adolescent, in controlling anxiety and achieving relief from the mental and physical symptoms that can be debilitating.