Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Haledon, NJ.

Anxiety shows up in many forms -- difficulties concentrating, procrastination, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, self-consciousness, panic, and phobias, to name a few. Underneath these and other symptoms, are deep fears and insecurities. I will help you get in touch with these feelings, along with the entrenched negative beliefs accompanying them and their sources in your early life. I will also teach you calming techniques to decrease anxiety and worry in the moment. These practices might include grounding exercises, mindfulness meditation, perspective taking, and/or reality testing, depending on what works for you.

Anxiety can take many forms, including excessive stress, low self-esteem, panic attacks, phobias and compulsions. When fear or anxiety is experienced on a daily basis it can become so familiar that it goes un-noticed until problems arise that grab our attention. These can include health problems, insomnia or feeling stuck in bad relationships. Addressing anxiety can free up your energy and enjoyment, and give you back your life.

Research has found therapy to be a safe and effective way to help manage stress and anxiety. Together we will look for patterns in how your mind works. You will learn about skills and coping tools that will help you manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We will identify what triggers your anxiety and how to create lifestyle changes and daily habits that can help lower your anxiety. My goal is for you to get better and therapy to be temporary. The skills you will learn in our sessions will give you healthy coping strategies that you can use on your own.

Anxiety therapy is the first line of treatment for unhealthy anxiety. Your therapist can support you to put your mind at ease, recognize and address the patterns that may contribute to your symptoms. Anxiety therapy sessions can also help you identify coping mechanisms to manage anxiety and reclaim your life. You may feel uncomfortable or even anxious about going to therapy. You may think, “this will probably pass… maybe I should just push through it, and things will get better.” Rest assured that you are not alone. Many people have been there. But you don’t have to wait for your anxiety symptoms to get worse or to affect other areas of your life to seek help. We are here to help.

Anxiety is a feeling that we experience at some point in our life. It’s that feeling of intense nervousness and fear that translate into physical symptoms. For some, the experience occurs more frequently with more severity and can go from occurring periodically to an everyday feeling. It can take a toll on your daily life ranging from your health, outlook on life to how you function socially. You will learn where your feelings of anxiety are stemming from and why they are so persistent. You will also become aware of how your physical and emotional symptoms not only connect, but how they trigger one another. Becoming complacent with anxiety shouldn't be a norm. Let's find your happiness.

While we all live with some degree of anxiety and stress in our lives, there are times when the anxiety and stress levels overwhelm us and our usual ways of coping no longer work. When overwhelmed by stress an anxiety, it is not uncommon to shut down, engage in poor decision making or partake in destructive escape routes. I help clients gain perspective, problem-solve, and find ways to increase support during times of extreme stress, anxiety, loss and disappointment. Clients with whom I work with on issues of anxiety and stress report feeling more hopeful, more capable, reassured and better able to tackle life's challenges and disappointments.

Anxiety and stress are are essential to a productive life. However, like fuel in a car. Too little or too much can cause you to stall or damage your engine. Often the things we worry about are fantasies (or nightmares) about the future. Therapy for anxiety and stress often begin with developing mindfulness based practices. These practices will help you to non-judgmentally accept the present moment, find compassion for yourself and others, and learn techniques to cope with and tolerate distress and emotional overwhelm.