Anxiety Therapy and Counseling in Austin TX
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the U.S., affecting around 18% of the population prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with that number increasing over the past year.
Around 31% of the population will experience an anxiety disorder at least once in their life. Our team at Autonomy Therapy is here to help.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stressful, dangerous, challenging, exciting, or new situations. It is commonly characterized by apprehension, worry, or intense fear. Though anxiety can be a healthy human emotion that helps us stay alert and aware (and can even motivate us), persistent anxiety can affect your quality of life and stand in the way of reaching your goals.
Anxiety encompasses a range of issues including generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. If you are experiencing anxiety, you are not alone, and our clinicians at Autonomy Therapy are here to support you.
Anxiety Therapy in Austin TX
What are some of the symptoms of anxiety?
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
- Excessive worry
- Feeling nervous or fearful
- Feeling tension in your body
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Anxiety attacks or panic attacks
- Sleep problems
- A rapid heart rate
- Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty making decisions
- Social withdrawal
- Trembling or shaking
- Nausea or digestive issues
- Dizziness
- Feeling overheated or too cold
- Sweating
- Racing or spiraling thoughts
- Avoiding situations that trigger anxiety
- Absenteeism from work or school
- Difficulty relaxing
Anxiety Counseling in Austin TX
Other Types of Anxiety
SOCIAL ANXIETY
- Fear of being judged or rejected
- Fear of offending others
- Feeling embarrassed, awkward, or self-conscious around others
- Having physical reactions like sweating, rapid heart rate, trembling, or nausea when in front of others
- Avoidance of social situations
PANIC DISORDER
- Sudden bursts of feeling of impending doom or overwhelming anxiety
- Can feel like a heart attack
- Sweating, tingling or numbness, dizziness, racing heart, labored breathing, chest pain, stomach pain
- A feeling of being out of control during an attack
- Avoidance of places where panic attacks may have occurred in the past
SPECIFIC PHOBIAS
What causes anxiety and how can it affect my life?
Many factors can contribute to anxiety including personality, social expectations, a challenging work environment, high levels of stress, genetic predisposition, perfectionism, interpersonal stress, issues at home, health or the health of loved ones, discrimination, and traumatic life experiences like natural disasters, abuse, or accidents.
Anxiety not only affects mental well-being but can also affect physical health. Persistent anxiety can lead to difficulties at work and at school and can impact interpersonal relationships. Anxiety can also lead to missed opportunities or a fear of missing out on events due to low self-esteem and diminished self-confidence.
How can therapy for anxiety in Austin, TX help?
Therapy can help you develop an awareness of your triggers and how your body and mind react to anxiety. Your therapist will help you identify the source of your anxiety and will sit with you as feelings of anxiety arise. Your therapist will help you uncover what thoughts come up when you’re feeling anxious and will help you challenge them so that you feel some control over a feeling that often leads you to feel out of control.
Our therapists value forming a mind-body connection that allows for self-acceptance and mindfulness in the face of anxiety. From there, together you will work to develop coping strategies for managing and preventing anxiety.
Begin Anxiety Therapy in Austin, TX
- Fill out a CONSULTATION FORM to tell us a little about you.
- You’ll be connected to one of our caring therapists.
- Learn to manage your anxiety for good with Autonomy Therapy!
Learn More About Anxiety on Our Blog:
Our Approach To Accessible Eating Disorder Therapy In Texas
Written by TIFFANY LEPA, NCC, LPC-ASSOCIATE Eating disorders can affect anyone. They don’t discriminate based on region or identity, yet accessible eating disorder therapy is not readily available everywhere. Finding a therapist who specializes in eating disorders can...
The Benefits Of Seeking Therapy Without Insurance
Written by TIFFANY LEPA, NCC, LPC-ASSOCIATE If you have been searching for a therapist or thinking about starting therapy, you have probably noticed the difficulty of finding someone in-network with your insurance provider who isn’t already full or who doesn’t have a...
Fostering Faith In Yourself: Healing From Religious Trauma
Written by TIFFANY LEPA, NCC, LPC-ASSOCIATE While religion and spirituality can be helpful components in one’s mental health and wellbeing, experiencing trauma within a religious or spiritual community can be detrimental to one’s mental health, self-concept, and...