Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at times. It’s a feeling of fear or worry about what might happen. The key to managing anxiety is to understand what triggers it and to find healthy coping mechanisms.

 

Anxiety disorders are different, however. They are a type of mental health struggle that can cause people to feel excessive or prolonged anxiety, even when there is no real reason to be afraid, or when their fears don't match the situation. For people with anxiety disorders, the anxiety does not go away and can worsen over time. It can interfere with their daily lives, making it difficult to work, go to school, or even leave the house. Anxiety can also manifest in other various ways, such as feeling constantly on edge, experiencing panic attacks, or avoiding situations that trigger anxiety altogether.

This is a pretty common experience. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health says that around 31.1% of American adults experience an anxiety disorder at some point.

Luckily, there are ways to get help if you're struggling with anxiety. At Austin Counseling and Nutrition, we offer things like cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is a way to retrain your brain and learn to cope with those anxious feelings. We might also try something called exposure therapy, where we help you face those anxiety-inducing situations slowly and safely until you feel more at ease with them. Our therapists also use a variety of other counseling methods to help clients cope with anxiety, including DBT, IFS, EMDR, and attachment work. The goal is to help our clients learn to manage their anxiety symptoms in order to live happier and fuller lives.

So, if you're dealing with anxiety, don't worry. You're not alone, and there are people out there who can help. Our team of Austin, Texas therapists is here to support you and help you find the treatment that's right for you.