Rona Okin, LCSW · Psychotherapist · NYC
When experiencing anxiety you may feel as if your skin is crawling. Most of us would do just about anything to avoid that unpleasant sensation. However, some of the things people do to try to squelch anxiety may create more problems. Drinking, drug use, overeating and/or avoidance of things that trigger anxiety may bring short-term relief but long-term woes such as chemical dependency, overweight and/or failure to advance in life and relationships.
Symptoms
Let’s take a look at some of the aspects and symptoms of anxiety:
- anxious feelings
- depression
- stress
- insomnia
- fatigue
- headaches
- anger
- irritability
- nervousness
- confusion
- agitation
- restlessness
- phobias
- pain
- fear
- guilt
Of course, you may not experience all of these — But even a few can make life feel miserable and out of control and cause interference with your satisfaction in life, social relationships and functioning on the job. Unchecked, anxiety is debilitating.
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms accompanying anxiety may include heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches. (Be sure to check with your physician to ensure that these symptoms do not have a basis in physical illness.)
Blood pressure and heart rate increase, as does sweating, blood flow to the major muscle groups, and inhibition of immune and digestive system functions. The fight, flight or freeze response may kick in — preparing you to deal with perceived or actual threats. You may experience anxiety as a general sense of dread or panic.
Other Kinds of Anxiety Issues I Work With
- Generalized anxiety disorder – Free-floating anxiety that feels like it’s coming out of nowhere and everywhere. Sometimes it’s hard for the person experiencing it to tell what it’s connected to.
- Panic disorder and Phobias
- Agoraphobia – People suffering from agoraphobia may lead very narrow lifestyles, preferring to stay in familiar surroundings and rarely venturing out. Shopping, visits to the doctor — even coming to therapy — may feel impossible.
- Social anxiety disorder – Feeling clumsy, having trouble with small talk in social situations, and letting fear of embarrassment or humiliation cause avoidance of triggering situations.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder – Can manifest from mild to severe including obsessive thoughts and repetitive rituals that feel mandatory.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – A normal response to abnormal situations frequently involving accidents, crime victimization (including abuse) and combat experiences. PTSD causes a variety of troubling symptoms and can have a mild to severe impact.
Sometimes people with anxiety are also dealing with symptoms of depression. Frequently, symptoms of anxiety and depression feed on each other. Psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be beneficial for both anxiety and depression.
Psychotherapy for Anxiety in NYC: How I Can Help
Psychotherapy treatment offers a positive path to resolution of the issues that contribute to anxiety. As an empathic witness I will guide you to discover solutions that you never before realized were possible. There is hope for relief to the feeling of stress, anxiety, burden and overwhelm.
Take Action – Call 212-734-6546
Call to schedule a time to meet with me at my therapy office on New York City’s Upper East Side.
We’ll talk and you’ll begin to get the support and help you’ve been needing to begin to calm your anxieties and live a more fulfilling and happy life. I look forward to hearing from you.