Anxiety and Depression

Feel like you can’t go on like this much longer?

The moment you open your eyes, a sense of dread falls over you. The idea of getting out of bed, let alone going to work, is daunting.

You manage to get into the shower, and the thoughts are already there, racing around in your head.

That email from your boss that sort of sounded like he was disappointed with your performance, but you’re not sure, so you’ve been ruminating on it for two days.

Your best friend has not replying to your text message for 8.25 hours, which is WAY too long for her. Is she mad??

You’re wondering if he’s really into you or if he’s still on the app where you met talking to other people.

Threat and danger lurk everywhere.

You let the hot water run over the tension in your body and heaviness in your chest. But you know it won‘t take long before the tightness creeps back in.

The presentation you have to give today at work feels like an appointment with an executioner.

Your date last Friday was a self-inflicted roast with all of the negative things you said about yourself all night.

You could have a million dollars in your savings account, and it still wouldn‘t be enough to feel “safe.” (In fact, you‘re not sure you would know what “safe” felt like if it smacked you in the face.)

Making matters even worse…

… is your self-judgment for thinking and feeling the way you do and not knowing how to change it.

Friends and family are constantly saying, “Stop thinking like that!” or “Quit talking about yourself that way!”

You want to stop… but how?

Do you even know why you‘re torturing yourself?

Anxiety, and its twin, depression, are important messengers. Your anxious thoughts and subsequent feelings of depression are desperately trying to tell you something.

They show up to protect you from future pain.

This might seem strange since anxiety and depression themselves are causing you pain, but anxiety thinks it‘s better for you to feel anxious and sad than to feel the terrible things it is trying to prevent you from feeling…

… like abandonment, rejection, humiliation, or even death.

Anxiety and depression form a “safety response.” They show us where we have been wounded and essentially act on our behalf because they don‘t think we‘re capable of keeping ourselves safe.

But you desperately want relief from the stress and sadness.

I know… and it’s possible. There is a way out!

I can help you make sense of the messages coming from your anxiety.

Anxiety is the physical manifestation of fear. Depression is often a manifestation of unresolved past trauma.

In some cases, your brain has difficulty telling the difference between the past and the present. In other situations, your brain and body are very aware that things need to change in your life. It is essential to tell the difference between these types of responses.

Through mindfulness and the somatic (body) approach, I will teach you to identify what message you are receiving. We will work collaboratively to determine your best next steps to resolve these concerns.

We‘ll filter out the extreme beliefs (and lies) your anxiety and depression are telling you…

Anxiety and depression are really good at making you believe things that are simply not true, but they FEEL true.

I will help you identify how the 10 Unhelpful Thinking Styles of anxiety and depression run amock in your mind.

You are very familiar with them, even if this is the first time you are hearing them be identified.

Ever find yourself thinking about a bad day at work, and ten seconds later, you‘re imagining yourself unemployed and homeless on the side of the road? Catastrophic Thinking.

Have you ever blamed yourself for something totally unrelated to you, like your neighbor‘s grandmother‘s cat running away? Blame Attribution.

Do you frequently think about what other people might think or feel about you? Mind Reading

We will identify exactly how these thoughts are showing up in your life and how to replace them with more balanced and honest thinking.

We‘ll transform the narratives that inform your thoughts.

This is the key to getting lasting relief from the emotional and physical toll anxiety and depression have on you and your body.

Thoughts are manifestations of underlying, unconscious core beliefs. We will use your negative thoughts as guides to uncover the hidden beliefs of fear, shame, and blame that are dictating far too much of your day-to-day life.

It doesn‘t have to be this way.

It makes sense to wonder if what you‘re going through can get better.

But you‘re here now. You want relief, and I am here to help.

Take that first step toward liberation by calling me today: (407) 885-6151.