anxiety therapist san diego

ANXIETY THERAPY SD

If you experience anxiety firsthand, you know how exhausting it can be. You’re plagued with physical symptoms like a racing heart and upset stomach, and you’re bombarded with worry about every little thing. You deserve support in making lasting change so you can live a more peaceful life. Working with an anxiety therapist in San Diego can help you get there.

Anxiety grows stronger the more we try to avoid it. For example, try NOT to think about a pink elephant. The more we try to avoid something in our mind, the bigger and more all-consuming it can become. 

While it may feel counterintuitive, turning toward our anxiety can help in the long run. We understand if this sounds totally overwhelming–that's why we're here to help. We can support you with evidence-based strategies to develop a new relationship with anxiety, one that gets you back in the driver’s seat of your life.

We'd be honored to serve as your guide as you work toward a calmer, more grounded way of being in the world. Our San Diego therapists help people like you learn how to reach their goals, learn tools to cope, and live a life aligned with their values. In therapy, you'll learn to see anxiety as a part of your experience as a human, instead of something that defines you.

If you're ready to take care of your mental health, we're ready to meet you with warmth and compassion. Reach out to our team of San Diego therapists to schedule your complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to get started.

Our therapists are here to meet you with compassion, kindness, and curiosity. Our goal is to make therapy a safe space for you to heal from your traumatic birth, take care of your mental health, and feel like yourself again.

We know that reaching out for support can be extremely difficult. Our team is available for complimentary 15-minute phone consultations to address any questions or concerns you have about starting therapy. We encourage you to connect with us to start making meaningful change today.

anxiety concerns

anxiety concerns

how do I know if I have an anxiety disorder?

It's normal to feel stressed about some things in life. For example, it makes sense to feel anxious about having a fight with someone in your personal life or before a big presentation at work. These are things that most people could feel nervous about.

However, if you experience chronic stress and constant worrying, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety makes it difficult to live your everyday life without intense physical, mental, and emotional symptoms.

Anxiety can also come and go. If you're going through a particularly stressful period in life, you may notice an increase in your symptoms. Other people experience anxiety as a steady buzz in the background of their daily life. Everyone's experience with anxiety is slightly different.

symptoms of an anxiety disorder

People with anxiety disorders often struggle with a variety of symptoms that range from worst-case scenario thoughts to sleep problems. Your therapist will help you determine whether or not you have an anxiety disorder. In the meantime, here are a few more telltale anxiety symptoms.

EXCESSIVE WORRY

Constant worry is one of the hallmark signs of an anxiety disorder. Your mind may dwell on the past, replaying scenarios over and over to figure out what you can do differently next time. On the other hand, you might also obsess over the future, trying to anticipate potential problems.

TROUBLE RELAXING

Many people with anxiety have difficulty relaxing. It's hard to stay calm when your mind is constantly racing. This can also translate to physical symptoms such as fidgeting and trouble sitting still.

RAPID HEARTBEAT

A pounding heart is another common physical symptom of anxiety. It's important to work with your primary care provider in order to rule out any medical issues, though it's widely known that anxiety can cause your heart to race.

MUSCLE TENSION

Tense, sore muscles are one way that anxiety shows up in our bodies. When your brain is always scanning for a potential threat, your body is tensed and ready to fight or run in order to keep you safe. This can lead to tight muscles over time.

our approach to anxiety therapy in san diego ca

We believe that a strong therapeutic relationship is the basis of anxiety treatment. We prioritize getting to know each and every client individually so we can form a relationship where you feel heard, seen, and accepted.Anxiety can make you feel overwhelmed and out of control. In our practice, we empower clients to regain agency in their own lives. Instead of telling you what to do, we listen to your own understanding of what you need. From here, we'll offer support, guidance, and suggestions.

Our approach to anxiety treatment involves working together to uncover and expand upon your existing strengths. We also help you explore new coping skills to add to your toolkit. Combining these approaches helps you accomplish meaningful change within your everyday life. Because we value the connection between therapist and client, we offer complimentary 15-minute phone consultations. This will help us get a sense of whether we'll be a good fit for each other. Reach out today to connect with one of our San Diego CA therapists and learn more about how we treat anxiety.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS WE TREAT

Our San Diego CA mental health therapists have experience helping people with many different types of anxiety. It's okay if you're not sure exactly what kind of anxiety you're experiencing--these are a few examples of the anxiety disorders we can treat.

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

People with generalized anxiety disorder experience frequent worry about many things in different areas of one’s life. You might have trouble relaxing or difficulty sleeping, or even experience physical symptoms like muscle tension or stomach problems.

SOCIAL ANXIETY

Social anxiety impacts your ability to interact with others. People with social anxiety have an intense fear of being watched or judged in social interactions. These feelings can be especially intense when meeting new people or entering new environments.

PANIC DISORDER & PANIC ATTACKS

Panic attacks are episodes of intense fear that seem to come out of nowhere. People with panic disorder usually experience physical symptoms during these episodes, like racing heart and dizziness.

POSTPARTUM ANXIETY

While it's normal to experience some stress as a new parent, excessive worrying can be a sign of postpartum anxiety. The worry can be debilitating, even impacting your self esteem and making you question whether you're doing a good job parenting.

methods we use for anxiety management in san diego

Our team of San Diego CA therapists will collaborate with you to decide what treatment methods best suit your needs and goals. Here are a few examples of the types of techniques that may be part of your anxiety treatment.

  • Acceptance and commitment therapy helps you embrace anxiety as part of you rather than an all-consuming force that takes over your life. It empowers you to take steps toward the things that are important to you, rather than letting anxiety hold you back from the life you want–and deserve.

  • Whether we realize it or not, we all have stories about ourselves, our challenges, and even our strengths. Narrative therapy can help you understand your own stories and where they might come from. From there, we can work to create new narratives that feel more helpful.

  • Also known as IFS, internal family systems therapy helps us embrace the different parts of ourselves. We often notice the different parts of ourselves when they are in conflict: for example, when one part of us wants to try something new while another part of us feels scared. In IFS, you’ll learn to embrace and integrate all of your parts.

  • As the name suggests, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on cognitions (thoughts) and behaviors (actions). People with anxiety often experience unhelpful worry thoughts, and cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to help shift those thoughts.

  • We're firm believers that you have the inner tools and wisdom to help you through any difficult situation. Taking a strengths based approach helps us identify the steps you have already taken to help manage your anxiety and build upon those in new ways. This can also help build your self esteem and reconnect you with how resilient you truly are.

COPING SKILLS YOU'LL LEARN THROUGH ANXIETY THERAPY IN SD

Our San Diego CA therapists will help you grow your arsenal of coping skills to help you manage and reduce feelings of anxiety. While your anxiety treatment will be customized based on your needs and strengths, these are a few skills that are commonly used to help treat anxiety.

STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Experiencing stress is different from having an anxiety disorder. However, managing your stress can have an impact on your anxiety level. Our San Diego therapists can support you in developing evidence based stress management tools to protect you from burnout.

We can help you with reclaiming restorative rest in your busy life, developing realistic self-care habits, and finding joy amidst the chaos of parenthood. Stress management techniques like regular sleep, physical exercise, and spending time outdoors can also help reduce your anxiety.

complete the stress cycle

When we’re in a stressful situation, our fight or flight response kicks in. When we choose flight (consciously or unconsciously), we avoid the feelings of stress and anxiety. While this is an understandable reaction to tough emotions, we deprive ourselves of any kind of resolution. 

We can complete the stress cycle by soothing our feelings rather than avoiding them. Try talking to a friend or going for a walk to give your feelings space rather than pushing them away.

set boundaries

Setting boundaries can be difficult. Maybe you struggle to say no to friends, or can’t seem to give yourself the work-life balance you crave. However, giving away too much of our time, energy, or attention can be a major drain on our internal resources. Being intentional with your capacity by setting boundaries can help you redirect those resources to your mental health.

other relaxation techniques

You and your therapist may also explore other relaxation techniques to see what works best for you. Grounding strategies like deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness techniques, and meditation are all examples of strategies that you may learn in anxiety therapy.

faqs about san diego anxiety counseling

Starting therapy is a big step, especially if this is your first time. We've done our best to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about anxiety therapy. However, if you still have questions, we encourage you to reach out to speak with our San Diego therapists directly.

  • Everyone's experience in therapy is different, so it's hard to say exactly how long therapy will take. We believe in collaborating with you to come up with a treatment plan that's best suited to your unique situation.

    With that being said, many people notice small improvements with just a few sessions. The relief of reaching out for help can even be enough to help people begin to feel better. Meaningful change often takes time to build, but we'll be here with you every step of the way.

  • Our practice offers online therapy exclusively, so you don't have to be in san diego to connect with us. Virtual sessions are available to people all over the state of california, without having to commute to our san diego office.

    Our online therapy sessions are held via a secure, hipaa-compliant platform to ensure that your information stays confidential. Many people enjoy virtual sessions so they can access therapy from the comfort of their own home.

anxiety THERAPY IN SAN DIEGO

Our team of therapists are here to lend a compassionate listening ear and offer evidence-based strategies to support you in processing your anxiety and feeling present again. We'd be honored to navigate this journey with you, and we're looking forward to hearing from you. Reach out today to get started.