Anxiety and worries can be like our worst enemies. They can keep us from falling asleep at night, rob us of the simple pleasures in life, and lead to many other problems, like thinking the worst is going to happen, and feeling quite down and depressed. It can start to seem as though life is an uphill battle, and you may not even remember what it was like to feel calm and peaceful, or simply okay.
Questioning, “What if ….?” And worrying about this, that, or the other thing can make one feel crazy and sick inside. It can lead to stomach aches, headaches, back pain, and even disease.
Part of this has to do with the fact that when we are anxious, nervous, or worrying, we are at Dis-Ease, meaning there is something or some things in life that are causing us to fret and fear. We may recognize there may be a problem, or acknowledge that something may happen, and we get caught up in thinking the worst and dwell on it; especially what we really care about. For some, it may be how others perceive them; for others, it may be worrying about their kids, fear of losing a job, not having enough money, or not finding that soulmate or perfect career. The list could go on and on.
Now that I have you feeling depressed, let me just tell you that it is possible to quiet those worries and anxieties, and actually feel peace and calm despite what you may be feeling now. Recognizing this struggle you have, you probably want relief and to feel better. You may think, “if only there was something I could do, or if only someone could take these anxieties and this worry away, life would be so much better.”
Well, there is. There are plenty of ways to “cope” with anxiety. Some of which you may have tried or heard about. But you probably still feel the same and are unable to shake that constant feeling of tension, and momentary panic that can seem to come out of nowhere. And those thoughts that can seem to plague you.
There’s a good reason for that. You may have an idea of why you’re feeling anxious, worried or fearful, and you’ve most likely noticed that simply because you know why you’re all tied up in knots, it hasn’t gone away. In fact, it may have gotten worse. Or it goes away and then comes back. Obsessive thoughts, thoughts that are unwanted, and constant worrying are three ways this can occur.
Or you may not know yet why you’re worrying so much; you just do. Other signs and symptoms are physical tension, sickness, headaches/migraines, insecurity, and feeling uneasy a lot of the time. If you find yourself wanting to do something, like drinking, overeating/undereating, smoking, doing compulsive behaviors (such as checking), or anything that seems to help you at the moment, to alleviate the anxiety, it’s most likely a direct result of unresolved issues that go a bit deeper than they seem right now.
The reason for that is there are roots, or a core, to these worries that have not been resolved. Picture weeds, and the green sprouts you see, popping out of the ground, represent the worry and anxiety. Our thoughts and feelings underneath that lead to worry, and our underlying patterns are the root cause of it all. Here’s an important thing to know: We cannot resolve these root issues, or underlying patterns, on our own, through rationalizing them, thinking about them more–or even using better-coping skills. Even if we have faith or beliefs that help us “let go” of this anxiety, we never truly resolve the cause of it, which is what would allow us to become completely free of that worrying impulse. Often, after we’ve come to a place of using all the coping skills we have, we feel stuck again, like we’re going to have to just feel and be this way forever. But, I want you to know that you don’t, and your life could be so much better without this anxiety and worry. Whether your anxiety and worries are a minor annoyance or an overwhelming experience, your life can be so much better without them.
So, if you’ve become aware of your tendency to feel anxious and worry, you can now take a step to change that. Otherwise, I hate to break it to you, but you will continue to default into anxiousness without even knowing it, leading you to feel worse and worse–and stuck.
The reason we cannot, on our own, rid ourselves of this anxiety and worry is that the patterns leading to the anxiety are at work within us under our radar, in our subconscious. (I realize this may seem odd to some people, but bear with me here).
This subconscious “stuff” is the culprit of anxiety, fears, and worry. Because some of this stuff–these patterns of thinking and feeling–remain in our minds unprocessed (because it resides in the sub-conscience), these patterns continue to affect our everyday lives, always happening under the surface. But we feel it on the surface in the form of anxiety, depression, worry, fears, etc. What we need is some help to bring it to our awareness so we can process it, otherwise, it remains stuck, unable to be processed.
We simply cannot focus hard enough to figure it out on our own, or talk about it enough, because it is underneath our conscious awareness, lodged in a part of our mind that requires a particular approach to bring it to the surface. What’s so amazing is that there is an approach, something that can be done, do this, and resolve the anxiety and worry, with long-lasting results. It does take someone who’s trained in this approach to help you uncover those patterns–the good news is that it is so effective (as long as it’s done by a qualified and trained EMDR therapist), and works faster than most other therapy approaches, which will save you time and money!
By identifying this underlying “stuff,” or patterns, through the guidance of a therapist trained in EMDR, you have the opportunity to bring it to your awareness, and reprocess it so that it no longer has a negative effect on you, and you can resolve the anxieties and worry. This can lead to a powerful shift in your perspective, freeing you to think and feel differently–and better–and most importantly, to feel normal and peaceful. It can have a profound effect on how you feel about yourself, allowing your relationships to improve as a result. It may sound rather mysterious or scientific, and it is because we are talking about how the brain works. There is so much research to back this up though, and any trained EMDR therapist can explain more of the science behind it if you’re interested.
EMDR, a therapeutic approach that helps us access what’s in our subconscious, and process it to a point of resolution, has been thoroughly researched and shown to be an effective therapeutic approach for stress and anxiety. It’s drug-free, is not hypnosis, and is completely safe and verifiably one of the most effective therapies available. If you’re looking for someone who can help you resolve the anxiety and stress in your life, I’d be happy to help. As an Orange County EMDR Therapist, I am equipped to help you not only feel better and cope with the anxiety but also really resolve it, allowing you to be free of anxiousness and excessive worrying. If you’re struggling with depression, an eating disorder, an addiction, or have experienced trauma in your past, EMDR is very effective for all that as well. This is also very effective for children and adolescents going through a difficult time or transition in life. Resolving these issues can have all sorts of amazing benefits for you and your loved ones.
Don’t you want to feel better and more calm and peaceful in your daily life? Are you curious if this could work for you? If so, I look forward to hearing from you. Click here to schedule an appointment to learn more, or if you are ready to start feeling better and becoming free from anxiety and worry.
