Online Therapy for Anxiety: Exploring Your Anxiety Profile
Anxiety can show up at any stage of life including major life milestones like getting a new job, getting married, buying a home, or having a baby to name a few. It can also feel like it comes out of nowhere or like it’s always just around the corner ready to ruin what we’ve built for ourselves.
As women, we carry a lot of hats (e.g., sister, daughter, partner, mother, friend, employee, business owner, etc…) and in today’s society we are often expected to wear those hats with a smile, our hair and makeup done, and… to make it look easy or flawless. It’s exhausting even thinking about it! It’s no wonder that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety in women can also look different than how you see it portrayed in the media, which can sometimes make it hard to talk about or bring up with friends or healthcare workers.
How Do You Experience Anxiety?
MIND-BASED ANXIETY:
If you struggle with mind-based anxiety then you may notice that your thoughts can feel like they’re running the show. Maybe you feel like your mind is attacking you, tricking you, or taking the joy out of moments that you were otherwise looking forward to. Mind-based anxiety can show up in any situation (e.g., driving, talking to your best friend, at a birthday party, or even when at home in your most secure and comfortable space).
Stuck in the past:
Oftentimes, mind-based anxiety can keep us locked in the past, replaying every interaction, and wondering where we went wrong and if we could have done it better or… if we could have been PERFECT.
🌿 Did I mess up that interaction?
🌿 I embarrassed myself.
🌿 I don’t belong with this friend group. I feel so out of place
Living your best fortune teller life 🔮 :
Have you ever noticed that when anxiety comes to call that you turn into a doom-forecasting fortune teller? Anxiety can lead us to assume the worst out of future based scenarios, which may lead you to stay at home, turn down invitations, and to narrow the limits of your world.
🌿 I’m not going to have anything interesting to say.
🌿 I’m going to have a panic attack on this road trip.
🌿 No one is going to like me.
Perfectionism:
Mind-based anxiety can also show up as perfectionism, which can include:
🌿Self-criticism
🌿Sensitivity to criticism from others
🌿Having incredibly high standards
🌿Concern and hypervigilance around perceived mistakes
One of the biggest ways that I see perfectionism show up in the women I work with is having standards that always shift or change so that they are never good enough. Unfortunately in today’s society, the trait of perfectionism is often valued and even rewarded. Oftentimes my clients are successful because of that perfectionism and the amount of suffering that emerges from it can oftentimes feel like a fair trade off for the benefits of status, money, raises, and recognition from others. If you struggle with perfectionism, an anxiety therapist can help.
BODY-BASED ANXIETY:
If you struggle with body-based anxiety then you may notice that your mind and body feel out of sync. You may find that any big emotion (e.g., anxiety, excitement, depression, joy) all feel overwhelming. Or you may experience reactions from your body that don’t match your thoughts or your values:
🌿You’re on a date and you’re being treated with respect and kindness and yet you want to run away.
🌿You’re excited to be a bridesmaid at your best friend’s wedding, but you’re experiencing heart palpitations and nausea at the thought of making the flight out.
🌿You’re sitting in a perfectly routine and even boring team meeting at work and you feel like the room is spinning and you can’t quite feel your legs or feet anymore.
MIND+ BODY-BASED ANXIETY:
You may also find that you struggle with both mind and body-based anxiety where you experience both the anxious thoughts with the accompanying physiological responses.
What is Your Anxiety Profile?
It’s important to learn more about your unique anxiety profile with your Online Anxiety Therapist so that you can work on addressing the ways that anxiety shows up in your life.
The gold standard for anxiety treatment is traditionally cognitive approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Many of my clients who struggle with body-based anxiety find that cognitive approaches are not a fit. It’s hard to focus on calming and restructuring your thoughts when your thoughts aren’t the issue. If your body is sending all the signals and your mind is more at ease or on a different page entirely, then you may benefit from a Somatic Therapy Approach and your Online Anxiety therapist will work with you on creating a plan that uniquely fits your needs.
Online Therapy for Anxiety Can Help
Let’s take a look at which therapy for anxiety approach might be a fit for you. Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits all approach for therapy and that it matters that both the online anxiety therapist and the approach are a fit for you.
If you’ve been to therapy before and tried an approach that wasn’t helpful, make sure that you share that with your prospective therapist during a consultation call. It’s possible you have a different learning style, that a previous therapist:client dynamic wasn’t the right fit, or that the therapy wasn’t directly addressing your unique anxiety profile. It’s also important to hold in mind that sometimes our life stage, past stressors, and emotional readiness can impact how we show up in therapy, so it’s always worth trying to learn more about what worked and what didn’t so you can co-create a therapy approach that’s right for you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most common treatment approaches and is often used to address anxiety. This therapeutic approach focuses on noticing and shifting your relationship between your thoughts, emotions, and actions. CBT focuses on helping you challenge the thoughts that can feel as if they control your life and learn to change them to more neutral and healthy perspectives.
acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is focused on helping clients stop wrestling with and/or avoiding their emotional experiences. ACT focuses on helping clients identify their values (rather than goals) and focuses on acceptance and mindfulness.
Eye mOVEMENT AND desensitization Therapy
EMDR differs from traditional talk therapy as it focuses more on having you visualize your worst fears. Over time, you and your anxiety therapist will work on helping you to desensitize to those fears. At Worth and Wellness, the most commonly requested imaginal exposure is EMDR and Online EMDR Therapy. Learn more about EMDR Therapy!
Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapies (including EMDR) are focused on the mind-body connection for wholistic healing. Somatic therapies can help you learn more about your own emotional experience, where you feel certain emotions, what it brings up for you, and how movement and mindfulness can be incorporated to help you better connect to yourself.
Begin Working With an Anxiety Therapist For Women in Los Angeles, CA Today!
Are you struggling to manage your anxiety symptoms? Discover how Worth and Wellness can help provide you with the support and guidance you need to overcome your anxiety symptoms. To get started follow these three simple steps:
Contact us for a free consultation to see if we are a good match.
Schedule an appointment to begin working with a skilled anxiety therapist
Begin coping with your anxiety symptoms and living your best life!
Other Counseling Services I Offer in Los Angeles, CA
At Worth and Wellness Psychology, I offer in-person and online therapy. This includes individual therapy for relationship issues, dating, and anxiety. In addition to therapy for therapists and women of color, I also love working with Highly Sensitive People. Check out my blog and FAQs to learn more about me. Reach out to talk about how I can support you.
About the Author, Dr. Adrianna Holness, An Anxiety Therapist in LA & Orange County
Dr. Adrianna Holness, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Worth and Wellness Psychology, serving clients online and in person throughout California. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from Loma Linda University. As a psychologist that specializes in anxiety treatment, she creates a space for healing and wholeness so her clients can focus on addressing the cause of their anxiety. She is trained in many evidence-based trauma treatment approaches, including EMDR.
Disclaimer:
This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not constitute the practice of any medical or mental healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We cannot diagnose, provide second opinions or make specific treatment recommendations through this blog or website.
