Lisa M. Quinn, M.F.T.

Anxiety and Stress

Living in today's fast-paced world can be stressful for anyone. While some stress motivates us to function better, too much stress can have a devastating impact on our ability to enjoy our lives and be productive and happy. Chronic stress can lead to overwhelm and can seriously impact the quality of our lives.

Anxiety differs from stress in that it is often difficult to identify the source of the anxious feelings. Unexplained feelings of dread and despair can create anxious feelings that are difficult to overcome. People experience anxiety in different ways: A person may feel keyed up, like they just can’t relax, and may have difficulty sleeping. Excessive worrying or feeling out of control emotionally are common symptoms of anxiety. Avoiding social situations or public settings may develop in an attempt to avoid feeling anxious.       

Therapy helps by exploring the underlying source of both anxiety and stress, as well as the thought processes that are often fueling the anxiety/stress symptoms. Therapy helps an individual recognize and alter unreasonable beliefs that one may have about oneself (or others) and that contribute to feelings of anxiety/stress. Therapy can also help to manage or eliminate the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress through relaxation training techniques and other coping strategies.

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