When you’re dealing with daily, intense anxiety, the idea of taking action to address it through therapy can feel overwhelming.
Anxiety is exhausting, and just the thought of the effort that might be involved with therapy can be enough to stall you into inactivity.
If you’re going to make the effort to find a therapist and do the work, you need to know that it’s going to be worth it. Because anxiety leaves you feeling battered, fatigued, and mentally drained at the end of every day, and if you’re going to give it more attention than it already sucks out of you, there’d better be a payoff!
If you’re asking the question that is the title of this article, we know you want a quick answer. Just give me the facts and hold the fluff! So we’ll make this short and sweet:
The answer is yes — therapy has been proven over and over again to improve anxiety.
What does that mean?
A study conducted by the National Institute for Mental Health found over half of all patients who received therapy for anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges experienced significant improvement in their symptoms.
Most people with anxiety never fully eliminate their anxiety. However, therapy can give you practical tools to greatly reduce the severity of anxiety symptoms, as well as teaching you how to regain control of the thoughts that lead to the feelings that lead to the anxiety.
But I want a cure! I want it to go away forever and never come back!
We hear you. Anxiety is rotten, and it can really mess with your quality of life. Remember, though, that some anxiety can be helpful, even healthy. It can help you focus, meet deadlines, and get a task done well. It’s when anxiety gets out of control and becomes constant, rather than temporary, that it becomes a problem.
If you can reduce the severity of your anxiety symptoms and learn how to control the thoughts that lead to the anxious feelings, your quality of life will likely improve massively.
The feeling of control and self-determination that therapy can help you regain can’t be underestimated. Part of the nastiness of anxiety is how out-of-control it can make you feel; regaining some of that sense of control can help you feel in charge of your own life again.
Many therapists have also struggled with anxiety; don’t hold back from asking your therapist if they have personal experience with anxiety. Therapy gives you tools, and tools empower you to take control.
If you need help to get your anxiety back in its box, we want to help you! At Given Guidance Family Counseling in La Crescenta, California, our team of therapists specialize in treating anxiety. We have a jam-packed toolbox ready for you to dig into and start regaining control of your thoughts and feelings!
Reach out to us today at (818) 446-7488 or [email protected] to schedule your first therapy session.