In my Grand Rapids counseling practice, I provide often provide counseling for anxiety. One thing I notice about many of my clients is that the anxiety seems to stem from the feeling that things are happening to you and they seem outside your personal control. When this feeling is strong, anxiety sets in. If you begin to lose sight of things you can do to regain control of your situation, then anxiety gets stronger. So anxiety can be related to the feeling that you have no power to deal with it.
What to Do
One way I work with adults to provide counseling for anxiety is to help figure out things you can control in your life. This can be as simple as cleaning up your room. Once you do that you can say, “well at least I accomplished that”. Sometimes the thing to do is get out some paper and make a list of things you have control of that will start solving the problem. When you come up with things that can help, you realize you have more control and power than you thought. For me, this gives me a sense of control and direction and I notice any signs of anxiety going down almost immediately.
Many times, we face situations that seem to have dire consequences either way we go. Anxiety can set in during these situations because we are virtually paralyzed by not knowing which option to go with. Picking a direction and going with it often leads to the minimizing of anxiety. For me, it feels better to pick a direction and go with it than to deal with the anxiety of being stuck and stressing out between two courses of action. I can always change direction if I feel I’ve made the wrong decision.
Gary Watson is a Solution Focused Therapist in Grand Rapids Michigan. He provides counseling for couples, teenagers, and adults. He can help with anxiety, depression, stress, college and work stress, relationship problems, and more. For more information, please visit the website at www.turnaboutcounseling.com.