Anxiety Counseling Miami

Is Anxiety Overtaking your Life?

You constantly worry that something bad might happen. Sometimes, your thoughts race and you struggle to control your mind. Maybe, you worry about your health, or you’re overwhelmed with the demands in your life. Perhaps, you went through a stressful event, an accident, break up, or a recent health diagnosis. Or you’re just tired of the stresses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

You feel like you are constantly on edge. Even the smallest thing can set you off into a cascade of worry. You’re constantly trying to calm yourself down and slow the thoughts that enter your mind, but nothing you’ve tried seems to work. You’re still worried.

Your Anxiety Impacts All Areas of Your Life

As you continue to struggle with anxiety, stress, and worry, you notice that it is impacting other areas of your life. For example, maybe you are struggling to sleep. You are exhausted, physically, and mentally, but you are having trouble falling asleep at night. Maybe, you wake up in the middle of the night, then you are up for hours at a time. You wake up and racing thoughts enter your mind almost instantly.

Perhaps, your appetite has changed and you aren’t hungry anymore. You might also have terrible neck or shoulder pain. Maybe, your jaw is tight and you are having stomach issues.

You want these to go away, so you have been searching for relief. But, the things you’ve tried don’t offer relief. Maybe, you’ve even tried to cope with watching too much television, abusing alcohol, or trying to quiet your anxiety with prescription or illicit drugs.

Anxiety During a Life Transition

You might be going through a life transition. Maybe your kids have just left for college. Or, you have just retired. Perhaps, you have started a new job. All this “new” is making you uneasy. You are constantly searching for some relief from these thoughts and feelings and worried that this will last forever.

Types of Anxiety

General Anxiety

General anxiety is when you feel a constant and persistent worry or anxiousness about many different things. You might not be able to pinpoint exactly what triggered your anxiety and you find that you don’t worry about one specific thing. You feel like you are constantly scared or worrying about something or someone. Or, you find yourself constantly thinking about possible dangerous or disastrous scenarios. It feels like you worry about everything and can not find anything to help you feel calm.

Just the thought of trying to get through the day can cause anxious thoughts to enter your mind. People with General Anxiety don’t know how to stop the cycle of worry, even though they might have tried. Often, they feel like their anxiety prevents them from doing so many things in life and controls them.

Anxiety During Pregnancy

Anxiety often occurs during pregnancy. While you’re pregnant, there will be many tests, exams, and ultrasounds done to ensure the health and safety of your baby. Waiting for the results of these tests or coming to terms with possible unexpected outcomes from these exams can be devastating and anxiety-provoking. You may find yourself dealing with racing thoughts as you try to navigate the many “what ifs” of pregnancy. Or, you may be constantly worried about losing your baby or miscarrying. This worry can be crippling, taking away any joy or happiness that you might want to find in your pregnancy.

You might be anxious at the thought of giving birth and the many unanswered questions related to what birth will look like. Will I make it to term? Will I have to be induced? What about the pain and the needles? You are constantly thinking about whether you will be able to make it through labor. You worry that you might not be able to follow your birth plan. This sense of being out of control can be overwhelming and all-consuming as your due date arrives.

Postpartum Anxiety

Postpartum anxiety can manifest in many ways. It can look like the mom who finds herself unable to sleep even though she is exhausted. It might be the new mom who is constantly worrying about the health of her baby. Or, she might get up in the middle of the night multiple times to check if her baby is still breathing or have haunting thoughts of her baby being in danger.

Anxiety after having a new baby might feel like a constant state of unease. You might be constantly searching for some relief from the worry, the nervousness, and anxiousness. You might feel that your heart is racing, you can’t breathe, and you feel shaky. There is normal parenthood worry, which occurs for new parents as they welcome a new child, then there is anxiety that starts to take over your life and affects your sleep, appetite, and other areas of your functioning.

Anxiety in Motherhood and Being a Mom

As a mom, you might feel like you have to do it all. It might feel like you have so many areas of your brain functioning at once. You are thinking about what your children need for school, worrying about work deadlines, and navigating how to make time for self-care. Plus you want to find time to connect with your partner, decide what to eat for dinner, and do the chores. Your mind races and your brain never seems to slow down. You are mentally and physically exhausted. The anxiety of motherhood is starting to take a toll on your mental and physical health.

You might be feeling the pressure of having to “bounce back” from pregnancy, trying to return to the physical state your body was in prior to pregnancy and having children. Or, you wanted to breastfeed, but you were unable and feel guilty about formula feeding. Maybe, you’re anxious about the lack of sleep. Perhaps, you are concerned about how your relationship is being affected by having kids. You spend all your energy caring for your kids and feel disconnected from your partner.