Treatment & Therapy for Adult Anxiety in Orange County, California

Therapy for Anxiety in Newport Beach, California

Do I Have Anxiety?

Have you struggled with feeling calm or relaxed? Do your thoughts keep you up at night? Does your mind tend to race, particularly when life’s demands pile up? Have your worries kept you from performing your best at work or school?

We are here for you. Anxiety is incredibly common amongst adults in the United States (see Costello, Egger, & Angold, 2005), yet very few are able to access mental health treatment. This is problematic, as chronic anxiety tends to wreak havoc on one’s mental and physical health (Essau et al, 2018).

Here Are Some Of The Most Common Anxiety Symptoms For Adults (DSM-5):

• Nervousness or persistent worry

• Difficulty sleeping

• Racing heart

• Panic attacks

• Ruminating on worries or fears

• Trembling or shakiness

• Avoiding certain settings or activities

Anxiety is considered to be “clinically significant” when the symptoms affect your ability to function. All of us experience anxiety from time to time, it is a natural emotional reaction to stress or anticipated threat. These feelings help keep us motivated, alert, and alive. Although anxiety is very adaptive, too much anxiety can be devastating.

Psychologists Refer To This As The Four D’s Of A Disorder, Which Includes (DSM-5):

• Dysfunction

• Deviance

• Dangerousness

• Distress

Most adults with anxiety experience the Dysfunction or the Distress. For example, if you are unable to sleep at night because of worry and then are late or sluggish at work, psychologists would consider that to be negatively affecting your functioning, or dysfunctional. Or, perhaps your anxiety keeps your heart racing throughout the day, making life difficult to enjoy or experience. Do not let your anxiety keep you from the life you want to live. If you or a loved one struggle with anxiety, contact The OC Psychology Center today. Our team of highly skilled psychologists are trained to help you overcome your worries and move closer to your goals.

Why Do I Have Anxiety?

The human brain is incredibly good at learning, particularly when the learning involves a strong emotional response. For example, when you think about September 11th, your mind is likely filled with intense feelings and memories from that day – even though the events of that terrible day happened many years ago. Just as your mind is able to recall images from that day in an instant, your mind is equally good at recalling things that make you feel anxious. This connection is made through a process of avoidance. Here at The OC Psychology Center for Psychotherapy and Assessment, we conceptualize anxiety as a cycle of worry, avoidance, and learning:

First, people will experience anxiety regarding a certain activity or object (anxiety trigger). The anxious experience is learned and stored in memory as an emotional association with the trigger, which then motivates the teen to avoid that trigger in the future. By avoiding the trigger, the emotional association goes unchallenged and is reinforced over time. Something small, such as having a bad experience on a roller coaster, can over time turn into an intense fear, such as a fear of flying.

Here Are Some Common Anxious Associations We Help Adults With At OC Psychology Center:

• Financial worry

• Social anxiety

• Anxiety about test or athletic performance

• Worries about children or family members

• Loneliness and not fitting in

• Questioning identity and beliefs

• Worries about health

The key to overcoming these and other anxieties involves working with a therapist to interrupt the cycle of anxiety and challenge the uncomfortable emotional association. Our team of mental health professionals is determined to help you overcome anxiety, find new purpose, and begin to live the life you desire. Contact OC Psychology Center for Assessment and Therapy today to schedule your first appointment. Our mission is to help people and their families find answers and solutions through assessment (testing and diagnosis) and psychotherapy (treatment) services. To read more about our assessment services, check out our other pages on psychological testing and diagnosis. To learn more about what treatment for anxiety looks like here in our clinic, read on!

What Does Treatment Look Like For Adults With Anxiety?

The first step in treatment requires an accurate diagnosis, which allows mental health professionals to establish a treatment plan that can accelerate your progress. Psychotherapy is the highest standard of treatment for anxiety symptoms (see Newby et al, 2015), but in some cases, we may also provide consultation regarding medication options that help with short-term symptom alleviation. To learn more about what therapy looks like for adults, check out our Therapy for Adults page!

As You Begin Therapy For Anxiety, You Will Learn To:

• Control worrisome thoughts

• Down-regulate your emotions

• Sleep more effectively

• Set boundaries with stressors

• Be mindful and present

• Confront irrational anxious thoughts

• Feel secure and in control of your life

Further Reading: Working with an Anxiety Treatment Center

About our team

Psychologists & Counselors Specializing In The Unique Challenges Of Young Adulthood.

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