Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Cardston, AB.

Have you experienced tightness in chest, shortness in breath, rapid heart rate, upset stomach, or the urgency to go to your safe place? Anxiety can manifest into physical and emotional symptoms that can affect our thoughts, feelings, and sensations. We all experience different amounts of anxiety, and sometimes, it can be too difficult to manage and make one feel uncomfortable. Anxiety is one of the leading mental health concerns in Canada. Through evidence based research, counselling has been very effective for treating anxiety and panic. Learning ways to cope with the symptoms of anxiety can help manage anxiety so that it doesn't control us.

Anxiety and Stress are the norm in today's world. Our fast-paced society pulls our attention in many directions and often away from ourselves. Being disconnected from our feelings, needs and wants is often a cause of anxiety. Mindfulness-based counselling is a powerful way to have us create an island of sanity for ourselves amidst the speed of our lives. By learning to reconnect with ourselves amidst the busyness of life, we are put back into relationship with our hearts and what is truly meaningful to us.

Anxiety falls along a continuum from acceptable to crippling, debilitating anxiety requiring professional intervention. The major forms that anxiety takes are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Phobic Disorders, Social Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). A variety of proven therapeutic interventions are well established now, eg., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Yoga, Tai Chi, Breathwork. By diving into therapy clients regain a sense of optimism, courage and confidence in relationships, workplace and career, driving, aging, life transitions and more.

Anxiety and Stress both need to be assessed thoroughly. I use many of the assessments that were provided to me by Dr. Burns when I took his training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). As well, I use Cognitive Therapy approached by Robert Leahy. Between Burns and Leahy, I have close to 200+ techniques to structure a healing pathway. In addition, I have found Eye Movement Desensitizing and Reprocessing (EMDR) extremely useful, very long term recovery method for the treatment of anxiety/phobias/panic attacks/worry/and stress.

Did you know that both stress and anxiety can be helpful? In today's world, we are often told that stress and anxiety is abnormal. Yet, anxiety is a feeling, a very important feeling and it doesn't always impact us in a negative way. Working with your own anxiety level and experiencing a meaningful life is possible. Tamara will do her best to try and help you on your valued path, with or without anxiety.

Are you experiencing repetitive thoughts and feelings that are pulling you away from the life that you want? Painful emotions and uncomfortable physical responses are often accompanied by overwhelm, reactivity, shut down, or avoidance. If you are struggling to express your emotions, find calm and contentment or make changes to the level of stress and anxiety that you are battling with we are here to help. Reach out to one of our registered mental health professionals at Mindful Centre today.

Anxiety is actually our "friend", that is alerting us to something we need to pay attention to. So, anxiety first needs to be listened to before "managing" it. We could be feeling anxious because of medical reasons or past traumas are being triggered. Stress, on the other hand, is something we do need to "manage". If we don't manage stress, it will manage us. It is important to occasionally consider how much stress we actually are carrying and figure out what can be reduced or eliminated. We have only so much energy available to us to spend on our own unique load of stresses. So stress management is really about energy management.

Most people do not like feeling anxious or stressed. People are not saying I am glad to be stressed or anxious. What do we do when this happens. We need to process it and for most people counselling is a place for processing. Along with processing stress and anxiety comes a deeper longing to to be heard and validated and to sometimes be given new skills or strategies. What ever you need whether an ear to listen, heart to understand or ideas for coping with it I can provide it in comfortable environment.