Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Anxiety caused by the fear of social encounters. This may be fear of embarrassing yourself or those around you, fear of being judged, or the fear of inadvertently offending someone. The socially anxious person often becomes overly concerned with how they look, act, speak, and behave in front of others, to the point where social situations are not enjoyable, feared, and ultimately avoided. The truth is, individuals who experience social anxiety do want to make friends and be included in groups; however, their anxiety, which is treatable with CBT, prevents it.

Holding yourself to painfully high standards, where you procrastinate on tasks in fear of making a mistake or devoting an excessive amount of time thinking about the tasks in front of you, to the point where you can mentally exhausted, anxious, and often encounter feelings of depression. Often the perfectionism affects not only your own well-being, but your relationships with friends, family, and coworkers.

Repeated and unwanted thoughts or images that feel out of your control. These thoughts cause intense feelings of anxiety, disgust, fear, or guilt, often leading to time-consuming habits, or rituals in an effort to feel better. Some obsessions are focused on contamination, losing control, feelings of responsibility, moral concerns with right or wrong, and order or perfection. The resulting behaviors include reassurance seeking, washing, checking, cleaning, mental compulsions, and repetitive behaviors. Many individuals feel embarrassed by these thoughts and behaviors, often keeping them a secret from friends and family. Without treatment these symptoms can take a negative toll on a person’s daily functioning and prevent enjoyment of life.

Sudden and intense anxiety, accompanied by several of the following symptoms: rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating, a lump in your throat, the fear of losing control, and others. Panic attacks can present as a one-time occurrence or continue regularly, some individuals may live in continuous fear that another attack will strike. This can result in withdrawal from specific people, places, and once-enjoyable activities.

Generalize worrisome thoughts that are not specific to any one situation or thought. You may find yourself worrying about how you will get through the day, whether you are doing a good-enough job at work, or the even worry about the uncertainty of your future. You may worry about your relationships, household chores, financial concerns, or all of the above. Worrying can present as an “on edge” feeling or a feeling of consistent self-doubt. You begin to question yourself and your abilities, and whether you can handle life’s challenges. Everything begins to feel overwhelming. Regardless of the situation, worrisome thoughts can become all-consuming, leading to feelings of depression, and can impact your ability to focus on all the good there is your life.