Anxiety:

People have described you as “a worrier” or “high strung”. You’ve always been slightly irritated with that label because you can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t consider or think about the things that cause you worry. Or maybe you agree with them and beat yourself up thinking “why can’t I stop?” Anxiety can grow, causing symptoms of physical as well as psychological distress.  You may grow physically exhausted by worry, and when you’re head hits the pillow that’s when the thoughts start. Anxiety can express itself in many ways. One needn’t feel all of the symptoms of anxiety to need help. Many people experience some or all of the symptoms described below.

Worry

You worry a lot about what other people are thinking about you. You worry that they may say something bad about you when you’re not there. You worry that you won’t have enough money, or that your boss is thinking of letting you go. You worry that your spouse is angry at you or that he or she isn’t happy with your marriage. You worry that you’re getting sick, or that people you love are getting sick.

Anxiety treatment can help you understand common patterns of negative thought that increase anxiety and why. Treatment can help you develop new thought patterns that that reduce anxiety and help prevent it from escalating again. Neil T. Hetzel, MS, LPC practices an evidence-based therapy called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which helps clients recognize anxiety producing thought patterns and develop new thoughts and behaviors that can drastically reduce anxiety. Through CBT you can regain control of your thoughts and your life.

Edginess and Irritability

When someone taps you on the shoulder or walks up to your desk and says “Hi”, you jump. The phone rings and your heart starts pounding while you feel the rush of adrenaline in your stomach or muscles. You have so much on your mind that a simple request from the kids or your coworkers causes anger or an outburst.   You feel on-edge and you’re always in a rush and any last minute change feels like an emergency.

Many people suffer anxiety for years before recognizing its symptoms or seeking treatment. Neil works with people to develop behavioral changes that reduce anxiety and enrich relaxation. Feeling relaxed as frequently as you feel anxious now is absolutely possible. Neil can help!

Trouble Concentrating

Worry distracts you frequently from the things you need to get done. You start a project and remember four other chores. You bounce from one task to another. You may even have a well structured “to do” list but at the end of the day you’re not able to check off as many as you thought you would. You realize that there are several other items that need to get done that you forgot about!

Talking with a therapist can help. You may have a good group of friends and family that care about you, but it can be helpful to process and talk about your thoughts with a professional trained in techniques proven to reduce anxiety. Talking with someone who is caring yet unbiased can relieve the pressure so you don’t continue to “spin” on the same worries and concerns. Talking with a therapist can help reduce the effects that anxiety has on concentration and focus.

Sleep Problems

You lie down to sleep and that’s when the thoughts start. You worry about tomorrow’s tasks. Your mind begins to race and think of all the things that may go wrong. It seems like something is always about to fall apart and your brain picks bed time as the best time to present you with all of them. Or maybe you fall asleep without problem, but you wake up in the middle of the night, look at the clock, and worry that you won’t have enough time left to get enough sleep. Either way the alarm eventually sounds and you drag yourself out of bed, tired and with a full list of new things to worry about.

Treatment for anxiety lowers your stress and in turn can reduce anxiety’s effects on your sleep. Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Neil directly addresses the thoughts that keep you up. Neil will work with you to help you develop good sleep hygiene and relaxation techniques that will have you falling asleep and staying asleep.

Stomach Pain, Muscle Tension, Headaches

Your medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy. Tylenol, Advil, Pepto-Bismol, Gas-X, Dramamine, Zantac you’ve tried them all. Your neck and back hurt. You get headaches a lot. You may even have tried massage but the effects don’t last long enough. Your doctor tells you that you’re “just stressed” but you think he’s blowing you off or that he hasn’t found the real problem yet.

Anxiety does increase stress and stress causes many physical symptoms including stomach problems, headaches, and muscle tension. Neil will work with you to develop new and healthier thought processes and habits that reduce your stress. Many times, when you reduce your stress the physical symptoms of stomach pain, headaches, and muscle tension reduce to more normal and manageable levels.

If The Above Items Describe You, Neil Is Here To Help

Neil T. Hetzel, MS, LPC specializes in treating anxiety. He uses an evidence-based and research-supported technique called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify thoughts that cause anxiety. Once anxiety producing thoughts are identified, Neil helps his clients modify or eliminate them and anxiety is reduced. Through behavioral techniques Neil helps his clients developing healthy coping skills that allow them to face life’s challenges without suffering debilitating stress and anxiety. Neil works with clients who have: Separation Anxiety, Phobias, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety, Performance Anxiety, and OCD.

Neil T. Hetzel is an LGBT friendly, Licensed Associate Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor. Neil is also a member of the American Counseling Association.   His office is located in Chandler, and is a short drive from Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe. He is able to offer both daytime and evening hours. Contact Neil for your free, 20 minute phone consultation to ask any questions about anxiety treatment or his practice: 623-850-8103. You can also contact Neil via email at neil@neilhetzel.com.