Counseling for anxiety
Anxiety is your body's alarm system doing its job a little too well. It isn't a sign that something is wrong with you, and it doesn't have to run your life. We'll help you understand it, face it and get moving again.
What anxiety can feel like
Anxiety shows up in the body as much as in the mind. Tap anything that sounds like you.
Tap anything that sounds like you.
This isn't a test, and it can't tell you what's going on. It's a way to notice. Nothing is saved or sent.
Why anxiety gets stuck
Everyone has a window of tolerance: a range where you still feel things but can think them through. Piled-up stress, hard seasons or old hurts can narrow that window until your body gets stuck in fight or flight. Move the slider to see it.
Inside the window, you still feel the stress, and you can think it through.
“In this world, you will have trouble.”
John 16:33 (NIV)
Problems, and the feelings that come with them, are part of a normal life. They aren't proof that you're failing at it.
How anxiety tricks you
Anxiety rarely wins with the feeling itself. It wins by talking you into getting rid of the feeling as fast as possible. Most of us try three moves, usually without noticing.
Move one
Suppress it
Act like it isn't there.
- Ignore it, or put it off until tomorrow
- Deny it: “I'm fine”
- Shrink it: “It's not that bad”
- Numb it with food, screens, shopping or a drink
Move two
Struggle with it
Fight it into submission.
- Force yourself to stay positive
- Stay so busy you never have to feel it
- Try to pray it away, as if the feeling means you've let God down
Move three
Surrender to it
Give up on it.
- “This is just how I am”
- Stop trying new things
- Let discouragement settle in
Each move promises relief and keeps anxiety in charge. Ignore a check engine light and the problem doesn't get better. The way out is to face the feeling, and that is something you can learn.
When anxiety hits: five steps
This is the practice our providers teach, in order. Try it right here, and come back to it whenever you need it.
Pause
There is a space between what happens and how you respond, and your choice lives in that space. When anxiety grabs the wheel, the thinking part of your brain gets pushed to the back seat. So first, calm your body down.
Try it: breathe in through your nose for four, hold for four, and breathe out slowly through your lips for six. Four rounds is plenty.
Turn toward it
It sounds backward. Every instinct says run. But the more you run from a hard feeling, the bigger it gets and the harder it chases you.
Think of a barking dog on your morning walk. Run, and it chases you. Turn and face it, and most of the time it stops. Hard feelings work the same way.
Name it
You can't work on what you don't recognize. Start with your body. Is your jaw tight? Is your breathing shallow? Is your heart pounding? Are you shaking a foot or wringing your hands?
Then put a word to it. Naming a feeling takes some of its power away, and writing it down moves you from the feeling part of your brain to the thinking part.
Words that might fit
- Anxious
- Afraid
- Worried
- Overwhelmed
- Panicked
- Tense
- Uneasy
- Restless
- Dread
- Insecure
- Embarrassed
- Frustrated
Observe it
Step back and look at the feeling the way you'd notice someone upset across a restaurant: curious, not threatened, not judging. Ask what set it off, and why that hit you the way it did.
“Oh, there you are, anxiety. I recognize you. What are you trying to tell me?”
It may feel silly to say. It also puts a little distance between you and the feeling. Be kind to yourself while you do it.
Move anyway
A stream doesn't spend its energy trying to move the rock in its way. It flows around the rock and keeps going.
“I see you. I've named you. You can come along for the ride, but I've got things to do.”
Then take the next step you were going to take. The feeling doesn't have to change for you to move.
How the Hope Method helps with anxiety
Every provider here works from the same method. Here's how each part of it meets anxiety.
Tolerate uncomfortable emotions
The five steps above, practiced with your provider until they start to come naturally.
Rethink unhelpful thoughts
Anxiety talks in “what ifs.” We help you catch them, ask what's actually true, and ask what might go right.
Identify the person you want to be
Anxiety wants to make your decisions for you. Knowing what you value gives you something steadier to steer by.
Change unhelpful behaviors
Small, steady steps toward the things you've been avoiding, at a pace you can manage.
Keep connected to healthy community
Anxiety grows in isolation. An anxiety and depression support group, led by one of our providers, meets Wednesday evenings.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)
Where faith fits
Faith doesn't exempt anyone from hard feelings. The Bible is full of them, and the Psalms are a whole book of them. Praying harder won't make a normal emotion disappear, and anxiety isn't a sign you've let God down.
We believe God doesn't stand at a distance waving our troubles away. He enters them, and walks us out. If you'd like prayer or scripture in your sessions, ask. If you wouldn't, it won't come up.
What "spiritually informed" meansWhen to talk with your doctor, too
Sometimes anxiety digs in deep enough that medication can help. If you notice any of these, we'll encourage you to talk with your doctor, and to keep counseling alongside it to get at the root.
- Sleeping poorly, or sleeping too much
- Eating much more, or having no appetite
- Things you used to enjoy no longer feel good, or make you anxious
- A constant sense of unease
- Work or school is suffering
- Staying away from people because it takes too much energy or makes you too anxious
If you're having thoughts of harming yourself, or wishing you weren't alive, please reach out right now. Call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 800-715-4225, or dial 911. We're not a crisis service, but we'll be here for what comes next.
Getting started
The practical details, and the questions people ask most.
- Cost
- $75For 50 minutes, paid at the appointment. The same for individuals, couples and families.
- Insurance
- Not acceptedNo superbills. Cash, check, card, and HSA or FSA cards all work.
- Where
- In person or telehealth3231 Washington Rd., or from home for most concerns.
- Getting in
- Usually this weekEvery provider is taking new clients. We try to see people the week they reach out.
What happens in the first session?
It's a conversation about what you need, not an intake. Afterwards you decide whether to keep going, with no commitment either way. If you continue, a few forms and some homework come through the client portal.
Will faith be part of my sessions?
Only if you want it to be. Our providers share a Christian worldview, and if you'd like prayer or scripture in your sessions, ask and your provider will gladly include it. If you wouldn't, it won't come up. Everyone is welcome here, whatever they believe.
Can I do this by telehealth?
Yes, for most concerns. You join from the SimplePractice Client Portal app or a web browser.
Do you see kids and teens with anxiety?
Yes, from age 6. We often meet in Addie's Corner, our room for kids, and we work with parents alongside their children.
How long will it take?
You and your provider decide that together. We see people for as long as they need us and no longer. Change usually comes little by little, and small changes add up.
Start wherever you are
Book a first conversation, or start with a group. Either one is a good first step.
Book an appointment
One-on-one sessions, in person on Washington Road or by telehealth. Choose “I'm a new client” when you book.
Join the anxiety and depression group
Biblical truths and psychological principles for anxiety and depression in everyday life. Wednesdays, 6:15 to 7:45 PM, led by one of Hope's providers and hosted with Warren Church. Registration required.
Still unsure? Call the office at 762.328.4673.