Anxiety and Depression

Over the years I have developed a new relationship with anxiety, depression and shame.  It is one that no longer looks to control, stop and avoid these experiences at all costs.  It is a relationship with these parts of ourselves that relies on openness, radical acceptance, a little intention and a whole lot of self compassion.

Feelings and experiences of anxiety, shame, hurt and deep sadness have been  in my life, and in the lives of all the clients who come in to see me.  And while anxiety, pain and shame look differently in everyone, it can rock your world.

It can look like perfectionism, fear of disappointing people, fear of fitting in, being seen, making mistakes, loving something so much that it hurts in fear that something will go wrong. It’s struggling to say “no” or have clear boundaries to take care of yourself, overwhelming thoughts and worries that don’t stop. It’s physically feeling that you could explode, tightness and shortness of breath. It’s feeling like you’re never enough. Sometimes it comes alone but it often shows up with depression and addiction, disconnection from life or an intense and overwhelming drive to control the world around us. It’s hard.

And, somehow, in moments, it is also a gift.  It’s a strong feeling that often signals that something in life is not compatible with what you most want and need.

That something needs attention or a change.

I certainly don’t love the overwhelming, stuck feeling that anxiety or shame can create and yet I love the signals and messages that it can give us when we are living inconsistently with our values, goals and dreams.

Through awareness, acceptance and valued based living the impact of anxiety and depression lessons and we are able to live more rich, engaged and meaningful lives in our relationships, in work, and in play.

• My approach to therapy is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness based approaches to treatment primarily. The goal of ACT is to maximize your potential for a rich, full and meaningful life by teaching you skills to deal with painful thoughts and feelings so that they have much less impact and influence over you (these are mindfulness skills). This process involves clarifying what is truly important and meaningful to you, your compass, to inspire, motivate and guide you to live your life to the fullest. In this way, ACT is about both acceptance and change. Acceptance of your thoughts and feelings allows you to focus more clearly on the present and to take the steps that move you closer to the life you truly want to live.
• I am also a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator-Candidate and believe that Shame and building Shame resilience is essential for wholehearted living. I use Bréne Browns work in The Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ curriculum throughout my work with individuals and in workshops and groups.

In our work together my goal is to help you better understand obstacles that get in your way including negative thought processes, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, life changes through work, having children, marriage and relationship issues, etc and develop strategies to work through these obstacles in a healthy/wholehearted way. In the process I hope to help you focus on what matters to you, how you want to live your life and find ways to go about moving in that direction!