You have seen the memes, you have read to posts…”Be your authentic self”, “Trust yourself”, “Do more self care”, or my favorite, “Just let go!”
Oh, if it were only that easy! While none of this is bad advice, it can be demoralizing. What if you are not sure who your authentic self is? What if you really do not know how to “let it go.” What if it feels like your authentic self is overcome with excessive worry? What if you have tried to let go but find yourself always thinking about the worse case scenario? What if self care has just become another item on your endless to do list and only adds to the stress. What if when you read those memes you just end up feeling bad about yourself?
Sometimes negative, anxious or worried thoughts seem to take on a life of their own.
Unfortunately, well intended posts can actually increase low self esteem. So, what do you do with all those negative thoughts, worries, and stress? Talking with a therapist can help you identify the origins of your anxiety. Once you know why your mind works the way it does you can take steps to rewire your brain.
Yes, it is possible to rewire your brain! Both Mindfulness techniques and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy show positive changes in the brain during brain scans. Negative emotions, thoughts and body sensations are often caused by unprocessed memories stored in the brain.
By processing distressing life events and learning tools and skills to help manage stress and anxiety you can “let it go!”
If you or someone you know is struggling with negative, anxious or worried thoughts please reach out for a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation with Andrea Harbeck, LCSW. Andrea can help you figure out the origins of your anxiety and guide you through the steps to finding a happier, healthier more balanced self.
What people are saying about working with Andrea:
“Andrea helped me develop some real-time coping skills and introduced me to the benefits of EMDR. Through that work, I’ve been able to drastically reduce my stress levels, gain a better understanding of myself and my triggers, and generally live life in a more balanced way.”
Client Testimonial
“Andrea has been tremendously supportive in helping me cope with and find solutions to living with anxiety, which I have struggled with for more than a decade. Together we have used the EMDR technique to get to the root cause of many of my negative thoughts and feelings. With Andrea's help, I have found more happiness in my day-to-day life.”
Client Testimonial