Do you find yourself worrying about things before they happen?

Do you find yourself fixating on school, work, or the future? Do you find it hard to relax or un-wind?

It may be that you are experiencing anxiety or excessive worry. Young adults experience a lot of stress in today’s fast-paced, demanding, and media-saturated world. While it is normal for individuals to experience stress throughout life, some people have more persistent anxiety that interferes significantly with daily personal and social functioning. Sometimes anxiety is due to an identifiable stressor such as performance or social anxiety, but oftentimes it occurs for no obvious reason at all. It may be difficult to determine if your worries and fears are “normal” or may actually constitute an anxiety disorder.

There are some common signs of anxiety in young adults. You may find you have excessive fear, worry, or shyness, and may begin to avoid certain situations. Sleep disturbance, excessive reassurance seeking, physical restlessness, appetite changes, and feelings of hopelessness are also commonly seen in those with anxiety disorders.

In working with a counselor, you will learn that anxiety disorders are very treatable with strategies that teach you how anxiety works and what to do to manage it. You will learn about the thought-body-behavior chain associated with anxiety and gain tools such as relaxation, gradual exposure to fears, and coping thoughts. With the guidance of a counselor, you can learn to incorporate strategies such as abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery into your daily routine to reduce anxiety and worrisome thoughts. Support from a psychologist or counselor can also help you to form a different relationship with your anxious thoughts, through increased awareness of anxious thinking traps and forming more accurate, helpful thought patterns. 

An experienced psychologist will also encourage you to practice mindfulness— an effective, research-supported tool for managing anxiety. Mindfulness strengthens brain connections in a way that helps to calm us down and stay in the present when faced with anxiety. Psychologists are also specially trained to help motivate you to better prioritize self-care, including healthier eating, sleep hygiene, and exercise.  

With the guidance and support of a therapist, you and you can develop confidence and success in tackling worries and fears.