Learn more about anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common concerns I work with in my practice. Frankly, it’s one of the most talked about mental health concerns in both my personal and professional life. This isn’t just because of the pandemic; the truth is that virtually everyone experiences stress and anxiety-type symptoms throughout their life. I hope that knowing this brings you some comfort, and reassurance that even if the people around you aren’t talking about it, experiences of stress, overwhelm and anxiousness are shared by us all.
More often than not, the scariest part of anxiety is the unknown. You may not know that what you’re experiencing is anxiety all the time, or perhaps you’re unsure of what’s causing or worsening your anxiousness. And even if you do have a sense of what to expect or where it’s coming from, many of us worry how long anxiety will be around, how you’ll be able to engage in life the way you want to, or when this anxiousness will end.
Did you also notice that I said we worry about anxiety?
It’s true--a lot of people become more anxious when thinking about their anxiety! Especially when you’re unfamiliar with stress, intense emotions, and are struggling to cope, this extra layer of worry can really have you feeling stuck.
One of the most powerful things you can do to support yourself in coping with anxiety is acknowledging that it’s there. There’s a saying in the counselling world that we must, “name it to tame it”: by identifying your experiences and emotions, you are better equipped to manage them. This isn’t some sort of magical solution, but it is a crucial starting point. After all, we are much better equipped to deal with something when we know what we’re dealing with. Being able to meet your experiences with openness and curiosity, even if they are unpleasant, allows you to understand our struggles and respond to them in a targeted and more effective way.
To illustrate this point, I’ll ask you to imagine that you have stomach pain, and head to the doctor to get it checked out. You take a seat, the doctor asks you what’s going on, and you say, “my stomach hurts.”
What is the first thing your doctor is going to do? Ask questions!
They will likely want to know when the pain started, how intense the pain is, if it feels like digestive issues or muscle soreness, and if you have tried anything to relieve or address this pain.
This period of investigation and curiosity is crucial for determining what treatment or strategies will help you get relief.
After all, you would treat food poisoning differently than if your pain came from being winded by a basketball, or if your abdominal pain came from menstrual cramps or from doing too many crunches in the gym the day before. All of these could be considered, “stomach pain,” but it’s only when you build awareness, explore your options, and respond in accordance with what you find that you can find the right strategies to cope and heal.
That’s the main reason why I’ve developed our series of anxiety workshops. I want to help you learn more about anxiety with specific topics such as a general introduction to what anxiety is; the “high functioning” anxiety myth; how to use mindfulness with anxiety; and strategies and tools you might find helpful to manage your anxiety symptoms. These workshops are designed to equip you with general knowledge, and to prepare you to be curious about your experiences of anxiety.
You might learn what symptoms you tend to experience when anxious, or some strategies that might help you get quality sleep. Perhaps you might get a sense of clarity of the kind of changes you want to make in your life right now, like building in activities or routines that nurture your mental health or adapting your coping strategies to become more helpful and targeted for your unique situation.
We’d love to see you there!
Each of the workshops is created so that you can glean information from them individually - you don’t have to attend each one in order to understand what’s going on. That way, you can pick the workshops that are most applicable to you and what you are currently facing. You can find out more about each of the workshops being offered here.
Our workshops will be presented online throughout September and October. An important note, though, is that these workshops are designed to be informational; they are not a replacement for counselling sessions, nor are they group therapy.
I want to be clear that just because you experience symptoms of anxiety - like sleep difficulties, jitters, racing heartbeat, or stress sweats--does not mean you necessarily have a diagnosable condition. Whatever the severity or frequency of symptoms you have, please know you’re not alone; but, if you think you need one to one counselling, acupuncture or nutrition/health consultation, please reach out to one of our therapists outside of these workshops for a free consultation.
I look forward to seeing you and helping you explore ways to understand and manage the anxiety you are experiencing.
Learn more about our anxiety workshops
Serena Graf is a clinical counsellor at Panorama Wellness Group. Serena works online and specializes in helping people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and recovering from injury and concussion. She works often with athletes and those affected by workplace and motor vehicle injuries. She is a dynamic person who cares deeply about each and every one of her clients. Serena will be presenting seven workshops about anxiety. You can learn more about these workshops through the button above.
