If you are thinking about getting counseling for your anxiety, you may wonder what the experience will be like. While all counselors are different, there are a few skills that are commonly taught and can make a big difference. To relieve any anxiety you have about your new counseling visit, here are a couple of examples of what you might be taught.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of your feelings without having to feel them. For example, instead of being overwhelmed by a feeling of panic, you can learn how to simply hold it aloft while thinking about how this feeling came to be, or how exactly it feels. How does your anxiety manifest itself? Do you feel a tightness in your chest, or have you just noticed yourself being more critical of people around you? Do you feel like everyone is attacking you, or do you feel panic and fear? Being mindful about how you feel anxious can help you to recognize potential causes and better deal with your feelings.

Truth Vs Feelings

Your therapist may also teach you how to differentiate between things that are actually happening and things that you feel may happen. For example, did your spouse or partner actually attack you, or did you just perceive their actions as something that could be hurtful? What is truth and what is anxiety? Your therapist can help you to learn to differentiate. 

Fighting Cycles

So much of treating anxiety is learning to recognize and get out of cycles. Many people experience patterns in their anxiety, meaning some triggers cause cycles that have been seen before. For example, you may gain and lose weight frequently, which can make you anxious about your appearance. Instead of allowing yourself to go through the cycle again, your therapist can help you to recognize patterns and then avoid falling back into the same old dance. Learning your personal patterns can help you to treat your anxiety more effectively. 

Anxiety can be extremely challenging in both your life and relationships. Instead of struggling through each day, get some help to deal with your anxiety as it happens. Anxiety counseling can have an incredible impact on your daily life. Instead of being nervous about what it might be like, you may just want to go and put into practice the things that you learn. To learn more, contact services like Lehigh Valley Counselors.