Women’s Anxiety Treatment in Denver: A Therapist’s Guide
Did you know that women experience anxiety at nearly twice the rate of men? When you think about all the different hats women are expected to wear, it starts to make sense - working professional, parent, childbearing partner, housekeeper, emotional support for everyone in the family - the list goes on. Juggling all of these different roles can make us overwhelmed, cause us to overthink, and generally worry and feel more stressed. Sometimes, it feels like overthinking, over-planning and going down anxious thought spirals is necessary to keep everything in our life afloat. And this can be true - sometimes, a little bit of anxiety can be good for us to keep us motivated, driven and on-task. But too much anxiety can start to feel paralyzing, suffocating and make your nervous system go haywire. I’m a Denver anxiety therapist, and through this blog post I’ll help you dig a bit deeper to explore how anxiety shows up in women, and how you can treat it.
How Anxiety Shows Up in Women
If you’re a woman dealing with anxiety, you know how overwhelming it can be, and how impossible it can feel to simply relax and be present. It can feel like worrying all day long, taking hours to get to sleep and a constant pit in your stomach is just a way of life. Here are some examples of how what anxiety looks like in women:
Constant worry or “anxiety spirals”
Irritability or feeling short-tempered with loved ones
Difficulty focusing
Self-doubt and negative self-talk
Avoidance or withdrawal from things that you find stressful
Experiencing a sense of doom when no threat is present
Aches and pains, such as stomach aches, headaches or migraines or tension in your shoulders, neck or back
Elevated heart rate, shortness of breath or panic attacks
Restlessness, shakiness or sweating
Feelings of fatigue, exhaustion or weakness
Difficulties with falling asleep or staying asleep, often kept up by worries and anxieties
How anxiety shows up varies from person to person, even within genders. Some women may experience only a few of these symptoms and still find them debilitating, while someone else may check every box on this list. If you’re a woman in Denver and this list resonates with you, the good news is there are options for getting help. Check out my page on therapy for anxiety to learn about more symptoms of anxiety and treatment options.
Solutions to Your Anxiety in Denver
There are many things that you can do in your day-to-day that are within your own control and can have a positive impact on your anxiety. Here are some ideas for solutions to your anxiety as a woman in Denver:
Diet and Exercise
Lifestyle choices can have a hugely positive impact on your anxiety. Research consistently shows that regular exercise is associated with reduced anxiety - this can look like yoga, cardio, going for daily walks or spending time at the gym. Denver has an amazing public parks system that provides tons of opportunities for walks, jogs and bike rides, and Denver Recreation Centers are a great cost-effective option for gym membership. When you find an exercise routine that works for you, it can make such a difference in how anxious you feel day-to-day, and how to manage stressful things when they do come up. Eating a balanced diet is also important - foods that cause inflammation and blood sugar surges can make anxiety much worse, whereas a diet that prioritizes whole foods that meet your body’s nutritional needs can help your mood to feel more stable.
Spend Time in Nature
Research also supports the idea that spending time in nature, away from all the stimulation of the city can be hugely beneficial for both health and mental health. Not only are there so many options for nature within Denver’s parks, but a short drive to Golden, Boulder or Greenwood Village can yield even more options for hiking, biking or walking trails.
Sleep Hygiene
Getting enough sleep every night is crucial in managing anxiety and stress. This can sometimes feel like a catch-22, since it is often anxiety that is keeping you up at night! Working with a trained anxiety therapist can help you create a relaxing, de-stimulating bedtime routine and build coping tools to deal with insomnia that’s stemming from your anxiety.
Present Moment Awareness
Practicing mindfulness, or present-moment awareness helps us to get out of our overthinking, racing minds and focus on what is going on around us, which is usually less stressful than the reality that our brain has created. For tips on practicing present-moment awareness in your day-to-day, check out my blog on this topic.
For more tools on coping with anxiety in Denver, check out my page on strategies for overcoming anxiety.
Therapy as Treatment for Anxiety in Women
As women, we can sometimes feel like managing our anxiety is one more thing we need to handle on our own. It can feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness. Or maybe it feels like we don’t really “need” therapy, what we “need” is to get a break from all the stress and demands of our lives. But most of the time, this just isn’t realistic. And, asking for help is actually a sign of strength. Here are some different approaches that an anxiety therapist can use to help you feel more calm, at peace and in charge of your life:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on the relationship between a situation, your thoughts and your feelings. Through CBT, you will learn to identify different ways in which your brain sends you distorted thoughts that are not reflective of reality, and end up making you feel anxious, depressed or insecure. You will learn skills to challenge these distorted thought patterns to help you feel less anxious.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that brings in a focus on values and mindfulness. Not only will you learn to change your relationship to distorted thinking patterns, but you will learn to identify your values in life and find ways to live by them, as well as build tools to embrace mindfulness, or awareness of the present moment (without judgment!) in your life.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic therapy works by exploring experiences from your past (childhood, family dynamics, experiences in school or other past relationships) and identifying how these experiences may have taught you lessons that are continuing to shape how you function and feel about yourself in the present. A lot of times anxiety originates in childhood, whether it was a learned behavior displayed by caregivers or was a response to stressful or unstable circumstances. Connecting to these experiences can help you to be intentional about reframing your narrative, un-learning these lessons and addressing their impact in your day-to-day.
Anxiety Therapy in Denver at Root to Rise Therapy
Managing anxiety as a woman in Denver can feel daunting, but by implementing some of the above strategies, you can find calm and healing in your life. When it feels like the above solutions just aren’t cutting it, therapy can help. A trained anxiety therapist can help you identify your triggers, change your relationship to anxious thoughts and behaviors, and get to the root of what causes your anxiety. If you are ready to regain control of your life and take anxiety out of the driver’s seat, reach out to start anxiety therapy in Denver today.
Other Services at Root to Rise Therapy:
Other mental health services at Root to Rise Therapy include Therapy for Anxiety, Therapy for Perfectionism, Therapy for People-Pleasing, Cultural Identity Counseling, ADHD Therapy, Counseling for Moms and Postpartum Counseling. I see clients located inColorado, New York and New Jersey. Contact me to learn more about how I can help you overcome anxiety and reclaim your life!
