Anxiety in the here and now can sometimes be a reflection of past trauma. It can feel overwhelming and exhausting. Therapy can help! One of the things that can be challenging about treating anxiety is that we need it to keep ourselves safe. Our brains automatically seek out threats in our environment. So consider thanking the part of you that gets anxious, and inviting it to take a step back now and again to allow you to experience life in the present. Even in the most difficult circumstances, learning ways to soothe our anxiety can give ourselves the opportunity to be mindfully in the moment. Anxiety can keep us from experiencing a whole range of underlying emotions, good, bad, and neutral.

Trauma can impact us in many ways, and can sometimes show up as symptoms of anxiety related to early coping mechanisms. We can work together to explore the impact of these symptoms as we look at the deeper issues connected to them.

Some of the ways anxiety can present itself:

• Nervousness, restlessness or tension
• Feelings of danger, panic or dread
• Rapid breathing or feeling like your heart is pounding
• Increased or heavy sweating
• Trembling or muscle twitching
• Weakness or lethargy
• Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
• Insomnia
• Obsessions or ruminating thoughts
• Hypervigilance

Therapy can help give you insight into the underlying causes of your anxiety, learn ways to feel grounded and connected to the present, and to look at some of the cultural or structural components of your experience that influence the way you feel and interact in the world.