Anxiety Treatment

Has Your Daily Stress Become Debilitating?

Do you struggle to balance your obligations between family, work, and school? Have your daily stressors escalated to the point that they’ve become unmanageable?

You may find that you can never slow your thoughts or stop your worries. Perhaps your mind races constantly, preventing you from being able to sleep, relax, or ever feel at ease. As a result, you may feel tired all the time and lack the energy to accomplish everyday tasks.

Anxiety looks different for different people. You may struggle with a severe, irrational fear of certain objects or situations, also known as a phobia. Or perhaps your anxiety has repeatedly caused unwanted thoughts or sensations or the urge to do something over and over again, which are often elements of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

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Conversely, anxiety may also provoke sudden episodes of intense fear that trigger severe symptoms mimicking a heart attack. These are known as panic attacks, and they often cause physical reactions that include heart palpitations, hypervigilance, and sweating.

Anxiety can also be brought on by social situations that stir fear or worry, such as going on a job interview, having a first date, or

meeting new people. If you’re impacted by social anxiety, you may experience intense fear, self-consciousness, and embarrassment when put in new situations with new people.

No matter what your worries are, they can be managed with the help of a professional. And at Rhapsody Behavioral Healthcare, we specialize in treating anxiety.

Anxiety Disorders Are A Mental Health Challenge For Many

Affecting some 40 million adults—or 18.1% of the population—anxiety disorders are the most prevailing mental health condition nationwide.

Because anxiety is the body’s emotional response to stress, it makes sense that nerve-wracking experiences like a job interview or a public speaking event often result in symptoms of anxiety. However, when prolonged or recurring feelings of worry and anxiety persist, or if the emotional reaction to a situation is disproportionate to the stressor, it may indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder. And depending on the severity of symptoms, anxiety may cause us to avoid new experiences, social situations, and other unknowns altogether.

Living with chronic anxiety can make everyday aspects of life feel unbearable, and unfortunately, even though anxiety can be managed, very few people seek treatment for it. Psychotherapy, however, is a very effective means for finding relief from daily symptoms of anxiety.

At Rhapsody Behavioral Healthcare, we can teach you more about anxiety, help you understand how it affects you, and take control of your life.

Therapeutic Treatment Is A Proven Way To Help You Manage Anxiety

Living with anxiety often means engaging in automatic thinking patterns or fear-based reactions, as opposed to calmly approaching problems with the confidence that there is a solution. Thus, we aim to leverage elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—also known as the gold standard for anxiety treatment—to help you manage stress.

Dealing with Social Anxiety Post-Pandemic

After being matched with one of our empathetic and culturally competent clinicians, you will be invited to a calm, nonjudgmental therapeutic space for an initial session to explore your history, symptoms, and the impact that anxiety has had on you. (If you’re working with other health professionals, this would be the time to discuss how to incorporate them into your treatment.)

During the second session, we will discuss your anxiety assessment and the best course of action for therapy. Using this information, your Rhapsody Behavioral therapist will create a treatment plan to provide you with the tools you need to regulate your emotions and reduce anxiety over time.

Our use of CBT can help you learn to challenge the negative thinking patterns that are

that are keeping you stuck in aperpetual loop of fear and worry. And because we aim to tailor treatment to meet your unique needs, we will work together to customize individualized coping strategies so that you can overcome the fear and obstacles created by your anxiety. This means that throughout ongoing sessions, we will explore lifestyle choices—such as exercise, nutrition, sleep hygiene, mindfulness, and meditation techniques—that can help you manage your anxiety.

We consider ourselves to be partners with you on this journey and, thus, will encourage a treatment approach that includes weekly goals to help you establish new, healthy habits. In the process, you will also learn strategies for dismantling the beliefs that cause your fears and underline your avoidance.

No matter what form your worries take, it’s possible to improve and find relief from your anxiety. Our clinicians will support you along the way, accompanying you on your journey to recovery with unwavering professionalism, compassion, and support.

Maybe you’re ready to commit to therapeutic treatment for anxiety, but you have some concerns…

I have thought this way all my life; I don’t see how anxiety treatment can help me.

Because anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, we understand that you may have struggled with these thinking patterns for a long time. But just because they’re deeply ingrained, does not mean they are untreatable. You deserve to live a life that is free of panic, distress, and constant worry. And by learning the valuable tools that therapy offers, you can manage and overcome anxiety once and for all.

I heard that there are effective medications for anxiety—can’t I just do that instead of therapy?

Many people take medications and go to therapy at the same time. Research suggests that a combination of therapy and medication is more effective in helping people to manage symptoms of anxiety than just taking medication by itself. And keep in mind that medication only works as long as you are taking it, whereas the behavioral strategies you learn in psychotherapy can last you a lifetime.

We are happy to assist you in accessing as many treatment options as you need and can partner with your physician or psychiatrist on your treatment plan if you desire. We can also provide referrals for psychiatrists (if you do not currently have one) who can assist you with finding a medication that works for you.

What will people think of me if they know I have an anxiety disorder or that I’m in therapy?

We recognize that, unfortunately, in our society, the stigma that mental illness carries remains prevalent. However, we pledge confidentiality and will not share any information about your anxiety treatment with anyone unless you have authorized us to do so.

Here at Rhapsody Behavioral Healthcare, we believe that taking the steps to improve your mental health is a highly commendable act. Nothing is more important than your health and well-being. And we encourage you to start the process of overcoming your anxiety by challenging yourself to be unafraid of putting yourself and your health first.

You Can Find Relief From Daily Stress And Worry

If daily stressors and negative thinking patterns have become too much to handle, anxiety treatment at Rhapsody Behavioral Healthcare can help you shift your perspective and regulate your emotions. Please contact us for a free, 15-minute consultation or to schedule an appointment for an intake session at our Downers Grove office. We are here to help.