Do you find yourself constantly worrying?!
Sometimes our minds get stuck in endless cycles of worry and rumination. What we worry about may change, but there’s always something that concerns us. Yet despite all the time and effort we put into worry, we don’t seem to get to any sort of solution or resolution.
Worry is like problem-solving gone awry
Our brains are incredibly useful machines. We can think through a number of different actions, predict how things may turn out, and come up with a lot of different ideas. In fact, many people prone to worry make excellent workers and are successful in school. They make deadlines, plan ahead, and are on top of things.
But sometimes worry doesn’t lead to any sort of solution or concrete action. Instead worry feeds on it self—creating more worry. Worrying can feel like we’re “doing something” when we’re actually spinning our wheels. It’s like trying problem solve something with no solution.
In the moment our worries can feel important, but we end up feeding the worry machine in the long-term.
Helpful worry vs. unhelpful worry
Worry isn’t always a bad thing. It helps alert us to deadlines, problems in relationships, and the quality of what we’re doing.
But it’s important to be able to distinguish between “constructive worry” and “unconstructive worry”:
- Constructive worry leads to concrete action and helps us move our life forward.
- Unconstructive worry creates needless pain and keeps us stuck.
Our minds are worry machines. We can’t turn them off, but we can learn to tune into constructive worry and tune out unconstructive worry.
How we work with worry
We can’t stop our minds from worrying—sometimes our minds can be “worry machines”—but we can make choices about whether we entertain these worries.
Treatment for worry involves helping people notice ways in which they become “hooked” by unhelpful worry and practice strategies for choosing whether to whether to engage the worry or not.
In working with worry, we draw from a semi-structured approach based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (said “act” for short). This semi-structured approach is tailored your needs.
Therapy might might start by looking at what shows up when you worry, looking closely at the machinery of your worry machine. The through activities and metaphors, we will help you learn and practice news skills to sift through the noise of your worry machine.
With some practice, you can learn to let go of worry and focus on things that are more important to you.
When people are better able to handle their ‘worry machine’ they often report these types of benefits:
- Being accepting of themselves and others
- Acting with more kindness and compassion to themselves and others
- Engaging fully in what they are doing and being fully present with others
- Courageous taking on new goals that felt too scary in the past
- Enjoy pleasure more fully
- To open up and share themselves emotionally and physically with others in close, personal relationships
- Getting out of their head and being present to their here-and-nowexperience
- More intimate and fun relationships
- Greater ability to concentrate and be productive at work
- A sense of ease and relaxation instead of concern and anticipating the worst
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This type of treatment is based in a type of psychotherapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (said “act” for short). ACT is an evidenced-based treatment, which means that it is based on the most recent science available and it is scientifically proven to be helpful in the long-term management of worry.
Admitting you need help is hard and trusting someone else with providing that help may be even harder. Investing in evidenced-based psychotherapy allows you the added trust and security in knowing that your psychotherapist keeps current on what science has to offer to most effectively treat your problem.
READY TO GET A FREE TELEPHONE CONSULTATION?
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Why Not Just Use Medication?
Using medication is an option that a lot of people take to address their issues with anxiety. Our commitment at Portland Psychotherapy Clinic is to help our clients so that they can live fuller and more meaningful lives. Our commitment is not just to help our clients feel better, we help them to live better. It’s a personal choice for you to decide if medication alone accomplishes this for you.
Can I Afford Therapy?
We take many forms of insurance and also provide sliding scale services to those in financial need.
What Can I Expect?
There is no easy way to tell how many sessions we would suggest, but in general most people are able to obtain significant results in their life after approximately 10 sessions. Our goal is not to keep people in therapy for longer than they need to be.
If you decide you are ready to start taking your life back, the first step is to send us your information below. We will then call or email you to and discuss how we can start to help. We can answer any questions you have about therapy and get you in contact with a therapist.
Why Not Buy A Workbook?
Self-help books can be a great resource and we can recommend some of our favorites to you. Consider though if a workbook has led to any long-lasting change in your life. If so, great! If not, then maybe it’s time to consider getting help from a professional.
To Review:
- Therapy is scientifically proven to be effective for many people with anxiety
- Therapy is effective in the long-term
- Therapy is not only for the rich
- Therapy does not have to take years