Individual counseling

 

Do you think you might have a Mental Health Problem?

 

When you wake up to start your day, does it feel like you only slept for ten minutes?  As you drag yourself out of bed, your body aches, your mind is unfocused and filled with negative thoughts.   Although it is a beautiful day, that doesn’t seem to motivate you.  You wonder if there’s any way to avoid work today, but there isn’t any.  Nothing seems to create any interest or excitement for you anymore.  All you want to do is crawl back into bed.

 

Do these thoughts ever come to mind?

• Why am I so angry?

• I have no energy to socialize with my friends or family

• I can't concentrate on my job/school

• My body hurts

• I wish I could find a way out of this misery

• I feel so tired all the time and I can never get enough sleep

• Is life worth living?

 

Maybe you are someone who worries about everything? 

In a given day, you might worry about work, your children,

your relationships, your health, all of it. Are you worrying about

issues that never seem important to anyone else? 

Do you find that your anxiety takes over your life?  

 

Can you relate to any of these thoughts or behaviors?

• I always ask questions that start with, “What if…”

• I avoid social events and situations.

• I stay home from work when I feel overwhelmed.

• I have difficulty sleeping.

• I have difficulty making decisions.

• I feel sick to my stomach when I worry.

• I can feel my heart racing and my breathing increase when I’m anxious.

 

If you said yes to any of these statements, you could be suffering from a mental health disorder.   Anxiety and depression are two very common disorders and are usually a response to a chemical imbalance in the brain.  It can also be a response to a traumatic event or major stressor.  Sometimes they are genetically inherited and sometimes it develops over time.  These disorders produce negative thoughts that can result in significant emotional and physical discomfort.  For some, it can be debilitating.  For others, the feelings can be less obvious and more difficult to recognize.  

 

How can counseling help me?

 

Whatever the cause or severity of the problems you are experiencing, talk therapy, or counseling, is an important part of treatment for mental health problems or disorders.  In the first session with one of our therapists, we will identify the problems that you are experiencing.  Once we figure out what issues need to be addressed, you and your therapist will develop a game plan to tackle them.  The therapists at Triangle Cognitive Therapy can teach you how to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and how they affect your life.  We will also work on putting positive, healthy activities back into your day.  Once you learn these skills and practice them consistently, you will start to see improvement in your mood and energy level. Your fears and anxiety will also become less intense and overwhelming.

 

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Treatment at Triangle Cognitive Therapy will teach you techniques that will help you become more aware of your negative thoughts that cause negative feelings.  Then we will find strategies to restructure your thinking, so that those thoughts lose their power over your feelings and behaviors.

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Anxiety is a normal emotion that every human being experiences.  It is a survival tool that triggers our fight or flight response when we sense danger.  When our body is preparing to physically fight or escape danger, our muscles need more oxygen.  This means that our breathing and heart rate may increase.  We may start to sweat or feel some nausea.  These are all tools that our body uses to keep us safe and protected.

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“I don't need therapy, I just need to stop being so lazy…”

 

At times people will say, “I just need to snap out of it and get my act together.”  Oftentimes, people who suffer from a mental health disorder are accused of being lazy.  This can’t be further from the truth.  Those who suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder may show other emotional or physical symptoms including poor sleep patterns, change in appetite, anger and irritability, poor concentration, and lack of energy.  Some people may experience stomach pain, nausea, or muscle pain without a medical explanation.  Many of these symptoms can be misconstrued as "laziness".  Sometimes it can be difficult to recognize depression or anxiety, so it can be hard to think of it as an illness.  Many people believe that the simple solution is to just stop complaining and get over it.  Yet, that plan always seems to be much easier said than done because the problems are often more complicated.

 

You don’t have to wait until your problems feel overwhelming and unmanageable to get help.  Right now, you might feel that you are barely functioning, or just getting through the day.  Wouldn’t it be great to feel the enjoyment and pleasure in life that you once felt?  Therapy is the first step toward achieving that goal.

 

I don’t have time for therapy…

 

Counseling is a treatment that is most effective when it is consistent.  I have found that therapy works best when meetings are scheduled weekly.  Regular therapy sessions not only require time, but are also a financial commitment.  When your energy is low, or feeling anxious, this commitment can feel especially overwhelming.  Think of therapy as the tool that strengthens your emotional foundation.  Your time in treatment is the investment that will help you feel stronger mentally and physically.  Therapy will help you channel your energy into positive activities that allow you to grow and move forward in your life.  You will feel more motivated to take on new challenges professionally and personally.

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“I feel worse when I talk about my problems.”

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Are you feeling tired of feeling so tired?

 

Are you tired of feeling tired, unmotivated, sad and angry?  Have your fears and anxieties take over your life and prevented you from moving forward?   It’s time to seek out counseling with Triangle Cognitive Therapy.  After the first few sessions, we will develop a plan that will address your emotional and physical needs.  If that plan includes referral to outside services, we have working relationships with many local providers.  There is help for the issues that you are experiencing and it starts with therapy at Triangle Cognitive Therapy.