Anxiety is a response to fear. The challenge with long term or chronic anxiety is that we often no longer know what we are afraid of. 

When we have been feeling anxious all the time for as long as we can remember, it can be hard to acknowledge that fear is at the root of anxiety and harder still to identify the source.

That's what counselling helps with. Working together, we can discover the triggers of your anxiety. Once you find out those triggers, then it is possible to address the root fears. 

The thing to remember is that anxiety is a normal and essential response to a threat. Anxiety is a problem when a) we don't know what is causing it, and b) it is preventing us from living a full and healthy life. 

Here's an example from my own life. I have social anxiety. Recently I went on a canoe trip with a bunch of people I didn't know. Before the trip, I was feeling anxious and worried about fitting in. A few years ago, this feeling would have been much strong and likely would have made me sick. And if I had signed up for the trip, I would have cancelled at the last minute. Instead, I can now recognize the feeling, and I understand the trigger. This in itself diffuses a lot of the anxiety I feel as I know where it is coming from, and I know why I am feeling it. By acknowledging the feeling and countering negative self-talk I have about taking part in a group, I can move beyond the anxiety and have a fantastic experience. 

If you suffer from anxiety and are not living a full and rewarding life, please call me, 604.358.7580.
Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
— ARTHUR SOMERS ROCHE
Check out these pages to learn more.