Psychotherapy can help you manage your anxiety and lead a more productive life. If you’re ready to start your path, read on for 11 benefits of psychotherapy for anxiety, from starting a new chapter in your life to regaining control over your emotional life.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Is Effective

There’s a solid evidence base supporting the effectiveness of psychotherapies for anxiety. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems in the population, affecting as many as 9.4% of adults in the United States. This makes effective treatment even more critical. For example, regular psychotherapy can help people with anxiety achieve better outcomes than those who receive only medications. Psychotherapy can be a powerful tool for managing anxiety. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that therapy can help people with anxiety disorders reduce the amount and severity of their symptoms, including: – Worried thoughts – People who have anxiety often engage in repetitive, irrational thoughts such as being watched by others or that a specific event will happen. Psychotherapy can help people learn how to control these thoughts. It can also help them recognize the thoughts as irrational and find more effective ways to cope instead of letting them make them feel stressed out. – Anxiety symptoms – People with anxiety may have physical symptoms that make it difficult for them to function normally. Therapy can help them learn to alter these symptoms so they can function better. For example, people with social anxiety may have an increased heart rate and an increased number of bodily sensations such as sweating or a racing mind. Psychotherapy can help people learn to modify these symptoms so they can participate more fully in social situations.

Psychotherapy Can Change Your Thinking

We all have negative thoughts from time to time. But for many people, these thoughts become a negative pattern of thinking. This can wreak havoc on your life. For example, if you have a pattern of negative thinking that makes you feel like you’re not good enough, psychotherapy can help you identify this and change your thinking so you feel better about yourself. Psychotherapy can also help you identify the beliefs and patterns of thinking that contribute to your anxiety and work to change them. For example, if you have a pattern of negative thinking that leads you to believe that you’ll always be anxious, psychotherapy can help you identify this and change your thinking.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Can Help You Meet New People

Many people don’t know that anxiety exists. So people with anxiety often shy away from social situations and activities, missing out on opportunities to meet friends and make new connections. Psychotherapy can help you overcome this fear and get back out there. It can teach you how to manage your anxiety so you feel more confident and don’t try to overcompensate for your insecurities by being overly sociable. It can also help you build relationships and make new friends, creating a network of supports that you can rely on in your times of need.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Can Help You Manage Your Emotions

When you’re anxious, you often feel like your emotions are running away with you. You may feel like you can’t control how you feel or what you do. You may also feel overwhelmed by all the emotions you have. Psychotherapy can help you gain awareness of your emotions and learn to differentiate between normal, healthy feelings and those that interfere with your ability to function.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Reduces Physical Symptoms

Many people with anxiety have physical symptoms that interfere with their ability to function. These may include: – Increased heart rate – Physical symptoms that may be linked to anxiety can make it feel as if your heart is racing out of control. – Muscles tighten – Physical symptoms that may be linked to anxiety can make it feel as if your muscles are constantly tensed or contracting. – Breathing becomes rapid – Physical symptoms that may be linked to anxiety can make it feel as if your breathing is too rapid or too shallow.

Psychotherapy Helps You Set Goals and Maintain them

Many anxiety disorders are associated with high levels of avoidance behavior — the avoidance of situations or activities that make you anxious. For example, you may avoid talking to people because you’re anxious about meeting them. Or you may avoid seeing a health care professional because it involves a possible conflict with the way you view yourself. Psychotherapy can help you set more realistic goals for yourself and work toward them, breaking down avoidance behavior and gaining greater clarity about your life and where you want to go.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety Strengthens Relationships

Many people with anxiety struggle to maintain healthy relationships. They often avoid situations and people that could bring them joy and connection. Psychotherapy can help you overcome this fear and develop more balanced relationships with others. It can help you set boundaries and express your needs in a way that doesn’t put others at risk of being hurt. This can open up new opportunities to connect with others and make new friends. Plus, it can create a supportive network of supports that you can go to when you need a boost.