Embedded in the human experience are the feelings of anxiety and depression. Although these are feelings anyone can experience at some point in time, not everyone can effectively manage living with them. If you’ve found yourself struggling to overcome the obstacles set before you by either condition, my team and I can help. Tatra-Li de la Rosa Counseling & Therapy offers professional, client-centered treatment for anxiety and depression in our Santa Rosa, California, office and in a virtual setting.

Treating Anxiety Disorders

Not everyone struggles to manage anxiety, but it is a common feeling that is uncomfortable and we tend to want to avoid. So how do we live with it, knowing it is natural but also knowing that if left unabated, it can take over our lives?

My work with clients’ anxiety is based in the premise that we must develop a relationship with it, instead of against it. This concept in itself can bring a lot of fear and trepidation, as most of us work very hard to get away from anxiety (denial, dismissal, minimization, escape) and unfortunately, this usually only makes it worse. Anxiety has a message and it wants us to hear it. If we can develop a way to relate with it, anxiety can learn to trust us. When it does, anxiety usually begins to relent, freeing our bodies and minds from its grip so we can get on with the business of living our lives.

When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy – as opposed to anxiety medication – treats more than just symptoms to the problem. Often, these are the symptoms of anxiety:

• Nervousness, restlessness or being tense
• Feelings of danger, panic or dread
• Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
• Increased or heavy sweating
• Trembling or muscle twitching
• Weakness or lethargy
• Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
• Insomnia
• Obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that has occurred in the past, a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder

Mental health counseling can help you to make sense of the underlying fears and worries that anxiety grabs onto, while also teaching you to new coping skills so you can effectively address it in the present moment.

Depression Treatment

Depression can manifest in many ways, and often presents differently from person to person. Some clients find they can generally function while depressed, but that the quality of their lives isn’t where it should be. For others, summoning the energy and willpower for even the most routine tasks and activities requires a Herculean effort. Symptoms of depression can include:

• Lethargy and overwhelm
• Changes in appetite or sleep
• Despair about the future
• Obsessive, self-critical thoughts
• Procrastination
• Irritability
• Not finding pleasure in usually pleasurable things
• Difficulty making decisions
• Disorganization
• Difficulty with time management and scheduling

My team and I can help you better understand how to manage your depression symptoms, process your feelings in a healthy manner, and learn how to eventually break free from its grasp.

Seek Professional Help for Anxiety & Depression Today

If you suffer from an anxiety or depression disorder, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation. Tatra-Li de la Rosa Counseling & Therapy is based in Santa Rosa and also offers virtual therapy for all residents of California.