The onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year made many people seek the help of anxiety therapists in Alabama and elsewhere. They learned healthy ways of coping with lockdowns and uncertainty with the help of online therapy.
A little over a year later, people are experiencing anxiety again, but from the other side of the road. The pandemic is not as threatening as it once was, a lot of people have gotten fully vaccinated, and businesses, schools, and offices are opening up.
This return to normal is, in fact, a kind of uncertainty. If you’re struggling with it and feeling anxiety around it, here’s how a psychodynamic psychologist can help you:
What a Psychodynamic Psychologist Does
A psychodynamic psychologist will administer psychodynamic therapy, which focuses on helping you speak freely and explore your feelings.
Unlike other forms of therapy—such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—psychodynamic therapy doesn’t apply a rigid structure to sessions.
Instead, the emphasis is on recognizing the behavioral and thought patterns and how they impact a person.
Psychodynamic Therapy
If you’ve struggled with an anxiety disorder or a panic disorder before the pandemic, reopening announcements can trigger those feelings.
In psychodynamic therapy, you’ll learn how to discuss those uncomfortable emotions, their effects, and even their origins. You’ll identify the patterns that you follow in your thinking—and how they add to your uncomfortable feelings or end up causing them.
Ultimately, psychodynamic therapy increases your self-awareness and gives you greater insight into why you behave or think in the ways you do. It can equip you with the tools you need to create different thought patterns.
Psychodynamic Therapy and Reopening Anxiety
If you’re finding it difficult to deal with reopening anxiety, psychodynamic therapy can help you in the following ways:
- It’ll help you pinpoint the source of your anxiety, which varies from person to person. For you, it might be the idea of being in close proximity with your coworkers. For others, it might be the thought of being away from their family.
- It’ll allow you to express the uncomfortable, distressing, or even contradictory feelings that you might be experiencing about the world going ‘back to normal’.
- It’ll enable you to deal more effectively with your anxiety or anxiety-inducing thoughts in a productive, healthier manner.
Other Considerations
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- If you’re still not comfortable with in-person sessions, consider working with a therapist who offers alternative options.
- Understand that you’re not alone in experiencing reopening anxiety, and discussing your fears with other people in similar situations can be helpful.
- Don’t obsess over the things that aren’t in your control. Instead, focus on the things that you can control and find the healthiest ways of doing so.
- Take things slow and prioritize your wellbeing. If you need more time to adjust to your new work environment, see what you can do about making it happen.
As an anxiety therapist in Birmingham, AL, I also work with people from Hoover, Vestavia Hills, and Mountain Brook who require counseling services for anxiety. Book a consultation by messaging me or calling me at (205) 251-8808