anxiety counseling

Why Do I Get Anxiety During Grocery Shopping?

Why Do I Get Anxiety During Grocery Shopping?

While it may sound niche, many people experience anxiety during trips to the grocery store. It is an increasingly common, yet overlooked issue. From making what feels like making endless decisions to navigating crowded supermarkets, grocery store anxiety has many causes. 

Ongoing grocery store anxiety can impede on your ability to enjoy grocery shopping or do it effectively. Your weekly trip to the supermarket for yourself and/or your family may become something you dread doing. Many people feel overwhelmed when it is time to do their restock, but with some calming techniques and the support of an anxiety therapist at Anchor Therapy, grocery shopping can become an enjoyable experience once again!

Do I Have Anxiety? Take the Quiz and Learn 5 Instant Calming Tips

Do I Have Anxiety? Take the Quiz and Learn 5 Instant Calming Tips

Anxiety is a normal human emotion despite what you may think about it. When you are not sure about what is going to happen over the next few minutes, days, or months, you may react to uncertainty with anxiety. 

Simply put, anxiety is a worry over a potential threat in your future. You may lie awake late at night wondering if your date is going to text you back. Pondering an uncomfortable conversation with a loved one may leave your stomach in knots days before the discussion even takes place. Before getting on a plane to travel for vacation, your heart may begin to race. If you struggle with plane anxiety, check out our blog “8 Tips To Overcome Flight Anxiety.

It is our human nature to want to get rid of these uncomfortable feelings and sensations as soon as possible; however, pushing them away may worsen your anxiety-related symptoms. Worrying about getting rid of your anxiety tells your nervous system that there is another thing to be anxious about, creating a loop where your anxiety is just made worse. Long-lasting anxiety that interferes with your day-to-day life may signal an anxiety disorder which requires the support of an anxiety therapist

Why Do I Get Anxiety In The Summer?

Why Do I Get Anxiety In The Summer?

As many of us know, weather and the changing of seasons can certainly affect our mood. Dark skies and cold temperatures that plague the winter doom can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, and depression. If you are struggling with this, check out our blog “What is Seasonal Affective Disorder and How Is It Treated?”. 

While many people, especially children and teens, look forward to the summer months, warm weather can negatively affect people too. Summer anxiety is a major issue that many people can deal with. By working with an anxiety therapist at Anchor Therapy, you can overcome your anxious thoughts and make the most out of your summer!

5 Breathwork Techniques To Decrease Anxiety

5 Breathwork Techniques To Decrease Anxiety

Breath patterns have a direct affect on one’s anxiety levels. Feeling anxious is overwhelming. Any sign of anxiety, whether cognitive or emotional, is uncomfortable, but physical anxiety signs can feel especially frightening, specifically shortness of breath. In fact, many people mistake an anxiety attack for a heart attack because of the severe physical symptoms.

When you feel anxiety building up inside of you, there are techniques out there to bring you back to a calm, balanced base level. One of these calming techniques is breathwork. Breathing exercises can be a long-term strategy for managing your anxiety successfully.

How to Talk to People When You Have Social Anxiety

How to Talk to People When You Have Social Anxiety

Have you ever been in a social situation where you did not know what to say to someone? Perhaps a situation where awkward silence filled the air? If you struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), then you know just how difficult small talk can be. 

At times, you may get in your own way when it comes to conversing with other people. Social anxiety and your insecurities can lead you to avoid social situations altogether. You may think that your opinions do not matter, or you cannot add any meaningful comments to a discussion. Over time, you can learn to become vulnerable, and connect with the people around you.

3 Ways to Relieve Sleep Anxiety

3 Ways to Relieve Sleep Anxiety

If you have sleep anxiety, you know how daunting bedtime can be. The constant tossing and turning. Feeling like you have a million things on your mind. Remembering those pesky tasks that you forgot to do throughout the day. No matter what you do, you can never seem to get comfortable and fully shut your mind off. 

Anxiety can help the body stay alert and focused, but there are situations where you have an anxious reaction to a seemingly normal life event, like sleeping. Anxiety with racing thoughts and physical symptoms can make it difficult to sleep. Anxiety in and of itself is a temporary experience but consistent anxiety symptoms can fully develop into an anxiety disorder. Luckily, you can learn about the causes of your nighttime anxiety and techniques on how to lessen your anxiety at night by working with a sleep therapist at Anchor Therapy

Navigating Train and Subway Anxiety: A Commuter’s Guide from Hoboken and Jersey City to New York City

Navigating Train and Subway Anxiety: A Commuter’s Guide from Hoboken and Jersey City to New York City

Fear of crime on public transportation is a big concern in a lot of cities throughout the United States and, as Hoboken and Jersey City commuters understand, New York City is no exception to this phenomenon. With constant news coverage highlighting the fear-inducing stories of physical violence occurring in the city, anxiety and stress levels naturally spike.

When you are on-edge, it may feel like every little thing is enhancing your anxiety from the screech of the train on the tracks to the sea of faces you see passing you by. There are many intricacies of train and subway anxiety that a Hoboken or Jersey City commuter can experience on their journey into New York City. Continue reading this blog to learn about the contributing factors of public transportation anxiety and how to apply practical strategies to navigate your anxiety concerns with strength!

Surviving Summer Internship Application Stress: Strategies for Stevens Institute Students in Hoboken

Surviving Summer Internship Application Stress: Strategies for Stevens Institute Students in Hoboken

In the modern-day world, it may feel like your academics come second to real world experience. After all, people often say that experience is everything, but how do you get this experience in the workforce? Especially if you are a freshman in college, the process of finding a college internship can feel overwhelming and you may not feel qualified for any of the positions that interest you. You may even find that a lot of the entry-level internships require you to have previous work or internship experience. Needless to say, the hours of time and dedication spent towards researching companies and preparing application materials can begin to feel hopeless.

While everyone is discussing their summer plans, you may feel a wave of anxiety running throughout your body since you are still awaiting your answer. Whether you are procrastinating the summer internship application process or you are waiting to hear back from employers, stress will naturally occur. While it can be tempting to let your stress consume you and to dwell on your current circumstance, that will not help your mental health in the long-run. Luckily, there are strategies you can adopt in your daily routine to put your mind at ease.

4 Ways to Cope with the Sunday Scaries

4 Ways to Cope with the Sunday Scaries

We have all felt it at one point or another. Maybe you are catching up on your favorite reality show on a Sunday night and all of a sudden, the Sunday Scaries creep in. Or maybe you are out with your friends having a ‘Sunday Funday’ when you start to feel the impending doom of your reality- tomorrow is Monday and you will return back to your regularly scheduled program. One moment you can be laughing and joking with your loved ones and, the next second, you are intensely focused on your never-ending to-do list for the upcoming week.

You may become consumed with stressful thoughts, from a not-so-ideal work environment to an upcoming exam. As you may have guessed, experiencing these high levels of stress and anxiety right when you are about to wrap your time off is not healthy.

Whether you call it the Sunday Scaries, the Sunday Blues, or the Dread, they all mean the same thing and they are a very real feeling everyone has experienced. While there is no universal cure for the Sunday Dread, there are some ways to cope.

How Psychodynamic Therapy Can Help You Overcome Anticipatory Anxiety

How Psychodynamic Therapy Can Help You Overcome Anticipatory Anxiety

At some point in time, every person has experienced anticipatory anxiety. Perhaps you are a teen who is preparing for your driving exam. Or you are an adult feeling anxious about becoming a new parent. Whatever situation you are experiencing, you can take comfort in knowing that anxiety is your body’s normal response to stress.

Most people tend to wonder or even stress about future situations or occurrences to some extent, but anticipatory anxiety can also become severe. Extremely high levels of anticipatory anxiety can have a negative impact on your daily life and everyday functioning.

4 Ways to Manage Your Relationship Anxiety

4 Ways to Manage Your Relationship Anxiety

Relationship anxiety can simply be defined as feelings of insecurity, worry, and doubt about your relationship, making you question your compatibility and future with your partner. Contrary to what you might believe, it is normal to have some level of anxiety about your relationship. You may question your significant other’s past partner or question if your long-term goals match up. But, if your relationship anxiety is beginning to cause severe issues for you, it is a sign that something is off.

Relationship anxiety can become an issue when it interferes with the growth of your relationship or even impacts other areas of your life, such as not being able to concentrate at the office. To help with this, read our blog “3 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance.” 

When you are feeling insecure in your relationship, you may feel easily stressed. In other cases, you may have a hard time deciphering your emotions. This inability to process your feelings can have problematic results, like separation anxiety or even burnout for your relationship.

Why Do We Cancel Plans When We’re Anxious?

Why Do We Cancel Plans When We’re Anxious?

We have all been there before- your anxiety creeps up, makes you rethink why you said “yes” to the plans in the first place, and then, eventually, you start brainstorming reasons as to why you are canceling. 

It can be uncomfortable to say “no”, especially if you struggle with pleasing people. If you think this may be something you struggle with, check out our blog “How To Know If You’re A People-Pleaser and The Psychology Behind It.” You may feel like you are letting someone down when you say “no” or you may feel like you are not good enough for the task at hand. Sometimes, your anxiety can get in the way and make it impossible for you to follow through on commitments.

In its most basic form, having plans can give you something fun to look forward to on your calendar and can fulfill your basic need for human connection. But, at its worst, it can leave you feeling like you are obligated to do something, dreaming about crossing out this event on your calendar in a bold black Sharpie.

Is There A Way To Overcome Claustrophobia?

Is There A Way To Overcome Claustrophobia?

Claustrophobia is a situational phobia that is caused by an intense and irrational fear of tight or crowded spaces. This fear of confined spaces can become an issue when the phobia interferes with your ability to function in daily life whether that be at work, school, or other activities. 

If we really wanted to, we could rationalize many fears. For example, you may have a fear of flying, also known as aerophobia, due to losing a loved one in a plane crash. This grief may have caused second-hand trauma which left you feeling extremely scared. If this is something you struggle with, check out our past blog “8 Tips To Overcome Flight Anxiety.”

We all try to avoid things or places that make us feel uncomfortable, but there is a distinct difference between a fear and a phobia. A phobia is an intense and irrational fear toward a thing(s) or situation(s). With phobias, it is also important to note that the fear you are experiencing does not match the actual danger presented in the feared situation or object.

When your phobia interferes with your ability to complete basic daily tasks, it is highly recommended that you seek the help of a phobia specialist. Phobias can negatively impact your life, straining your relationships and lowering your self-esteem

How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Decreases Anxiety

How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Decreases Anxiety

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, often simply referred to as REBT, is a form of psychotherapy that can help you to identify self-defeating thoughts and emotions. From there, you are able to challenge the unreasonable and unproductive feelings in order to replace them with more healthier and fruitful beliefs. 

REBT was created in the mid-1950s by a psychologist named Albert Ellis. This form of psychotherapy focuses on the present moment so you can understand how any unhealthy thoughts and beliefs you hold can trigger emotional distress. As a result of this emotional distress, unhealthy actions and behaviors can occur which can interfere with your goals and overall life.

The REBT approach will encourage you to dispute your irrational thinking so you can develop healthy emotional self-regulation skills to manage your anxiety

How Childhood Trauma Can Cause Anxiety, Depression, & PTSD

How Childhood Trauma Can Cause Anxiety, Depression, & PTSD

Childhood trauma can have a long lasting impact on people. If you suffer from childhood trauma, you may be more at risk for developing anxiety, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other mental disorders. By unpacking your trauma with a trauma therapist or anxiety counselor, you'll be able to process those memories and emotions, and feel like your best self again!

What Is Childhood Trauma?

Childhood trauma is the experience of an event by a child or teen that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects. Childhood trauma can occur when a child witnesses or experiences overwhelming negative events in childhood. Children are too young to process events they experienced which causes them to repress, or bury, the memory.

3 Ways to Manage Your Physical Anxiety Symptoms

3 Ways to Manage Your Physical Anxiety Symptoms

If you have anxiety, you know what it feels like to be worried, nervous, and/or afraid about typical everyday events. Your anxiety can feel upsetting and difficult to manage. Anxiety can make your life a daily struggle, and may even leave you questioning many things- from your safety to your own anxiety symptoms. 

Oftentimes, anxiety can physically manifest in your body. Many people may think that they are being dramatic or simply imagining the physical symptoms of anxiety, but they are 100% real. Some people with anxiety may experience physical symptoms while others may not. 

Think back to a time where you felt nervous. Perhaps you were preparing for a big presentation at work and you noticed that your palms started to sweat and your legs felt shaky. Maybe you were preparing for a first date, and started to experience some dating anxiety. You may have begun to feel sick to your stomach and experienced an increased heart rate. You might have linked these physical symptoms to nervousness, but were unsure of the exact reason as to why you did not feel good.

Most people will experience anxiety on occasion; however, if you have an anxiety disorder, these feelings and symptoms may be the norm for you.

3 Steps to Overcoming Agoraphobia

3 Steps to Overcoming Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia, a rare type of anxiety disorder, involves being afraid of certain situations or places that make you feel trapped. Oftentimes, agoraphobia is mischaracterized. People may believe that the disorder only consists of a fear of open spaces; however, the reality of the disorder is much more complex. In addition to the fear or feeling of being trapped, there is a standard fear of feeling helpless or being embarrassed in public situations which may spark a panic attack.

The triggers of agoraphobia vary from person-to-person. For example, for some people, a trigger may be an airplane while, for others, it is standing in a line at the grocery store waiting to checkout. Agoraphobia is not necessarily the fear of one place specifically. Instead, it is the fear that, if something bad were to occur, escape would be difficult. Because of this, another fear is developed about potentially having a panic attack in public.

When you confront agoraphobia, it can be difficult. If you struggle with the disorder, you are used to living life in an automatic state of dread. This fear can become so large that you avoid going in public at all costs, particularly in areas that are especially crowded. Overcoming agoraphobia can be a painstakingly difficult process since it involves confronting your fears, but please know it is completely possible! Overcoming agoraphobia does not occur overnight. With the help of a therapist for agoraphobia, you can get back to feeling like your best self again.

3 Ways to Overcome Health Anxiety

3 Ways to Overcome Health Anxiety

If you have health anxiety, you have an irrational and obsessive worry that you have a serious medical condition. Health anxiety takes other names, such as hypochondria and illness anxiety. Overall, healthy anxiety is marked when you have an imagination of physical symptoms of an illness.

In other cases, you may misinterpret minor or normal bodily sensations as symptoms of a serious disease. Even if medical professionals reassure you that you do not have an illness, you may have a hard time believing them and trusting their professional advice.

4 Ways To Cope With A Panic Disorder

4 Ways To Cope With A Panic Disorder

Some people experience panic attacks once or twice during their life, but others experience them constantly and more abruptly. Nobody likes to have panic attacks, and having them non-stop can take a toll on you. Panic disorders are exhausting and scary. A panic disorder is basically an ongoing case of unpredictable, intense panic attacks. The mental and physical symptoms can be so intense that seeking outside help, like the assistance of a panic disorder therapist near you, can be a great way to help you get the support you need.


Despite your best efforts to convince yourself that you are okay, panic attacks can still occur. While there is no universal magic cure to panic attacks, there are effective methods that you can learn to help manage your symptoms. This blog will give you a deeper understanding of panic attacks and panic disorder and what you can do to overcome and cope with them.