with Heredia Therapy Group
Are you overwhelmed with stress or worry? Have your thoughts been racing through your head or keeping you up at night? Does anxiety keep you from resting, connecting, or doing the things that matter most?
We want to help.
Heredia Therapy Group offers therapy for anxiety for kids and adults because no one should have to struggle alone. Anxiety is an incredibly common problem, and thankfully it is also very treatable.
Anxiety is the natural, motivational, and emotional response to threat. The American Psychological Association website defines anxiety as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure”.
Early humans needed anxiety to help keep them alert, watchful and energized in case of an encounter with a predator. Although we don’t need to worry about that so much these days, anxiety helps modern people stay productive and active. If you didn’t feel anxious about showing up late to work, for example, you might get fired for lateness. Or, if you didn’t feel worried about failing a test, you might not study for it.
For the most part, anxiety is actually quite healthy and helpful. But when we have anxiety overload, it gets in the way of wellness.
Anxiety can happen in many different ways. Sometimes we experience unhealthy anxiety because of our responsibilities (e.g., work). Sometimes we experience anxiety because of hardships from the past, such as bullying or abuse. And sometimes, we experience anxiety because of uncertainty about the future (e.g., finding or choosing a romantic partner, worrying about paying rent, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.).
The mind and body are equipped to handle short-term anxiety – but when we stress and struggle long-term, there are consequences. Left untreated, anxiety can affect performance at school and work, decrease one’s sense of connection with others, and even increase the likelihood of developing medical complications (e.g., high blood pressure, elevated pain levels, decreased immune response).
Anxiety tends to make itself worse over time by creating a cycle of avoidance.
Anxious thoughts, feelings, and sensations are incredibly uncomfortable, which motivates us to avoid them when possible. In some cases, we can use the anxiety by taking action to make things better (e.g., study for the test we are worried about). But often, we try to avoid the anxiety altogether (e.g., procrastinating, tuning out, etc.).
When we avoid the thing that makes us anxious, the anxiety response becomes stronger. It’s almost like taking a beach ball and trying to push it down under the water so that you don’t have to look at it. Over time, the beach ball feels harder and harder to hold down, and we become exhausted.
Therapy for anxiety helps you learn to accept the anxiety for what it is, use practical strategies for coping, and focus on living a functional, meaningful life. Instead of spending all your time pushing the beach ball down, you can learn to cope with it at the moment and just enjoy the water.
Fill out this intake form, and take the first step of your mental health journey!
Check out our Meet the Team section to read about who we are and what we do! Our hope is that you feel welcome and encouraged so that, when you are ready, we can get started your wellness journey.
Areas Served:
Baldwin Park | El Monte | Whittier | Hacienda Heights | La Habra Heights | Rowland Heights | Walnut | Diamond Bar | West Covina | Montebello | La Puente | Lynwood | Norwalk | Pico Rivera | South Gate | Santa Fe Springs | Bell Gardens | Paramount | Lakewood | Cerritos | Compton | Huntington Park | and Surrounding Areas
To reach us by phone: (562).821.1491