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Gavin HamnettMS, LMHC
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Is it stress, or something more?

A plain way to tell stress from anxiety, and what to do if it is both.

Request a free consultation
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Who This Is For

Stress is usually a response to something in front of you: a deadline, a move, a sick parent, a hard month in the business. It tends to rise with the pressure and ease when the pressure passes. Anxiety is more like an alarm that keeps ringing after the fire is out, or rings when there was never a fire at all. The worry drifts from one thing to the next and doesn't settle when life does.

In real life, the two blur. Long stretches of stress can turn into anxiety, and anxiety makes ordinary stress feel bigger. You don't need to settle the label before reaching out. If either one is running more of your life than you want, that is enough.

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Signs to Pay Attention To

  • It doesn't let up

    The pressure ended weeks ago, and your body still acts like it hasn't.

  • The worry moves around

    As soon as one problem is solved, your mind finds the next one.

  • Your body is involved

    A tight chest, an upset stomach, poor sleep, or a jaw that won't unclench.

  • You are avoiding things

    Skipping calls, plans, or tasks because of how they make you feel.

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How I Work With Both

Whether it is stress or anxiety, I start with what your body is doing. With Hakomi and somatic work, we slow down and notice your breath, shoulders, and stomach when a worry shows up. That can give your system a chance to come down from high alert, sometimes for the first time in a while.

If it turns out to be anxiety, we also look at what keeps the alarm set so high. There is often an old lesson underneath, something like "if I relax, something bad will happen." Psychodynamic work traces where you learned it, so it has less say over your days.

More about my approach
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What Sessions Look Like

  1. Describe it in your words

    On the free 20 minute call, tell me what you are noticing. You don't need the right terms.

  2. Weekly to begin with

    Many clients start weekly and move to every other week as things calm down. Sessions are 55 minutes.

  3. In person or from home

    Rhinebeck, Hudson, or telehealth anywhere in New York State.

What Can Shift

Some stress is part of a full life. The aim isn't a life with no pressure in it. It is having enough steadiness inside that pressure doesn't knock you off yourself, and enough quiet to hear what you actually want.

"It's good to be me."

Rates in Brief

Sessions are $160 for 55 minutes. The first step is a complimentary 20 minute phone consultation.

Rates
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Questions People Ask

Do I need a diagnosis to start?

No. You can come in simply because stress or worry is taking up too much room.

Should I see a doctor too?

If you have physical symptoms that worry you, such as chest pain, please check with a doctor. Anxiety can feel physical, and so can other health problems.

Can stress turn into anxiety?

It can. Long stretches of pressure can leave your body on alert even after life calms down. That is something we can work with.

Related Pages

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Why Am I Always on Edge?

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Start With a Free Consultation

Send me a short message and I'll set up a free 20 minute phone call.

Request a free consultation (845) 532-8336