If you suffer from anxiety, then it's a really good idea to seek therapy. Calling up a therapist and making your first appointment may be a little intimidating, but if you can get over this first hurdle, there's a lot of healing and improvement waiting for you. It is helpful, however, to know what you can expect from anxiety therapy. Here is an overview. 

Expect slow but progressive results.

It's tempting, and natural, to want to evaluate how anxiety therapy is helping you after the first session. But if you can manage to do so, hold off on your judgment. Anxiety therapy won't cure you overnight. You may not even notice any improvements after the first session. And for some patients, the first session makes them feel so anxious that they feel it's not working at all. To really tell whether a particular therapist or type of therapy is working for you, it's important to give it time. Expect your results to be slow, but progressive. You are more likely to start to notice an improvement after three or four sessions, and then you'll continue to make additional improvements over time.

Expect to step outside of your comfort zone.

Therapy can make your anxiety better, but the therapy appointments themselves may not feel like great experiences at the time. Your therapist will do all they can to make you feel comfortable, welcome, and relaxed. But anxiety therapy does sometimes require that you face your anxiety head-on and deal with the feelings that come up. You may have to experience an anxiety-causing situation and sit with the anxiety, for instance. If you go into therapy knowing it will bring some challenges, you'll be better equipped to handle this.

Expect homework.

Your therapist will do what they can with you while you're in their office, but you will also have to do some of the work on your own time. Your therapist will likely send you home with homework after every session. For instance, if you suffer from social anxiety, they may tell you that you need to make at least one phone call to a friend that week and write down how it makes you feel. Therapy requires hard work on your part, and this can be intimidating. 

Hopefully, this article has given you a better idea of what you can expect if you undergo therapy for your anxiety. To learn more, visit a therapist at a clinic like Karine Masone Counseling.