Therapy for Anxiety
Anxiety isn’t always panic attacks and worst-case scenarios. Sometimes it looks like a never-ending mental checklist, tension that won’t leave your shoulders, or that constant feeling of needing to do more, be better, or stay on alert—just in case.
If you find yourself overthinking everything, fearing failure, or always waiting for the other shoe to drop, you’re not alone. Many of the people I work with—perfectionists, people-pleasers, the chronically ill, the neurodivergent, and queer folks—live with a heavy undercurrent of anxiety. In fact, if this is you, it may have become so familiar to you that you almost don’t notice it… until you reach that breaking point where your body or your mind can’t carry the weight of it anymore.
When your mind won’t stop racing, even rest feels exhausting.
Signs Anxiety Might Be Negatively Impacting You
Constant overthinking or replaying conversations in your head
Showering might become a time to have arguments in your head – even though you know you won’t ever actually confront that person about it
Your friends complain about how much you talk about what your new romantic interest really meant
The thought of showing up at your favorite coffee shop makes you cringe after you told the barista “you too!” after they told you to enjoy your coffee
Difficulty sleeping or relaxing—your brain just won’t turn off
You might say you are a night owl, just because you are up late, but you really don’t feel energized at that time of day either
Your strategy for getting to sleep might look like exhausting yourself until you can’t stay awake anymore, doing something that engages you like video games or binge watching a show
Feeling restless, irritable, or like something is about to go wrong
“Trust your gut” never made sense to you, because if you lived that way, you’d never get anything done
It can feel like you are the one always messing up a good day, usually because the tone of your voice or pacing made someone else upset
Avoiding situations where you might be judged, fail, or lose control
You like your routine – new things, even when they are supposed to be good, feel stressful for you
Tests were awful for you growing up, and even now, when you feel like someone is trying to test you, you feel cornered and trapped
Tight chest, upset stomach, or other physical signs of stress
Sunday scaries might look like dry-heaving in the bathroom Monday morning, just begging you to not go to work
Headaches happen so much that you’ve started carrying pain meds around just in case
Feeling stuck between wanting to do everything just right and feeling paralyzed by indecision
Your loved ones might have mentioned how you need to “just do it”, and you get the feeling that you’ve talked their ears off
Sometimes it feels nice to have less options and choices, and you just wish someone would choose everything for you
Trouble asking for help or setting boundaries—even when you know you need to
You don’t want to upset anyone and are afraid that you might be asking too much of them
Conflict scares you, so you’d rather be inconvenienced than talk to the other person and actually address what’s hurting you
Worrying that something bad will happen if you finally slow down
Even good times feel unsafe – you feel like it won’t last
Overthinking almost makes you feel like at least you’ll be prepared for when the worst happens
Why Anxiety Shows Up, and What We Can Do About It
Anxiety isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you. It’s just your nervous system doing its best to keep you safe, like an alarm signaling that something is dangerous. It becomes a problem when the alarm is too sensitive and alerts at things that aren’t dangerous, when it won’t shut off, or when the alarm is so intense that it prevents one from actually taking steps towards safety.
Sometimes anxiety forms early—when unpredictability or emotional neglect left you feeling like you had to stay vigilant or perfect just to survive. Other times, anxiety stems from chronic stress, identity-based trauma, or the pressures of constantly performing or accommodating others. Think of your anxiety like an AI danger detector: the more chaos and overwhelm it’s exposed to, the more sensitive and reactive it becomes—constantly scanning for problems, even when you’re safe. If it gets ignored, it starts shouting louder just to make sure you can hear it, because that is its job.
In our work together, we’ll get curious about what your anxiety is trying to protect you from and help it learn that you don’t need it to be alerting you all of the time, as you are stronger and more capable of handling challenges as they arise.
How I Help
I approach anxiety from multiple angles: we can look at what’s happening in your body, what your thoughts are telling you, and what older patterns are still influencing how you show up in the world today. We'll work toward both immediate relief and deeper healing.
We might use:
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) or Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) to quickly reduce the intensity of anxiety triggers (especially if your anxiety is tied to specific memories, fears, or traumas).
Internal Family Systems (IFS) to identify the anxious parts of you that are trying to protect more vulnerable parts—and help them feel more supported and understood.
Sandtray Therapy to externalize your inner experience, especially when words feel too clinical, fast, or disconnected.
Alongside these, I will often bring in practical tools, like grounding techniques and sensory regulation, to help you stay present and soothe your nervous system. We’ll work together to interrupt the cycles that have been keeping you stuck in hypervigilance or emotional overload.
What It’s Like to Work Together
I try to bring a calming, compassionate presence to our sessions, without ever making you feel fragile or me getting overly clinical. You won’t be told to ‘just breathe’ or ‘think positive.’ I won’t overload you with generic coping skills either (because if you just needed a coping skill, you’d Google it), instead, we’ll focus on understanding and shifting what’s causing the distress in the first place. That said, we’ll still explore sensory tools or grounding techniques when they would genuinely help you feel more present.
With time, you can expect to:
Feel more grounded, present, and in control
Better understand your triggers and responses
Set boundaries without spiraling into guilt or fear
Quiet the mental noise that never seems to stop
Trust yourself to handle life, even when it’s uncertain
You Don’t Have to Stay in Fight or Flight Forever
If anxiety has been your constant companion, it might be hard to imagine life without it. But change is possible. Therapy can help you feel calmer, clearer, and more in charge of your life—no longer ruled by anxiety, but supported by self-trust.
