ANXIETY THERAPY FOR ADULTS
When your mind keeps going, even when everything else has slowed down.
You might find yourself replaying conversations, worrying about your performance at work, anticipating conflict in your relationships, or thinking through everything that could go wrong. Even when you recognize that your concerns may be unlikely, it can be difficult to move past them.
Therapy can help you understand the patterns behind your anxiety, manage uncertainty, and develop practical skills for navigating stress, communicating your needs, and approaching difficult situations with greater confidence.
WHEN ANXIETY BECOMES PART OF THE ROUTINE
Sometimes worry starts making the decisions.
Anxiety can influence how you approach everyday situations, from putting off a difficult conversation with your partner to second-guessing yourself at work, avoiding conflict, or seeking reassurance when things feel uncertain. These responses may provide temporary relief, but they can also keep anxiety going.
Over time, you might notice yourself spending more energy anticipating what could go wrong than responding to what's actually happening. Therapy can help you recognize these patterns, strengthen communication and boundary-setting skills, and approach challenging situations differently.
Sometimes worry starts making the decisions.
Anxiety can influence how you approach everyday situations, from putting off difficult conversations to seeking reassurance or avoiding things that feel uncertain. These responses may provide temporary relief, but they can also keep anxiety going.
Over time, you might notice yourself spending more energy anticipating what could go wrong than responding to what's actually happening. Therapy can help you recognize these patterns and begin approaching situations differently.
Anxiety doesn't always look the same.
Anxiety can affect how you think, make decisions, respond to uncertainty, and move through everyday situations. Some patterns are easier to recognize than others.
Persistent worry.
Thinking through every possible outcome, anticipating problems, or finding it difficult to set a concern aside even when there's nothing more you can do about it.
Avoidance.
Putting off conversations, decisions, or situations that bring up anxiety. Avoiding them may feel better temporarily, but can make them harder to face later.
Seeking reassurance.
Repeatedly checking, asking others for confirmation, or reviewing decisions to feel more certain. The relief often doesn't last very long.
Physical anxiety.
Feeling restless, tense, or on edge, having trouble sleeping, or noticing physical symptoms such as a racing heart or tightness in your chest when anxiety increases.
We don't have to believe every anxious thought.
I use evidence-based approaches to help clients understand how anxiety operates and change the patterns that keep it going. Treatment may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and exposure-based strategies, depending on your concerns.
Understanding the pattern.
We'll look at how worry, avoidance, and reassurance-seeking may be affecting your anxiety, including the ways short-term relief can make a problem harder to manage over time.
Approaching what feels difficult.
When appropriate, we'll work on gradually approaching situations you've been avoiding and developing more confidence in your ability to tolerate discomfort. Exposure-based strategies, including exposure and response prevention (ERP) when clinically indicated, can be part of this work.
Responding differently to uncertainty.
Rather than trying to eliminate every anxious thought, we'll practice responding to uncertainty with greater flexibility and making decisions based on what's important to you.
A little more clarity.
A few questions about anxiety, how it affects everyday life, and what treatment might involve.
How do I know if my anxiety is something therapy can help with?
Anxiety is a normal human experience, but it can become difficult to manage when worry, avoidance, or physical symptoms begin affecting your daily life.
You might notice that anxiety is influencing decisions, relationships, work, sleep, or your willingness to try new things. Therapy can help you understand these patterns and develop ways to respond differently.
Why does avoiding something make my anxiety worse?
Avoidance often reduces anxiety in the short term, which can make it tempting to keep avoiding the same situation.
Over time, however, avoidance can reinforce the belief that a situation is dangerous or unmanageable. Therapy can help you gradually approach difficult situations and develop greater tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms even when nothing is wrong medically?
Yes. Anxiety can involve physical symptoms such as muscle tension, restlessness, nausea, a racing heart, dizziness, or difficulty sleeping.
These symptoms can occur even when there isn't an immediate external threat. However, new or unexplained physical symptoms should also be evaluated medically rather than automatically attributed to anxiety.
What's the difference between CBT and ACT for anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on understanding how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. Treatment may involve examining unhelpful thinking patterns, changing avoidance behaviors, and practicing new responses.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes developing flexibility in how you respond to uncomfortable thoughts and feelings while taking actions consistent with your values.
These approaches can complement one another, depending on your concerns and treatment goals.
How can I tell the difference between anxiety and OCD?
Anxiety disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can both involve distressing thoughts, worry, and avoidance.
OCD typically involves obsessions, compulsions, or both. Compulsions may include repeated checking, reassurance-seeking, mental reviewing, or other behaviors intended to reduce distress or prevent a feared outcome.
Because these experiences can overlap, a clinical assessment can help clarify what's happening. Treatment approaches, including exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, may differ depending on the concerns involved.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Anxiety doesn't have to make every decision.
You don't need to wait until your anxiety becomes overwhelming to seek support. We can start by looking at what's been difficult and work on ways to approach worry, uncertainty, and everyday situations differently.
I offer online anxiety therapy for adults in California and New York.