Anxiety
You care a lot about things, including the impact you have in the world and on others around you. Over the years, bosses and teachers have adored you because you’re conscientious and reliable. Even in competitive settings, your commitment and work ethic stand out. You make an amazing and loyal friend, if you do say so yourself.
BUT (and it’s a big, double-edged-sword kind of but)
No one really knows how much you struggle behind the scenes, and you feel like a mess and a fraud. Your anxiety always seems to kick into full gear, ironically, when you finally have a few minutes to yourself.
It’s:
The panicky feelings and worried thoughts that race through your mind and predict all the bad things that can happen.
The desire to avoid specific people or situations because you’re afraid of what could go wrong—or because it just feels like too much
The extra time spent planning, rehearsing, and overdoing, to make sure you’ve got everything just perfect and that your worst nightmares don’t come true.
Most of the time, nothing catastrophic happens. But still, you can’t break the cycle. Sometimes, these characters also show up:
The inner critic who tells you’re simply never going to be enough, no matter what you do
The mind reader who says other people are judging and rejecting you, even if they’re just acting normal or nice.
The imposter syndrome that has you wondering whether you’re qualified or deserving enough to do the things that you’re already doing.
The people pleaser who says you need to keep your job, friends, and family happy and impressed with you, even at the expense of your own wants and needs.
It’s completely normal to have some anxiety. And as I’m sure you’re already aware, it can feel like your anxiety is helping you to get things done (whether or not that’s actually the case). For that reason, some people worry that if they make changes, they’ll become complacent. The truth is that you can still be the conscientious person you are, while dealing with these thoughts and feelings in more sustainable ways and taking care of yourself.
My tailored approach to treating anxiety includes practical tools from CBT and ACT, as well as insight-oriented and trauma-informed techniques that address root causes.
Without all that therapy jargon, this means we may be a great fit if you’d like to work on:
getting to know your inner critic, mind reader, imposter syndrome, or people pleasing tendencies, to learn more about why they do what they do and ultimately help them to relax
exploring and better understanding the sources of your anxiety, including the life experiences and systemic forces that inform it
doing the things you really want to do, but have been avoiding because of how you feel
changing your relationship to anxiety itself--so when it shows up, it’s not in charge and you can focus on what matters
If you’d like to learn more about working together, feel free to contact me for a consultation. We’ll talk about your situation, how therapy can help, and whether we may be a good fit to work together.