When Anxiety Starts Getting in the Way
I often hear clients say they feel like they can’t “turn off” their brains or that they just can’t relax. It can be difficult to stay present when your mind is constantly thinking about what might happen next.
This can show up in everyday life—having trouble focusing at work or school, lying awake at night with racing thoughts, or feeling more irritable with the people you care about.
One pattern I often see in my work with anxiety is avoidance. When something makes us anxious, it makes sense that we’d want to get away from it. Our brains are designed to notice potential threats and tell us when we need to protect ourselves.
The problem is that anxiety can sometimes act like a faulty alarm system. The alarm goes off even when we’re not actually in danger. Avoiding the situation may help us feel better in the moment, but over time, it can reinforce the idea that the situation is something we need to fear.
Part of our work in therapy is learning to understand this alarm system and develop new ways of responding to anxiety—so that fear doesn’t have to make all of your decisions for you.
CBT and ACT Therapy for Treatment of Anxiety
There are many approaches to treating anxiety. In my practice, I use evidence-based therapies that have been shown to be effective, including CBT and ACT.
These approaches can help you better understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together, we may explore patterns of thinking that contribute to anxiety or keep you feeling stuck, and learn practical ways to respond differently.
Sometimes, simply becoming more aware of these patterns can be the first step toward meaningful change.
Want to Learn More?
You don’t need to know exactly what you want to work on when you set up a consultation, we can simply chat about what is bothering you right now and whether my practice may be a good fit for your needs.
