Anxiety Therapy
in San Diego and across CA, NY & AZ
Finally find calm and confidence within yourself.
Lately the critical voice in your head, constant racing thoughts and nervousness about every interaction have become too much to handle on your own.
Maybe you are…
Second-guessing yourself about the project you turned in yesterday and then all of a sudden you realize you’ve been staring at your computer screen for 30 minutes and haven’t gotten any work done.
Thinking about the argument your mom and brother are going through, worrying about what you should do about it and what it means for Thanksgiving.
Feel on-edge and nervous from the moment your alarm goes off in the morning thinking about everything you have to do.
Trying to get your heart rate to slow down but that nervous thought spiral about how that conversation with your friend is going to go later keeps popping into your head.
Wanting to enjoy a dinner with your friends but your inner critical voice is telling you how stupid you just sounded a minute ago.
Asking 4 different friends what they think you should do about that co-worker issue and now you really don’t know what to do.
Trying to figure out what your next steps should be with your career (Should I change jobs, Or should I stay put?) or in your relationship (Are they right for me? Should we break up?), but you get too overwhelmed and then feel frozen in place.
You may have realized that it is affecting your day to day quality of living and you’re just plain tired from nagging worries. Sometimes it’s taking time away from what you’d rather be doing and makes socializing feel like you’re walking through a minefield. You didn’t used to let these worries take over your life and your voice in your head beats you up for that at the end of your day. Even when you’re supposed to be sitting on your couch relaxing, you’re still busy worrying. However you’re experiencing it- whether it’s thinking the same thought over and over about what you should do, second-guessing that thing you said earlier, or feeling your chest tighten and heart beat faster before going out- it doesn’t have to be this way.
I’m here to empower you to break free from anxiety.
I know you’re currently feeling exhausted and over having a constant knot in your stomach, and it may seem like you’ll never be able to find peace inside your mind. But I want to assure you that you do have the ability to stay calm and centered in difficult moments, and that you don’t have to always feel like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. You can get to a place where your chest feels lighter and you can spend your time thinking about what fun thing you’re going to do this weekend instead of worrying about what’s on your to-do list for next week.
My approach is customized to you and your needs, and will be based on identifying the source of your anxiety and worries. When you’re feeling comfortable enough and ready, we’ll do that by digging into the beliefs or values that you hold to be true as well as what’s at the center of your worry in the first place, at a pace you feel good about.
When we’ve identified more of where your anxiety comes from then we can really dig into your goals of what you’d like to change.
For instance, maybe your goal will be to…
Stop having repeating thoughts in social situations about how you’re coming off to people around you and enjoy yourself instead.
Not spend half your brain space worrying about how you’re going to get everything done you need to next week and instead relax more.
Be able to have new experiences without thinking something bad is going to happen.
Feel calm when you are thinking about the future or the past.
Feel confident in yourself when walking into a date or a work meeting or a party.
Be able to change your repeating, negative thoughts into thoughts that feel better.
Make decisions without having to ask 6 friends and spend hours on and off debating it in your head.
For instance, maybe you…
Had an experience when you were younger that made you believe you’re bad at making friends and you didn’t realize that was driving your worries now.
Grew up in a family that put a lot of pressure on success and that influences how nerve wracking it is to do well at work.
Had some tough experiences when dating before and you cannot shake that it will happen again sooner than later.
Had a vision of what your life was going to be when you turned 30 and it’s not what you thought it was going to be.
Have never quite felt good enough when you really think about it.
These beliefs can affect how you think about what you’re currently going through and you don’t always realize how much it can affect your day to day life. This is why it’s helpful to have a therapist (like me!) help identify it.
With knowing where your anxiety comes from and what you’d like to get out of your time in therapy, then we’ll work together on coming up with ways to actually tackle your anxiety and worries in real time.
This may look like…
Changing your thoughts from something negative or unrealistic to something more neutral and realistic. For example ‘I will never be able to find a new job’ to ‘I’ve found jobs in the past, I can do it again.’
Working towards changing a belief that you don’t want to have anymore into a belief you do want to hold. For example ‘I am not good enough’ to ‘I am good enough.’
Working out what happened and making sense of the experiences you had that got you to this place of worry in the first place so you don’t stay stuck there.
Figuring out how to help your physical body feel calmer with strategies that work for you to get there (not everyone is into meditation and that’s okay, there’s other ways!)
Helping you map out the actual steps to take on how to do what you’d like to do (go for a promotion, go on that date, go to that party, have that conversation) without panic and with confidence instead.
With some practice and work on these new strategies, you’ll be able to shift from anxious and worried to thriving and confident.
What we can work towards in therapy for anxiety
Having days where you actually enjoyed yourself without worrying the whole time instead.
Making decisions that are aligned with what you believe and want out of life, not out of anxiety.
Having more neutral and positive thoughts that actually make you feel good.
Learn ways to calm and ground yourself during those situations that normally make you feel nervous.
Understand where your anxiety comes from and realize you’re in the driver seat of your life, not your worries.
It is possible for you to create a peaceful & centered space within yourself.
I want to help you get there.
FAQs
What types of therapy do you use to treat anxiety?
This can vary a bit based on the individual. If you’re struggling with negative thoughts, I’d likely use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Or if you’re experiencing more physical symptoms of anxiety, mindfulness-based therapy or polyvagal exercises may make sense. The takeaway- I tailor the therapy to you, and what you need, and I have different tools in my therapy briefcase I can use depending on what is specifically going on with you.
How long do people normally stay in therapy who come for anxiety?
This also varies based on the individual, but a lot of folks come from 2-4 months, and feel like they’re in a better place enough to end therapy for the time being. Some people like the ongoing support and stay longer for maintenance, but that’s a personal preference per client. It’s an ongoing and open discussion!
How often would we meet?
It often makes sense to meet weekly at least to start to gain momentum in tackling anxiety. Some people find that hard to accommodate in their schedule so we can also meet every other week. A lot of times people start doing better and we decrease how much we meet over time.