What Is Anxiety? Understanding the Signs, Causes & Solutions

Maybe you feel like you’re always worried about something. Even in calm moments, you may note this undercurrent of dread or uncertainty. And in stressful situations, you might experience symptoms like panic attacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and more.

Anxiety is a multifaceted, complex concern that exists on a large spectrum. It can ebb and flow based on what’s happening in your life. Some people with anxiety have an underlying sense that, “it will always be this way. I will always be anxious.” Others believe their symptoms will disappear at some point or naturally resolve if a certain circumstance changes. 

Anxiety can also come with a great deal of shame. You might fear that you’re too sensitive, dramatic, or intense. If others have discounted your feelings, those fears may feel even more pronounced. Both of these experiences can actually perpetuate more anxiety. 

While anxiety exists in many forms, anxiety symptoms represent prevailing themes of worrying about losing control or fearing that something catastrophic will happen. The good news is there’s so much hope. While there’s no cure for anxiety, many of my clients experience tremendous relief from their treatment. Therapy helps reduce how debilitating and consuming your symptoms feel. It also provides immense safety and guidance if old triggers resurface.

Anxiety Concerns I Specialize In Treating

Helping individuals manage stress, fears, and overwhelming thoughts.

Generalized Anxiety

Maybe your anxiety doesn’t follow a specific pattern. It just exists…everywhere. For example, you might feel that sinking dread when someone is upset with you. Then, you feel worried as you drive to work, panicking that you’re running late. You then might feel anxious as you try to fall asleep, causing you to toss and turn for hours. It can seem like, even if one stressor resolves, the anxiety simply jumps to a new host.

Therapy for generalized anxiety often focuses on:

  • Recognizing early warning signs of feeling dysregulated 

  • Identifying various patterns or triggers that connect to your anxiety

  • Learning how anxiety feels in your body (compared to other feelings)

  • Practicing somatic exercises and grounding techniques to promote internal safety

Social Anxiety

We are wired to seek connection from others, but people with social anxiety experience tremendous fears about judgment and rejection. These worries may stem from old trauma, but they can be reinforced through avoidance patterns and other relationship problems. Regardless of the origin, social anxiety makes it hard to authentically show up as yourself in social settings. 

Therapy for social anxiety often focuses on: 

  • Recognizing how certain triggers affect your thoughts and feelings

  • Practicing gentle exposure to uncomfortable social situations

  • Using grounding exercises and somatic awareness to increase emotional regulation

  • Engaging in more compassionate self-talk

Health Anxiety

It’s normal to worry about your physical well-being and Google your symptoms when something feels off. But health anxiety feels a bit more intense than everyday concerns about wellness. If you have health anxiety, you may find yourself spiraling with every headache or stomach pain. You might truly worry that something is very wrong with you, even if your doctor or lab results indicate everything is fine. It may feel hard to trust health professionals when you keep sensing a serious problem. 

Therapy for health anxiety often focuses on: 

  • Exploring the intersection between current medical symptoms and your emotional well-being

  • Safely tolerating themes of fear and discomfort 

  • Identifying coping strategies when you feel dysregulated or ‘out of control’

  • Increasing insight into the mind-body connection as it relates to anxiety

Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

Most people describe panic attacks as physically and emotionally crushing. They’re both scary and exhausting, especially when they occur unexpectedly. Panic attacks may lead to panic disorder, a specific condition that refers to experiencing recurrent panic attacks. 

Therapy for panic attacks and panic disorder often focuses on: 

  • Learning exactly what you can do when you feel a panic attack coming on

  • Reducing overall stress to reduce the risk of future panic attacks

  • Feeling more empowered/less ashamed when thinking about panic attacks

High-Achieving Anxiety and Perfectionism

Perfectionism is often rooted in fear- you may worry about how others perceive you, you may worry about the discomfort of sitting in stillness, and you may also worry about falling behind if you don’t achieve everything you desire to accomplish. These fears often exist simultaneously,  creating a go-go-go energy that makes it hard to slow down. At the same time, others may also praise you for your success, perpetuating cycles of perfectionism. 

Therapy for high-achieving anxiety and perfectionism often focuses on: 

  • Genuinely honoring the part of you that has needed to be perfect/achieving 

  • Exploring how you’d like to move through life if you were to release some of your perfectionism

  • Resolving trauma that may coincide with themes of connecting worth to external success

  • Grounding you if you feel insecure/ashamed if things don’t go perfectly

FAQs

What Kinds of Anxiety Symptoms Do You Treat?

I treat generalized anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, panic attacks, perfectionism, and anxiety related to trauma. I also treat anxiety symptoms that may not fit into a neat, little box. If you feel perpetually worried or stressed- even if you don’t really know why- I am here to help you.

What Should I Expect in a Typical Session?

At first, we’ll spend a good amount of time getting to know each other. I want to understand what brought you to therapy and what you have tried to do to manage your anxiety in the past. I also want to clarify your specific goals for our time together. Doing so ensures I can focus on meeting your needs and offering you the treatment you deserve. 

Every session is a bit different, but some of the broad strokes of anxiety treatment include:

  •  learning how to identify and challenge negative thoughts

  •  implementing specific coping skills that reduce stress

  •  exploring resources for additional support

  •  developing new ways to think about yourself and the world around you

What Does Successful Anxiety Treatment Entail?

Although anxiety has some common symptoms, treatment is highly individualized. Therefore, every client’s success looks a little different. 


For you, success may come in the form of changing your relationship with your anxiety. Rather than fighting it, you learn how to compassionately accept it as a part of you. Success might also mean changing how you react to anxiety. Rather than engaging in behaviors that exacerbate shame or isolation, you might expand your ability to cope with stress.

What Modalities Do You Use to Treat Anxiety?

I am an integrative therapist who pulls from several different evidence-based models to treat anxiety. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), internal family systems (IFS), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and somatic experiencing (SE). 

Some approaches will work better for you than others, and my job is to attune to what feels most supportive and effective for you. If you have any questions about my approaches, you are always welcome to ask.

What Else Can Help Me Manage My Anxiety?

Many clients find that therapy offers invaluable guidance and support as they work through treating their anxiety. Some people also consult with their psychiatrists or doctors to discuss medication options. 

In addition to professional treatment, you may find that certain lifestyle changes improve how you feel. For example, strengthening your support system, engaging in creative expression, setting boundaries, and practicing more self-compassion, can all help improve how you feel in daily life.

How Do I Know If I Have An Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions worldwide. If you sense you struggle with anxiety, you may have an anxiety disorder. However, it’s so important to note that you don’t need to have a specific condition to benefit from therapy. You also don’t need to wait for things to get “bad enough” to seek support. If you’d like to discuss your symptoms or review past diagnoses, we can certainly make space to talk about that need.