Anxiety

I often get clients who know they have anxiety, want treatment for anxiety, but aren’t quite sure what anxiety really is. That’s where I come in. Que my spiel -

I view anxiety like a fire alarm. If an alarm went off inside of your room right now, what would you do … hopefully leave the room … quickly. That is exactly how an alarm (aka anxiety) works inside of our body. Its job is to alert us to danger so we can make the best possible response. Having a fire alarm inside of our body is actually a good thing. If I walk into a forest and I see a bear, I want my alarm to go off inside of my body because there is real danger and I need to respond quickly: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

However, for some people, the alarm gets very sensitive. So even when there is no threat like a fire or bear around, it goes off inside their body saying they are in trouble, and that that they must act quickly to feel safe. These responses can happen when talking to new people (social anxiety), when separated from a caregiver (separation anxiety), or even when one sees a spider (specific phobia).

Creating this space to talk about anxiety is important to me because anxiety shows up uniquely for everyone, and everyone deserves a place where their experience is taken seriously. One way to begin understanding anxiety is through screening. Below is one of my favorite screeners that I use in practice. Take a moment to check it out and see how you score.

I’ll be returning to this page throughout the year (likely at midnight when my baby is sleep haha) to share more resources about anxiety. You’re always welcome to schedule a consultation with me if you have questions or want support.