Anxiety is a huge reason people come to therapy. In general, people tend to come to therapy because they do not want to feel the way they are feeling full stop. It’s on a scale from being uncomfortable to absolutely terrifying and it makes so much sense why we all wish we could get rid of it or find some magic potion or procedure to make it go away or at least more bearable.

We can all understand that anxiety and difficult feelings are not going to just go away in our logical minds. But when we are in the thick of it, it is hard to find ways to just let these feelings be there and still carry on in life without either numbing to some degree or letting them dictate what we will or will not do.

Learning tools to manage anxiety and dysregulation is very helpful and at times necessary, but I have found that combining acceptance tools with self compassion to be the most effective long term. This sends a message to the brain that these feelings are not dangerous and that you are safe even in their presence. My intention is to support people in identifying what may be holding them back from not only going forward with their goals, but also look at what coping strategies may be getting in the way and are actually being more distracting from fully being able to accept their experience and themselves.

We all go to therapy in hopes to feel better, but what ultimately makes the biggest difference is learning how to feel better.