If you have been struggling with anxiety for awhile and have been trying to find ways to feel better, you may have come across suggestions to try therapy to treat anxiety. But when you’re already feeling overwhelmed and dysregulated, the idea of therapy can feel intimidating. In this blog I will discuss a few things that may come up and my approach to working these concerns. This may help you to understand the ways in which therapy can be helpful and to address some of the unknowns about starting anxiety therapy.

Feeling nervous about starting anxiety treatment?

Starting therapy can feel like a big step or a huge commitment, but think of it as a starting point and as step towards trying to find some ease and relief. It is completely understandable to feel nervous about beginning therapy with a new therapist and starting anxiety treatment.

Some things that can feel helpful to the parts of you that feel nervous about the first steps of therapy:

A skilled anxiety counselor will take the lead to facilitate an environment that feels comfortable and will incorporate their expertise in a way that feels seamless.
The right therapist won’t judge you for your nervousness or discomfort and will meet you where you are at.

With this acceptance of your nervousness about starting something new, you can allow yourself to approach therapy with the assurance that you can just be yourself.

Tried anxiety therapy before and it didn’t help?

If you have tried therapy before and thought, “therapy doesn’t work for me”, remember that not all therapists are the same and it may be that that particular therapist wasn’t a good fit. Each therapist has a different style, professional approach, and a unique personality they bring into session, so it is important to find one that you feel comfortable working with. The best way to do this is to schedule consultations to get a sense of the therapists’ style and their clinical orientation. Beyond looking at their website, see how it feels when you talk to them about your anxiety and if it feels like they are skilled in working with you. Just because a therapist works for one someone else, doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good fit for you.

Let the complicated feelings be complicated

If you find that you have conflicting thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs, that is okay! We are all complicated beings. One part of you might feel one way, while another part might feel completely different about the same things. Bring all that it is into therapy, however intertwined and layered it is. A skilled therapist will help you sort through those layers and complex feelings and help you make sense of it all.

Give yourself Grace

Think about it, how often are you kind to yourself when you are anxious? Maybe you get irritated or frustrated with yourself when you can’t just get over it or intellectualize your way through. Maybe you get annoyed that anxiety limits your life and want it just to stop. These feelings are absolutely understandable especially when you are suffering, but what about offering yourself some compassion? Slow down to see how hard your system is working and trying its best. Even if you don’t yet understand the whys, whats, or hows, you know how exhausting it is to feel anxious. Just acknowledging what you are going through can feel validating. Your therapist can help you develop tools to help you work with your critical self talk and help you turn towards your anxious parts with compassion.

Taking One Piece at a Time

Often, when one feels anxious, there are many competing needs and it feels all jumbled together. When you start to untangle one piece, another piece immediately comes up (or ten!) and it feels unsolvable. Think of it like a crowded room, if everyone talks at once, then it is hard to hear each person. If you feel overwhelmed by the to-do list, goals or competing needs, try to slow it down and remind yourself to take it one piece at a time. Remind yourself that there is no urgency (unless there is) and that you can pace yourself. When we feel flooded by anxiety, it feels like a circuit breaker that goes off that has an overload of energy. To keep that circuit breaker from tripping, take one piece at a time. Therapy can help you find ways specific to you that can help you to keep from feeling flooded.

Shohreh Schmuecker, LMFT Anxiety Therapist, San Francisco and throughout California

If these approaches resonate with you, reach out to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with me to see how I can support you in feeling more regulated and grounded. My therapeutic approach to treat anxiety is based in skill and experience. I utilize a trauma informed, mindfulness based, mind-body perspective. In our phone consultation together, I can answer any questions you may have and you can get a sense of how I can support you with your anxiety.

This blog is for general information purposes only. It is not meant for a substitution for medical or mental health advice or treatment. Please see a licensed professional for medical or mental health advice and/or recommendations specific to your needs.

How Can Therapy Help with Anxiety?