Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety
If you experience a few or more of the following symptoms on a daily basis, therapy for high-functioning anxiety is the right support system for you:
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Constantly overthink or overanalyze
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Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and difficulties saying "no"
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Negative self-talk and a tendency to dwell on past mistakes
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Excessive worry and difficulty expressing emotions
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Constant thoughts of “what if…?” or always expecting the worse
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Procrastination followed by intense periods of crunch-time work
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Constant need for reassurance and the tendency to compare self to others
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Inability to relax and enjoy the moment
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Constantly worrying about the future
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Racing thoughts or an inability to turn off thoughts
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Overachieve, overwork or overdo things
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Constant guilt, internal conflict, or "I should have" thoughts
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Difficulties making decisions or indecisiveness
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Excessive and intrusive worrying that makes it difficult to concentrate
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Feeling easily agitated, aggravated or annoyed
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Restlessness, feeling on-edge, or a desire to constantly keep busy
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Trouble falling or staying asleep
Anxiety can have a strong impact on your ability to function and your overall mood. It can be intense, persistent or excessive, and heightened worry, stress or fear can be all-consuming and, at times, debilitating.
As a perfectionist with high-functioning anxiety, I get it and I'm here to help. I'd love to support you in managing your anxiety, so you can feel more in control of it than it does of you.
Anxiety Therapy for High-Achieving Women in Minnesota
You may look fine on the outside, but internally you are struggling to make it through the day. You constantly overthink and overanalyze, compare yourself to others, have a fear of failure, strive for perfection, and engage in people-pleasing and negative self-talk.
You've done a pretty good job at masking your anxiety, but now it's starting to get in the way. Your racing thoughts are keeping you up at night, your stress is in overdrive, your perfectionism is no longer functioning, and you can't seem to get out of the habit of of feeling bad about everything you say and do.
If this sounds familiar, you're in the right place. I specialize in counseling women who are experiencing life challenges due to high-functioning anxiety.
Women with high-functioning anxiety are fairly great at living with their anxiety, and they appear to function reasonably well. They're successful, excel at work and life, and have a typical type A perfectionistic personality.
Although women with high-functioning anxiety present as well-put together, they are often suffering internally. They have a need for reassurance, dwell on the negative, have racing thoughts, and find it difficult to say "no."
You've gotten pretty good at presenting like you're doing just fine, but you're tired of feeling this way and could use some help.
With anxiety treatment, you can learn to cope with your anxiety in ways that feel healthiest for you.
If you're interested in learning more or would like to get a feel for how I can support you, click the link below to schedule a 15-minute consultation. I'd love to connect!
How I Help
When it comes to high-functioning anxiety, I love talking about perfectionism, procrastination, overthinking, self-doubt, and everything in-between! I know that there is a lot going on underneath all of that anxiety, and the following are some of my favorite areas to address and explore when we are processing through your current challenges and concerns:
Anxiety, Worry & Stress Reduction
Are you an overwhelmed and anxious over-thinker with terrible stress keeping you up at night?
Your worry has been taking over, but now you're ready to take charge of your anxiety.
Therapy that provides you with skills and tools to help manage your stress, challenge your tendency to jump to negative conclusions, and bring calm and peace into your life.
We'll talk about:
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Anxiety in the body + nervous system overload
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Fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and fix responses
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Overfunctioning, perfectionism, and procrastination
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Avoidance cycles + negative thought loops
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Stress vs. burnout vs. moral injury
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Cognitive distortions + black-and-white thinking
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Effective coping that fits your life
Increase Communication, Boundaries & Self-Expression
Do you have wants and needs but find it hard to express these? Do you want to say "no" but feel like you're letting others down?
Women with high-functioning anxiety can find it difficult to advocate for themselves and set boundaries due to the fear of upsetting or letting others down.
Therapy that encourages you to explore your current wants and needs, how you advocate for yourself, and where and when you set boundaries.
We'll talk about:
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What healthy boundaries actually look like
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Saying “no” without guilt or over-explaining
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Honoring your limits + recognizing emotional bandwidth
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Fear of disappointing others
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Assertive vs. passive or people-pleasing styles
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Social media boundaries + digital burnout
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Self-advocacy and self-empowerment
Build Self-Esteem, Self-Acceptance & Confidence
Do you feel bad about yourself and dwell on your flaws? Are you worried about what others think and say about you?
It's not unusual for high-functioning, anxious women to have low self-esteem or lack confidence.
Therapy that empowers you to challenge your fears and insecurities, explore your strengths, qualities and uniqueness, and love and care for yourself the way you need and deserve.
We'll talk about:
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People-pleasing + fear of judgment
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Imposter syndrome + comparison traps
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Insecurity, shame spirals, and not feeling “good enough”
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Inner critic vs. inner nurturer
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Personal strengths + core values
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Emotional neglect + self-compassion practices
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Inner child work + healing old narratives
Manage Relationships & Social Connections
Are you struggling to connect with others in deep and meaningful ways? Are you in need of a support system, but feel like this doesn't currently exist?
Relationships are incredibly important! And women with anxiety often struggle with interpersonal relationships.
Therapy that motivates you to break through your relationship barriers to build healthy and lasting connections.
We'll talk about:
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Loneliness vs. solitude
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Relationship and family dynamics
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Boundaries + emotional safety in connection
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Conflict avoidance + resolution skills
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Attachment styles + intimacy issues
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Communication styles (including the MN nice kind!)
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Support systems + asking for help
Find Self-Care & Life Balance
Do you cringe when you hear the term "self-care?" Do you find yourself spending more time on Netflix than doing things that benefit your mental health?
You want to take care of yourself, but you're stuck in old patterns of unhealthy coping. I get it. It can feel hard to cope when your used to taking care of your anxiety in certain ways.
Therapy that inspires you to listen to your inner needs and care for your entire being in a way that feels best for you.
We'll talk about:
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What effective self-care actually looks like
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Avoidance coping + mindless “checking out”
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Boundaries as a form of self-care
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Coping as a highly sensitive person
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Radical acceptance + emotional regulation
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Discomfort vs. growth mindset
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Creating balance that honors your whole self
If you resonate with a few of the areas above and are looking to dive a bit deeper into what's going on underneath all of that anxiety, I may be a really great fit for you! Schedule an initial session or a free 15-minute consultation. I'd love to chat and discuss how I can be of support.
Therapeutic Modalities for Anxiety Treatment
If you're interested in knowing about the clinical side of my work including what forms of therapy I use, I am an integrative therapist and I incorporate several evidence-based treatment models into the therapeutic process.
Here are the most common approaches I use in anxiety treatment:
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - helps you challenge and reframe anxious thoughts
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - helps you focus your energy on what really matters to you
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Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) - helps you challenge your inner critic and be kinder with yourself
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Strengths-Based Therapy - helps you shift your focus from your flaws to your strengths
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Psychoeducation - helps you understand how your anxiety works, so you can learn what to do about it
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Holistic Therapy - helps address the whole picture
As a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, I have received specialized training in treating every person as a whole, and I help clients heal by taking the entire human being and their life experiences into consideration for assessment and treatment purposes.
The goal of anxiety therapy is to help you strike a balance in taking care of yourself, so you can effectively tackle and manage your anxiety in a way that works best for you.
About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) are therapeutic approaches that are commonly used to treat anxiety. These are evidence-based approaches that encourage you to take charge of your mental health by implementing strategies and techniques that allow you to effectively manage your anxiety.
These therapeutic approaches help you understand the thoughts and feelings that influence your behaviors, and how these behaviors impact your life in certain ways. You gain skills and techniques that assist you in being more in control of how you think, feel and react while treating yourself with more kindness, compassion and empathy.
I incorporate CBT, ACT and CFT strategies into our therapy sessions to guide you in identifying and processing the connection between your emotions, thoughts and experiences. The goal of anxiety therapy is to help you break free from self-defeating thoughts, beliefs and behaviors, so you can learn to cope with your anxiety and manage it in ways that feel healthier for you.
Interested in Learning More About Anxiety?
Read my blog for more information about anxiety including helpful tips and coping techniques
