What is anxiety and how can therapy help?
Anxiety can feel like a constant hum in the background of your life. You might wake up already thinking ahead to the day, worrying about what could go wrong, or replaying conversations from the night before. Even when you’re functioning well on the outside - meeting deadlines, showing up for people, keeping things together on the outside - it can feel like you’re never quite safe or calm.
Many of the adults I work with describe anxiety as:
A sense that something bad is going to happen, even when there’s no obvious reason.
Trouble “turning off” their thoughts. Keep in mind that when this overthinking becomes focused on how you are perceived by others, it can overlap with social anxiety patterns (you can read more in my post on social anxiety).
Tightness in the chest, racing thoughts, or a feeling like you’re on edge. Note that in more intense cases, anxiety can escalate into panic-like episodes where the body feels overwhelmed and difficult to regulate (you can read more in my post on panic attacks).
A tendency to over‑prepare, over‑check, or avoid situations that feel unsafe and threatening. Note that for some people, this difficulty turning off thoughts or the urge to over-check, mentally review, or seek certainty can overlap with obsessive thinking patterns commonly seen in OCD (you can read more in my post on OCD and intrusive thoughts).
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy, and it often shows up in high‑achieving, conscientious, and capable people who have learned to cope quietly or tend to assume overresponsibility.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety disorders are a group of conditions where anxiety is stronger, hard to control, more persistent, or more disruptive than typical worry. Rather than being a temporary reaction to a situation, it starts to dictate your daily life.
Common anxiety disorders include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Constant or excessive worry about many different things including work, health, relationships, finances, the future, even when there’s no clear reason for alarm. People with GAD often feel “on alert” most of the time and may have trouble turning off their thoughts.
Panic Disorder: Repeated, unexpected panic attacks, with a strong fear of having more attacks. People may start avoiding places or situations where they’ve had panic before.
Social Anxiety Disorder: Intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, or negatively evaluated in social or performance situations. This can lead to avoidance of gatherings, public speaking, or even everyday conversations.
Specific Phobias: Strong, irrational fear of specific things or situations (e.g., heights, flying, medical procedures, animals, driving).
Illness Anxiety Disorder: Preoccupation with having or getting a serious illness, even when tests are normal.
How therapy helps anxiety
The goal isn’t necessarily to erase anxiety - this is not realistic or necessary. Instead, it focuses on:
Understanding what fuels your anxiety and where it comes from.
Reducing the patterns that keep it going even when it is not helpful (like over‑thinking, reassurance‑seeking, or avoiding).
Building practical skills that allow you to manage it so it works with you rather than against you.
In therapy, we may:
Map out what triggers your anxiety and how it unfolds.
Notice how you try to cope and what actually helps versus what keeps the cycle going.
Practice ways to respond differently when anxiety shows up, so it doesn’t spiral as quickly.
Because anxiety can show up in so many forms: panic, perfectionism, obsessions, worries, or feelings of doom, I tailor the work to what you’re actually experiencing, not a generic label.
If you are looking for a clinical psychologist in BC or Ontario for anxiety-related concerns, you can book a consultation to explore whether therapy is the right fit.