Anxiety & Stress Counseling

what if you could feel more calm and ease?

Therapy for women in Greater Boston and throughout Massachusetts.

 

Anxiety and stress shouldn’t get in the way of living the life you want.

 

We can’t control much in life, but we can control how we respond to it. 

Sometimes anxiety and stress can be a good thing. You may feel anxious when you are challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone. Stress can help propel you to accomplish goals and be engaged with what matters to you. For example: starting a new job, planning a wedding, having a child, or getting ready for that long-awaited vacation.

But when there is no relief to our anxiety and stress over time, our inner world feels more chaotic and we become increasingly overwhelmed by things we used to be able to manage. Our lives feel out of control.

Does this sound like you?

  • Overthinking or ruminating. Your mind won’t “shut off”

  • Disrupted sleep. Either difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

  • Trouble concentrating, focusing, or completing tasks

  • Feeling easily overwhelmed

  • Experiencing headaches or body tension

Anxiety and stress impact all aspects of our lives.

You may find yourself irritable, lashing out in your relationships, or isolating yourself from others.  Maybe you are preoccupied at work or procrastinating over a task, even though you are more than capable, and the stress is keeping you up at night. Our bodies tell us first when we experience any emotion. Anxiety and stress may feel like a pit in your stomach, tightness in your chest, and tension throughout the body. 

 

Imagine…

Feeling more confident about being able to handle your anxiety and stress

Knowing you have the tools to calm your mind and body before things feel out of control

Being able to experience healthy levels of anxiety or stress without it impacting your relationships, job performance, and quality of life

Understanding the neuroscience behind anxiety and stress and the role your brain and nervous system have when you feel activated or calm

 

We all experience anxiety and stress differently. Part of our work together will be to identify how anxiety and stress show up for you in your life. You will learn skills to reduce immediate symptoms and long-term tools to help you manage your anxiety triggers before they overwhelm you.  

How therapy can help:

  • Learn what your anxiety and stress triggers are and how to navigate these moments with more calm and ease

  • Develop mindfulness and self-compassion skills to work with your anxiety or stress instead of against it

  • Cultivate healthy relationships where you can show up as your authentic self and maintain boundaries that honor your needs

  • Take a holistic view of your emotional and physical health by looking at different aspects of your life such as lifestyle, your relationships, cultural influences, and how this may impact anxiety and stress levels

  • Create your personalized toolbox of mind/body techniques and other skills including breathwork and grounding practices, mindfulness, cognitive therapy and assertiveness skills

It’s never too late to create the life you want for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • During our first session, I will ask a series of questions to help me learn more about you and what your goals are for therapy. I’ll ask about any emotional or mood symptoms you are experiencing. The purpose is to get a better sense of how anxiety or stress is impacting your life. At any time you can ask me any question about the therapy process. Chances are you will leave your first session with a breathing or grounding technique to start practicing.

  • “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.” - Jon Kabat-Zinn

    Mindfulness helps us gain more insight and self-awareness into the patterns or triggers that contribute to our anxiety and stress. Mindfulness decreases our tendency to react and respond in unhelpful ways like lashing out, shutting down, or people-pleasing. You will learn how to create space between a stimulus and your response and make healthier choices instead of being led by your automatic thoughts and behaviors. Mindfulness tools include breathwork, grounding techniques, naming emotions, and “noticing/observing” thoughts, feelings, and body sensations.

  • Click this link to set up a free 20-minute consultation call. Our call will give me a better sense of what you hope to get from therapy and if my experience best meets your needs. You can ask me any questions about my experience or approach and anything about the therapy process. If you decide that working together feels like a good fit, we will schedule an intake session.