Understanding Anxiety: Symptoms You May Overlook and Ways to Find Relief
When most people think about anxiety, they picture racing thoughts, constant worrying, or even full-blown panic attacks. And yes—sometimes anxiety looks exactly like that. But oftentimes anxiety can come masked as personality types, quirks or unhealthy ways of coping that we don’t realize we can change, rather than just living with it.
Maybe you’ve caught yourself lying awake at night, unable to rest with your mind running through every possible “what if.” Or you feel irritable and on edge, snapping at little things that normally wouldn’t bother you. For some people, anxiety hides behind perfectionism or procrastination. For others, it shows up as stomachaches, headaches, constant pain or a body that just never quite feels at ease.
The truth is, anxiety doesn’t always announce itself with flashing lights. Sometimes it sneaks up like a whisper and we don’t recognize it at all until it’s been running the show for far too long.
The Many Faces of Anxiety
Anxiety is more than just “being a worrier.” It can show up in lots of different ways, such as:
the constant undercurrent of worry that makes it hard to relax
avoiding certain places or situations because of overwhelming fear
those repetitive thoughts or rituals that feel impossible to stop
smaller signs like trouble sleeping, perfectionism, overthinking, stomach issues, irritability, or a feeling of being on edge without knowing why.
If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone. Many people don’t realize how much anxiety plays a role in their daily lives until they pause and take a closer look. And often when you are in the thick of life, it takes someone else to help you recognize that your current “normal” may not be as normal as you think. With help, your normal can become a way of living that fills you rather than drains you.
What Can I Do?
The good news? Anxiety doesn’t have to keep running your life. Counseling can help you untangle what’s really going on and give you the tools to handle it differently.
Here’s how:
Understanding the root of your anxiety. Together, we’ll uncover what’s feeding your worry—whether it’s stress, old patterns, or hidden triggers you may not have noticed before. This doesn’t mean you have to relive what has brought you to this place, but by being aware of what is causing the anxiety we can determine how to best help you move forward.
Building coping tools that work for you. This might look like breathwork to calm your body, exposure therapy to gently face fears, or Emotional Freedom Technique (also called tapping), a powerful tool that uses acupressure points to help release pent up emotions in the body and allow you to no longer be controlled by the emotions tied to the triggers.
Breaking the cycle. Anxiety often creates loops—avoiding things, overthinking, or repeating rituals. In counseling, you’ll learn new ways to step out of those loops so they don’t control you. Rather than temporarily relieving anxiety, we can find what works for you to release the causes of it and better manage it when anxiety pops up in the future.
Personalized support. No two people’s anxiety looks exactly the same. We will adapt your counseling to you—your personality, your challenges, and your goals. This way you can feel empowered to take control of your life rather than your anxiety being in control.
One of the most freeing parts of this process is realizing: this isn’t a character flaw. You’re not “lazy” for procrastinating. You’re not “too sensitive” for being easily overwhelmed. You’re not “broken” for having fears or rituals that don’t make sense to anyone else.
These are all ways anxiety can show up. And once you see it for what it is, you can begin to meet it with understanding, compassion, and new tools to move forward.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
If you’ve seen yourself in any of what has been described, know this—you’re not alone. Anxiety touches so many lives, but healing is absolutely possible. Counseling offers a space to finally slow down, make sense of what you’re experiencing, and learn practical tools that help you feel more in control.
If you’re ready to explore what life could feel like with less anxiety and more peace, I’d love to walk that journey with you. Contact me here to get started.