Workplace Anxiety Therapy
How do you know if it’s time to do more to treat your anxiety?
My dad once told me that if I ever felt like my anxiety was preventing me from living the kind of life I wanted to live, it was time to do something about it.
I think that wisdom still holds.
Anxiety can range from a bit of nervousness here and there, to an overwhelming feeling that takes over most of your days. While some anxiety is normal, it becomes problematic when it begins to interfere with your ability to live.
People don’t always talk about it, but many of the professionals I work with deal with anxiety on a regular basis. And in the workplace, anxiety might not look like anxiety at all. It might look like thoroughness, micromanagement, over-preparation, hypervigilence, sensitivity, or perfectionism.
Experiences they’ve described include:
- Endless ruminating on something they said (or didn’t say) in a meeting
- Reviewing emails multiple times before sending, even when using AI to help
- Working harder than the situation calls for
- Problems falling asleep because the workday won’t stop replaying
- Feeling on edge in ways they can’t quite explain
- A stomach that drops when certain names appear in their inbox
If you’re looking for anxiety support right away, schedule an appointment here.
How anxiety therapy can help.
Most people recognize how anxiety feels inside. What they’re often less aware of is how much it affects their decision making. Untreated anxiety tends to create the very outcomes it’s trying to prevent.
For example, one of the most common manifestations of anxiety I see is conflict avoidance. It’s incredibly common for someone with anxiety to say to themselves, “it’s not worth a fight,” which might feel true in the moment, but over time those unresolved conflicts tend to build up and eventually erupt in a much bigger conflict than they would have if they’d each been addressed along the way.
When you build flexibility in your nervous system, you can change that cycle and make different decisions.
I offer treatments that work on both levels: practical skills for the moments when anxiety peaks, and deeper work on the patterns underneath.
Polyvagal-Informed Therapy Your nervous system is constantly scanning for and reacting to any perceived threats. Polyvagal-informed therapy can help you understand why your body responds the way it does, and build your capacity to shift out of anxious states so you can think more clearly, address conflict more confidently, and recover your energy more easily at the end of the day.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) DBT offers practical skills for managing the moments when anxiety peaks. This includes distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and mindfulness strategies that help you get through difficult situations without making them worse.
Feminist and Systemic Lens Anxiety doesn’t always develop in a vacuum. For some people, it’s genetic. But for many professionals, it’s the result of a nervous system shaped by years of working in organizations that reward hypervigilance and penalize mistakes. Understanding the difference will help us plan the most effective solutions.
Most of my clients who do this work tell me that they feel more calm and in control of their time, energy, and emotions afterward. They describe feeling less irritable and both stronger and more compassionate.
FAQ
Am I anxious or burnt out?
You may be both. Anxiety keeps your nervous system running hot. Burnout is what happens when it’s been running hot for too long. If you’ve been managing work-related anxiety for months or years without addressing it, there’s a good chance you are burned out. We’ll assess that early and if your situation calls for a broader approach, burnout recovery may be part of the work we do.
How are overachieving and anxiety related?
Most overachievers don’t recognize their anxiety because it looks like drive. The same nervous system patterns that fuel overachievement (hypervigilance, difficulty stopping, the need to control outcomes) are symptoms of anxiety. They just happen to be socially rewarded at work. This piece breaks down the difference between high achievement and overachievement if you’re not sure which applies to you.
How long does anxiety treatment take?
It depends on how long your nervous system has been operating this way and what’s reinforcing it. Some people start noticing real shifts in how they respond to work stress within a few months. Others, especially if we’re working with patterns that go back years or decades, need longer. We’re not doing open-ended therapy for the sake of it. We’re working toward specific changes in how your body handles stress.
How are chronic stress and anxiety related
Chronic stress and anxiety exist on a continuum. Stress typically has an identifiable source, and when that source goes away, the nervous system settles. Anxiety is what happens when the nervous system has been activated for so long that it starts firing on its own, independent of what’s actually happening. The body stops waiting for evidence. If you think you may be experiencing stress instead of anxiety, you can learn more about my stress management therapy.
Do I need medication?
Not necessarily. Medication can be helpful when your baseline activation is so high that skill-building can’t get traction. If that’s the case, I can help you evaluate whether it’s worth exploring and refer you to a prescriber. But many people do this work without it.
How is this different from what I'd get with another therapist?
Most anxiety treatment assumes the problem is internal. And sometimes it is. But for many people, anxiety is a reasonable response to unreasonable conditions. If we only work on your internal patterns without ever examining the organizational dynamics that keep them running, you can spend years in therapy managing symptoms while the source stays untouched.
I work on both. The nervous system patterns that keep you in high alert, and the workplace structures that do the same thing.