When anxiety shows up in your body
Over time, anxiety does not always just stay in your thoughts. You might find your body responding before your mind has a chance to catch up, Physical symptoms of anxiety can include:
racing heart, chest pain or pressure​
​
shortness of breath or rapid breathing
​
insomnia, difficulty falling or staying asleep​​
​​​stomach upset, nausea, or vomiting​
​​
​
muscle tension, headaches, jaw pain​
​
fatigue, exhaustion, restlessness or "brain fog"​​
Understanding How Your Anxiety Shows Up
If you've ever wondered "Why can't I stop overthinking?" you are not alone. But anxiety does not show up the same way for everyone. Therapy focuses on understanding how it shows up for you and what keeps it going.
Overthinking & Rumination: Getting stuck in self-doubt or going over the same decisions, conversations, or mistakes again and again.
​
Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder: Sudden waves of intense fear, physical symptoms, or a sense that something is physically wrong in your body.
​
Social Anxiety: Worrying about how you came across, replaying interactions, or feeling drained after being around others.
​
ADHD-Anxiety Intersection: If you have ADHD, anxiety may feel like a low-level urgency. It's often tied to time blindness, difficulty starting tasks, the pressure of feeling behind, or the exhaustion of masking your neurodivergence.
​
Perfectionism & Pressure: Anxiety can also look like constantly trying to stay ahead, avoid mistakes, or keep everything from falling apart, even when no one else can see how much effort it takes.
​
Trauma Related Activation: Sometimes anxiety is a learned response, a way your system learned to stay alert and manage uncertainty based on past experiences.​
More Than Just Managing Symptoms
Therapy is not only about talking through what makes you anxious. It is also about understanding what keeps your system activated and building practical ways to respond when anxiety shows up.
​
This might include learning how to interrupt a panic response, get out of overthinking loops, work with perfectionism and self-pressure, or use nervous system regulation skills when your body feels stuck on high alert.
The goal is for anxiety to feel more manageable, and for you to have tools you can use in your daily life.
​get out of overthinking loops
interrupt a panic response
regulate your nervous system
build tools
for real life