Anxiety Therapy
Anxiety doesn’t look the same for everyone. It’s more than just feeling nervous before a big event. Whether you’ve spent years white-knuckling through daily life — heart racing, mind spinning, always bracing for what comes next — or you’re just starting to recognize that constant dread as something more than stress, you deserve support that takes it seriously. Anxiety isn’t a personality flaw or a lack of willpower. It’s your nervous system doing exactly what it was designed to do, just without an off switch. Our therapists work with children, teens, and adults experiencing anxiety in all its forms. The racing thoughts at 2am, the chest tightness before a meeting, the slow grind of perfectionism that never lets you rest. We use evidence-based approaches that go beyond coping skills, helping you understand why your nervous system responds the way it does and build lasting relief from the inside out.
Common Reasons for Seeking Anxiety Therapy
Constant Overthinking:
While overthinking something can be a normal experience occasionally, it can sometimes spread to an all encompassing experience where you feel unable to turn your brain off. This anxiety symptom is most frequently associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder but can be experienced in a lot of other mental health conditions as well. When overthinking becomes such a consistent pattern, it feels like a part of someone’s daily cadence. They feel like their anxiety accompanies them through every part of the day; they wake up worrying about what lies ahead of them that day and go to bed worrying about if they will get good sleep that night. Whenever they successfully manage a stressor, they feel momentary relief and then their brain immediately searches for and finds the next potential threat that lies ahead; suffocating any chance for feelings of peace or contentment.
Social Anxiety:
Intense fear of being criticized or rejected anticipating and during social interactions. These social interactions could be anything from presenting in front of your job or in a classroom, performing in front of people, hanging out with friends or colleagues or even being in public, worrying about how people are perceiving you, as you walk through campus or down a hallway. Social anxiety symptoms can happen before an interaction (i.e. trying to plan out the conversation and come up with the “perfect” responses”), during the interaction (i.e. hypervigilantly examining facial expressions and tone to find any hint of criticism) and after an interaction (i.e. replaying the conversation in your mind over and over, second guessing all of your responses). Symptoms could be as mild as feeling sweaty and jittery getting on stage or as intense as being worried you will be viewed as “annoying” or "obnoxious" but saying “hi” to someone new or unfamiliar.
Panic Attacks:
This is where your anxiety shows up primarily in physical sensations. Even if the anxiety started as worries in your mind you reach a point of sudden, overwhelming physically distressing symptoms (i.e. nausea, chest tightness/pains, difficulty breathing/knot in your throat, feeling hot/sweating, feelings of derealization (an out of body experience or that you are in a dream) and feelings of death (having a “feeling” that you are about to die with no evidence to support this other than your body sensations).
Perfectionism & Burnout:
Perfectionism is not the same thing as having high standards. While from the outside perspective these two can look very similar (i.e. pushing yourself, long hours spent on projects, a focus on details) there is one critical difference; the internal motivation. People with high standards want to do their best and are able to enjoy the process of growing and learning (i.e. the joy of understanding a new concept in class or perfecting a craft). However, for people struggling with perfectionism, their motivation for their high standards are usually a defense mechanism to protect themselves from their own insecurities or anticipated criticism from others (i.e. if I get an “A” on this test than others won’t think I am stupid or if I score at least ten points in the next game others on the team will have to like me). People struggling with perfectionism are only concerned about the outcomes; did they or did they not “measure up.” This leads to a lot of “all or nothing thinking” with thoughts like, “Either I am going to do this perfectly or not at all.” Because if a perfectionist were to try something and fail at meeting their own perfectionistic expectations, it is viewed as another piece of evidence indicating them not being “good enough.” This is how burn out is a likely outcome because someone committed to being perfect and then feeling like a failure when they do not achieve this standard eventually gives up and says, “I can’t do this and I’m so tired of trying.” Lastly, perfectionists tend to try and motivate themselves with a lot of self-criticism (i.e. “I can’t believe you messed that part up, I bet everyone else got that part right”). This ineffective tool at motivating themselves also becomes the mechanism that perpetuates their own insecurities.
CBT and Trauma-Informed Anxiety Treatment at Mid-Michigan Therapy
We don’t just want you to cope with your symptoms; we want you to heal the root cause. Our clinical team utilizes evidence-based approaches tailored to how your brain works. Depending on your specific needs, your therapist may integrate:
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): To identify and rewire the thought patterns that fuel your panic.
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Mindfulness & Somatic Practices: To help regulate your nervous system and bring your body out of "fight or flight" mode.
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Trauma-Informed Care: Because chronic anxiety is often the nervous system's response to past unresolved experiences.
To start feeling calmer schedule an in-person session at our East Lansing office or book a virtual therapy session in Michigan today