As a licensed psychologist I often talk with my clients about anxiety. It’s hard to not feel anxious in our current world. You spend most of your time juggling an overload of responsibilities with work, school, friendships, and relationships. All the while you’re dealing with the stress of anti-LGBTQ legislation, late stage capitalism, mass shootings, and climate crisis. This mounting anxiety causes you to overthink, self-doubt, self-criticize, or even seek more reassurance from others that things are ok.

Here’s what I know to be true about anxiety: You cannot completely avoid stress and anxiety in your life. You can learn how to better accept it and manage it. Anxiety can become part of the background noise in your life instead of blasting at full volume in your head. You can learn to feel more capable of quieting the anxiety and trusting yourself to get through it. Getting therapy can help with this, but how do you know when it’s time to get therapy for anxiety?

Signs That It’s Time to Start Anxiety Therapy

When it’s impacting your day-to-day life:

Is anxiety making it hard to complete to-do items at home, work, or with school? You spend so much time every day anticipating all you need to do. You either get stuck and don’t end up doing it, or you end up burning out when completing all of it in one big swoop. This leaves you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

When it’s impacting how you view and treat yourself:

Does anxiety make you say harsh things to yourself or make you feel like you’re not good enough? You might notice that when you’re anxious, you’re more self-critical. You hate the fact that you can’t stop being anxious, and you end up beating yourself up for having anxiety in the first place. The question of “Why can’t I just chill out and stop being so anxious?” plays over and over in your head. You know you wouldn’t say these kinds of harsh things to a friend, but you can’t stop saying them to yourself.

When it’s impacting your relationships:

There are a couple ways anxiety can impact your relationships. You can struggle to get out of your head and enjoy the time that you’re spending with other people. This in turn leaves you feeling more distanced and disconnected from the people in your life. You are spending less time with friends, family, and loved ones, and becoming more isolated. Anxiety can be a very lonely experience.

You might frequently want affirmation from others to feel worthwhile, whether at work or in your relationships. This desire for affirmation leads you to overthink even the smallest actions, even after being told by others that it did not bother them. You just can’t shake it off. As much as you try to calm down or get reassurance from others, your mind continues to spiral with fears that you are letting people down or are a failure.

Whenever you want to!

Just because you CAN make it through without therapy for anxiety does not mean you have to. Whether you’ve noticed some of the changes mentioned above or not, you deserve to live a less anxious life. A life where anxiety does not control you. A life where you can enjoy things even when anxiety pops up. Beginning therapy for anxiety can be a way for you to prioritize and validate your own health and well-being.

Looking for an anxiety doctor? If you are ready to start therapy and take back control from anxiety, reach out to me for a free consult. I am a bi/queer therapist specialized in providing anxiety therapy in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota. You can have a life where you get through the day feeling calmer and more in control. A life where you are more compassionate towards yourself, feel more connected with others, and make regular commitments to your well-being. Let’s connect and start liberating you from anxiety today.