Anxiety & Overwhelm Support
Often the way forward begins with seeing yourself differently.
Anxiety can feel like a racing mind, a tight chest, or a constant sense that something is about to go wrong. It can show up as overthinking, difficulty sleeping, perfectionism, restlessness, or a body that never quite feels at ease.
In therapy, we slow down and look at the bigger picture. We'll notice what you've already been managing, look at where the anxiety fits in the rest of your life, and build practical skills you can use between sessions.
"Anxiety is usually trying to protect you. It just overdoes it."
My approach is collaborative and paced to what feels manageable for you. Alongside CBT tools, I draw on ACT, which helps you notice anxious thoughts without letting them make every decision, and keep moving toward what matters even when anxiety shows up.
What Anxiety Can Look Like Day to Day
Sometimes anxiety is obvious. Other times it looks like replaying conversations afterward, rehearsing what you are going to say before making a phone call, avoiding a task because you are afraid you will do it incorrectly, becoming irritable when overwhelmed, or being unable to relax even when nothing is obviously wrong.
The important question is not only whether anxiety is present, but what is driving it.
For some people, anxiety overlaps with perfectionism, trauma, grief or major life changes. For neurodivergent clients, it may also interact with sensory overload, executive-functioning demands, masking, uncertainty or years of trying to anticipate expectations that seem to come naturally to everyone else.
Therapy gives us an opportunity to look at those connections rather than treating every anxious thought as an isolated problem.
What Does Anxiety Therapy Look Like?
There is no single technique that works for every person with anxiety. We might use a thought record to slow down a “what if” spiral and check it against what you actually know. If anxiety has you avoiding something, we can break it into smaller steps and practice them one at a time. We'll also look at what's feeding the anxiety, since your workload, relationships, history and level of responsibility often explain more than the anxious thought itself.
The goal is not to eliminate every uncomfortable feeling. Anxiety is part of being human. The goal is for anxiety to take up less space and have less control over the choices you make.
Common Questions About Anxiety Therapy
How do I know if my anxiety is something I should get help with?
There isn't a particular level of distress you have to reach before therapy is appropriate. If anxiety is consuming significant mental energy, interfering with relationships, sleep, work or school, contributing to avoidance, or simply making life harder than it needs to be, it may be worth talking about.
Can ADHD and anxiety occur together?
Yes. They can also interact in complicated ways. Executive-functioning difficulties, missed deadlines, forgotten responsibilities, sensory overwhelm or repeated experiences of feeling behind can create anxiety, while anxiety itself can make concentration and task initiation more difficult.
Why do I replay or overthink conversations afterward?
There can be several reasons. Anxiety may lead you to review an interaction for mistakes, signs of rejection or things you wish you had said differently. For some neurodivergent people, consciously monitoring social interactions or trying to determine whether they interpreted an interaction correctly can add another layer. Rather than assuming all overthinking has the same cause, therapy can help us understand what keeps the pattern going for you.
Can anxiety cause procrastination or avoidance?
Yes. Avoidance can temporarily reduce anxiety, which makes putting something off feel better in the short term even when it creates more stress later. But procrastination can also have other causes, including executive-functioning difficulties, overwhelm and perfectionism, so it helps to understand what is actually driving it.
Do I have to use CBT for anxiety?
No. Cognitive strategies can be useful, but I draw from multiple approaches depending on the person and what is maintaining the anxiety. Therapy should fit the person rather than requiring every person with anxiety to respond to the same technique.
What if I understand my anxiety intellectually but still feel anxious?
That is not unusual. Understanding why you feel something and changing how your mind or body responds are different processes. Therapy can move beyond insight to explore avoidance, emotional and nervous-system responses, tolerance of uncertainty, behavior patterns and new ways of responding when anxiety shows up.
You don't have to white-knuckle your way through this.
Let's build some calm together.
I'M HERE TO HELP
Therapy that honors your unique story.
Individualized care in Tomball and online across Texas.
Christi Kersten, MA, LPC-S · Texas License #67790 · Alaska License #193673
