In Person Therapy in Long Beach and Virtually Across California & Florida
Therapy for Anxiety & Overthinking
When your mind won't shut off, you second-guess everything, or you can't seem to feel settled.
Have you found yourself asking:
“Why can’t I just be calm?”
“Why does my brain always jump to the worst-case scenario?”
“Why do I think like this?”
“Will I ever feel calm?”
Maybe you know you're overthinking, but you can't seem to stop.
You replay conversations after they happen. You worry about what someone meant by their text. You think through every possible outcome before making a decision. You ask other people what they think because you don't trust your own answer.
And sometimes, you just avoid things altogether.
You don't go to the party because you're already imagining how uncomfortable you'll feel.
You put off the conversation at work because you're worried you'll say the wrong thing.
You don't apply for the job because you can already thinking about the future anxiety and guilt that comes with telling your boss that you found something else.
Maybe you're dating again and a new relationship brings up a whole new level of anxiety. You analyze their texts. Notice every change in their tone. Wonder if they're losing interest. Try to figure out where things are going. And then you feel embarrassed that you're even thinking this much about it.
So you try to make yourself stop.
You distract yourself.
You depend on reassurance from others.
You Google.
You check.
You avoid.
You over-prepare.
You’ve convinced yourself you have to do all of the above… or you won’t be able to do what you need to do
And somehow, your brain gets even louder.
Anxiety can make your world smaller.
You might find yourself:
Avoiding social situations because you're worried about being judged
Replaying something you said hours after a conversation
Worrying about how you're coming across at work
Putting off difficult conversations because you don't know how they'll go
Over-preparing for meetings, presentations, dates, or social events
Checking your work repeatedly because you're afraid you made a mistake
Asking friends or your partner for reassurance
Reading into texts, facial expressions, tone, or changes in behavior
Having trouble making even simple decisions
Thinking through every possible “what if”
Assuming something bad is going to happen
Avoiding dating because the uncertainty feels exhausting
Feeling anxious when a new relationship starts getting more serious
Pulling away from things you actually want because anxiety takes over
Feeling like you need to know exactly what's going to happen before you can relax
And underneath all of it, you may be wondering:
“Why can't I just be calm and chill?”
You don't need to spend your life managing your anxiety.
Therapy can help you understand why your brain and body respond this way and what keeps the cycle going.
We'll look at the thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and patterns that keep anxiety going, while also getting underneath the deeper stuff that may be driving it.
Sometimes anxiety is about uncertainty.
Sometimes it's about needing control.
Sometimes it's about fear of rejection, failure, being judged, or getting something wrong.
And sometimes anxiety shows up most strongly in your relationships, where uncertainty, closeness, rejection, or the fear of losing someone can turn the volume way up.
The goal isn't to never feel anxious again. It's to stop anxiety from running your life.
You're ready to:
Stop spending hours stuck in your head
Feel more comfortable with uncertainty
Trust yourself without needing constant reassurance
Make decisions without analyzing every possible outcome
Go places and do things without anxiety deciding for you
Speak up at work without replaying it afterward
Date without analyzing every text and interaction
Stay present in new relationships instead of constantly looking for signs something is wrong
Handle uncomfortable conversations without immediately avoiding them
Notice anxious thoughts without automatically believing them
Feel more comfortable being seen, judged, or misunderstood
Get out of the cycle of think → worry → check → reassure → repeat
Feel calmer and more confident in your everyday life
You don't have to get rid of every anxious thought. You need to know what to do when they show up.
Anxiety & Overthinking FAQ
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Anxiety can get better, but the goal isn't to force yourself to “calm down” every time you feel anxious. We’ll look at the thoughts, behaviors, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and patterns that keep anxiety going, while also working on what may be underneath it.
Depending on what you're experiencing, therapy may include practical tools for managing anxiety in the moment, learning to tolerate uncertainty, changing patterns that keep anxiety going, and deeper work with EMDR or parts work when appropriate. Psychotherapy is a well-established treatment for anxiety, and some people also benefit from medication.
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Not necessarily. Medication is one option for treating anxiety, but it isn't the right choice for everyone. Some people use therapy alone, while others find that therapy and medication together are helpful.
As a therapist, I don't prescribe medication, but if you're wondering whether it could be helpful for you, we can talk about what you're experiencing and whether it makes sense to discuss medication with your doctor or a psychiatric provider.
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You may notice your body feels constantly on edge, restless, tense, or like it can't fully relax. Anxiety can involve both mental and physical responses to stress, but I don't want to reduce everything to the idea that your nervous system is simply “stuck.”
We'll look at the whole picture: what's happening in your body, what your mind is doing, what you're avoiding, what you're worried might happen, and what experiences or patterns may be contributing to your anxiety.
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Usually, trying harder to stop thinking doesn't work very well.
Instead, we'll work on understanding what your mind is trying to accomplish when it starts spinning. Maybe it's trying to predict every possible outcome, prevent you from making a mistake, protect you from rejection, or give you certainty when there isn't any.
The goal isn't to never have an anxious thought. It's to become less controlled by those thoughts and more able to come back to yourself.
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You are not failing at anxiety because breathing exercises, meditation, journaling, or other coping strategies haven't been enough.
Sometimes those tools are helpful, but sometimes they aren't addressing what is actually keeping the anxiety going. That's where therapy can be useful.
We'll look at what you've already tried, what happens when anxiety shows up, and what keeps you stuck in the cycle. From there, we'll create a more personalized plan instead of giving you another generic list of things to “try.”