What If Anxiety Isn't a Problem?

Anxiety is best understood as an alarm bell. Something is off, and your nervous system is trying to get your attention.

Maybe it's external. You're lonely in a relationship that looks fine on paper. There's a conversation you've been avoiding for months. Something in your life no longer fits, and some part of you already knows it.

Part of therapy is learning to listen to what that alarm bell is telling you, rather than just trying to turn it off. Often it's pointing you toward something you already know you want.

Public speaking is scary. Asking someone out is scary. Talking to strangers is scary. Feeling anxious about those things isn't a sign of mental illness or a character flaw, it's the alarm doing its job.

The second step, once you've identified what the anxiety is telling you, is cultivating courage. Yes, I feel anxious about talking to new people, and I'm going to do it anyway. Yes, I'm anxious to ask my boss for a raise, and I'm going to do it anyway. Notice the word "and" — not "but." You cannot eliminate anxiety. You can only change your relationship with it. Will you let it be a stop sign, a yield sign, or a green light?

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Practical Details

Location: In-person in Baldwin Park, available virtually throughout FL.

Format: Individual therapy only

Approach: Psychodynamic, depth-oriented

Payment: Private pay, $125 (sliding scale may be available); credit card, debit card, HSA, cash

Specialties: Depression, Anxiety, Addictions, Veterans, and Men’s Issues

— Nick Sterling, MA | Real Counseling Orlando | Anxiety therapist in Orlando