REFRAME YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANXIETY
Anxiety Doesn’t Have to Keep You Stuck
If anxiety has been steering your choices - whispering that safety means shrinking down, avoiding moments, or overthinking every decision - you’re not alone. Anxiety can be loud, persistent, and remarkably convincing. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to wait for it to vanish before you begin living.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) aren’t about quickly eliminating anxiety. Instead, they help you build a new relationship with it - one where discomfort doesn’t define your actions.
THE APPROACH
As we work together, we draw from both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), CBT, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Through ACT, we learn to step back from anxious thoughts rather than wrestle with them, to make space for discomfort rather than control it, and to reconnect with the relationships, creativity, purpose, and freedom that bring life meaning. ERP complements this by helping us gently face the fears we’ve been avoiding, without relying on rituals or safety behaviours. It’s not easy work, but neither is living with anxiety. Learning skills for responding to anxiety in new ways can be deeply freeing - because each small act of courage sends a powerful message to the brain: I can feel anxious and still do what matters.
In ACT...
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We learn how to unhook from anxious thoughts instead of wrestling with them.
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We practice making space for discomfort instead of trying to control it.
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And most importantly, we begin to reconnect with the parts of life that light us up —relationships, creativity, purpose, freedom.
ERP teaches us...
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To gently face the fears we’ve been avoiding, without performing all the rituals and safety behaviours we’ve leaned on to feel okay. It’s not easy work, but it’s liberating. Because with every small act of courage, we send a new message to our brains: “I can feel anxious… and still do what matters.”
SMALL STEPS, BIG SHIFTS
Change doesn’t need to be dramatic to be transformative. It might look like:
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Sitting with uncertainty for a few more moments than usual
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Sending that email your anxiety’s made you hold onto
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Taking a walk even when your mind feels restless
These subtle actions are quiet wins that add up to a life richer in possibilities and meaning.
As your counsellor, I’m not here to “fix” you - you’re not broken.
I’m here to walk beside you, helping you listen differently to anxiety and build trust in yourself, even when your nervous system sounds the alarm.
You’re Allowed to Want More
Anxiety doesn’t get to make your decisions. You can feel afraid and still move forward. Feel doubtful and still leap. Live meaningfully - even imperfectly. You’re allowed to want more, and you don’t have to do it alone.
WHY THIS APPROACH WORKS FOR ANXIETY
ACT and ERP focus on what really matters: Rather than trying to suppress or “trick” anxiety, these approaches guide you to engage with your thoughts, behaviours, and responses in ways that allow you to live a meaningful, fulfilling life - even in the presence of anxiety.
Builds lasting change: ACT promotes psychological flexibility, and ERP encourages confronting fears without avoidance. Together, they empower lasting growth and resilience, rather than just providing temporary relief.
READY TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY?
I now offer compassionate anxiety therapy, in addition to or alongside support in CBT-I. Whether you want relief from insomnia, anxiety, or both, I’m here when you’re ready.