Do you frequently...
- Wake up with a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach?
- Play the "what if" game—habitually focused on the worst-case scenario?
- Feel isolated from your friends—too ashamed to reveal your anxiety?
- Have difficulty being assertive, expressing an opinion or a feeling?
- Feel like you're "going through the motions" in your life and career?
- Choose the same frustrating partners, over and over again?
- Feel creatively blocked—afraid to experiment and play?
- Experience chronic muscular tension or other physical symptoms?
Laurie Handler, MFT
MFC 43796
If you can relate to any of the above, you're not alone
That was my life at age 35. On the surface, everything was great—I had a career in graphic design, I owned
property, I was healthy, and had loving friends—but I couldn't enjoy any of it. The real truth was how I felt inside—
anxious, scared, and too ashamed to reach out to anyone.
After a lot of suffering, I finally decided to get some help. A friend referred me to a therapist who really
understood what I was going through, because she had also suffered from anxiety. Knowing this about
her gave me comfort and hope—here was living proof that I might eventually find relief. My therapist created
a safe place where I could begin to take a closer look at my life—to grieve my losses, get out of my head,
and begin to inhabit my body.
As I became more grounded in my sense of self, my spinning thoughts began to slow down. I was more
able to just "be" and enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive. My therapist helped me find myself—and from
there I was able to find my wonderful husband, and my life's purpose. I decided that I would like to help others
as my therapist helped me—experience more depth, joy, and meaning in life.