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 seemed great—I had my career,
I was healthy, and had loving friends—but I couldn't enjoy any of it. The truth lay in how I felt
inside—anxious, afraid, and too ashamed to reach out to anyone.
I wasted a lot of time suffering before I finally decided to get some help.
A friend referred me to a therapist who understood what I was going through, because she had
also dealt with anxiety. Knowing this about her gave me solace—she was living proof that I
could eventually find some relief. That therapist created a safe place where I could 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 body, the spinning thoughts began to slow down. I was
more able to just "be" and enjoy the simple pleasures of living. My therapist helped me find a
sense of self. From there I found my wonderful husband and a life's purpose—I wanted to help
others as my therapist had helped me, experience more depth, joy, and meaning in life.