Anxiety Therapy: Bridging the Gap Between Who You Were and Who You’re Becoming

“Why did I let myself do that for so long?” Laurie asks, her voice tight with frustration. 

She sits on my couch, legs crossed, her hands gripping a throw pillow like it might ground her. “I mean, I’d bend over backward for people who couldn’t care less about me. They’d ask for favors, and I’d be there—driving someone to the airport in the middle of a snowstorm.

And now, looking back, it’s like… was that really me?” Her voice trails off, and her eyes dart to the floor. “I’m so mad at myself for being that person.”

Laurie’s story might sound familiar. Maybe you’ve been there—saying yes when you wanted to say no, putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, and feeling like you’re on autopilot.

For Laurie, this realization came with a hefty dose of self-awareness, a result of a year in anxiety therapy. She’d spent so much time ignoring her own discomfort that she didn’t even realize how much she was giving up.

The Old You vs. the New You

Therapy gave Laurie tools she didn’t know she needed.

She started noticing that tight, uneasy feeling in her chest when someone asked for something she didn’t want to give.

She learned to name it: discomfort.

And slowly, she started respecting it.

Instead of saying “yes” to her cousin’s last-minute request to dog-sit or agreeing to help a coworker move a piano, she started saying, “Let me think about it” or even—gasp—“No.”

At first, it felt amazing. Empowering. Like she’d cracked the code to self-care and finally taken control of her life.

But then came the harder part: reckoning with her past.

“Now, I’m looking back, and it’s like, why didn’t I see this sooner?” Laurie confessed in one session.

“How could I be so blind to how one-sided some of these relationships were? I spent years pouring my energy into people who wouldn’t do the same for me.”

Her anger was real—and valid. But it was also keeping her caught between the relief of her progress and the weight of her past choices.

Growing Through the Discomfort with Anxiety Therapy

Making progress isn’t always about feeling great.

Sometimes, it’s about sitting with the discomfort of seeing your old habits in a new light.

Laurie’s anger at her past self wasn’t a setback; it was part of her growth.

She was mourning the time and energy she couldn’t get back while learning to show herself compassion for what she didn’t know then.

Letting go of old anxiety patterns means learning to sit with messy emotions: grief, regret, even anger.

It’s about understanding that the person you were was doing the best they could with the tools they had.

And now? You have new tools. Tools that let you prioritize your well-being, set boundaries, and respect your own needs.

Turning Regret Into a Superpower

Self-awareness isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always powerful. 

In anxiety therapy, the goal isn’t just to feel more confident and in control (though that’s a nice bonus). It’s also about bridging the gap between who you were and who you’re becoming, and that can feel messy and hard.

Your Future Self Is Cheering You On

If Laurie’s story feels like yours, I want you to know this: change is hard, but you’re not alone.

Anxiety patterns may have shaped your past, but they don’t have to dictate your future.

Therapy is a space where you can make sense of those feelings, learn to trust yourself again, and build a life where you feel confident, supported, and free.

Ready to take the next step? Let’s bridge that gap together. Reach out today to start your own journey of self-awareness and self-development. Because the future version of you—the one who knows their worth and isn’t afraid to show it—is worth every step of the process.

Step into your own story.

• What are the moments in your past that still make you feel uneasy or frustrated with yourself? How might those feelings be showing you areas where you’ve grown?

• If you could speak to your past self, what would you want them to know about their worth and what they deserve?

Let's chat!