From Anxiety to Hope: The Power of Therapy

Alice (28) is an educated and independent woman. She has a stable job, good friends and decent relationships with her family.

While highly functioning on the surface, she struggles with repetitive thoughts about not being capable and not being good enough.

Whenever she makes a minor mistake at work, she obsesses over it for days, replaying the moment in her head and worrying that her boss thinks less of her.

After going through a long and painful break-up five years ago, where her partner suddenly ended things without much explanation, she decided to give up on finding a partner. 

When friends suggest she try a new dating app, she brushes them off, saying, “There’s no one out there who would tolerate me.” 

She doubts that there is anyone she would be compatible with or that she has the emotional strength to handle the ups and downs of a relationship.

Alice is certain that she is destined to be alone.

That’s not the only thing that Alice doubts. She is hesitant to search for a new apartment, worried that she wouldn’t be able to handle the paperwork or the stress of moving,  struggles with asking her landlord to fix a broken appliance or negotiating work from home days with her boss.

Her anxiety keeps her from taking steps toward the life she wants, and she often feels paralyzed by the fear that she’ll fail or embarrass herself.

When her family suggests that she tries therapy, she dismisses the idea quickly. 

“Therapy is just talking,” she tells herself. “It’s not going to change anything.” Alice worries that a therapist will be just another person who “doesn’t get it,” or "doesn't really care."

Her past attempts at opening up to friends or family have left her feeling misunderstood, so she’s convinced that therapy will be no different.

So the days pass, and her despair and resentment deepen.

She sees her friends moving forward in their lives—getting promotions, buying homes, starting families—while she feels stuck in the same place.

Alice overlooks the fact that a therapist can add the ingredient that is most needed in her experience of the world—hope.

An honest, attentive, empathetic, and firm therapist could challenge Alice’s assumptions, deepening her ability to see strengths she’s overlooked. Like her resilience in maintaining a stable life despite her struggles with self-doubt, and the courage it took to build a life on her own after her break-up or to maintain close friendships despite feeling down.

Working one-on-one with a therapist could help her to let go of the despair, making space for creative solutions, a balanced perspective, and some humor

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The right kind of therapist wouldn’t just be a good and supportive listener, but also someone that can help Alice notice the function of her negative thoughts, shift her focus to her progress, and “snap out” of her tendency to see the worst in herself.

If you see yourself in Alice’s story, consider taking the first step toward rediscovering hope.

Therapy could be the key to helping you move forward, one conversation at a time.