Therapy for anxiety, overthinking, people-pleasing, and burnout in Manhattan / Flatiron and throughout New York via teletherapy.
When Your Mind Won't Give You a Break
Anxiety and overthinking don't always look the way we expect them to.
Sometimes they look like:
Replaying a conversation and wondering if you said the wrong thing.
Reading way too much into a text or email.
Checking your phone because you're waiting for a response.
Worrying that someone is upset with you.
Saying yes when you really want to say no.
Feeling guilty when you put your own needs first.
Trying to keep everyone happy.
Having a hard time relaxing because there's always something you should be doing.
Working harder and harder to feel like you're finally “good enough.”
Feeling responsible for everyone else's feelings.
Knowing you need a boundary but feeling almost physically uncomfortable setting one.
You may even find yourself thinking, “Why am I like this? I know better.”
But understanding your patterns intellectually doesn't necessarily make them easier to change.
In therapy, we'll look at what's underneath the anxiety and where these patterns came from—not just how to make the next anxious thought go away.
When Taking Care of Everyone Else Becomes Exhausting
Maybe you've gotten very good at being the understanding one.
You keep the peace. You don't want to disappoint people. You think carefully about how something will affect everyone else before you make a decision. You apologize even when you're not sure you've done anything wrong.
And somewhere along the way, your own needs can become an afterthought.
People-pleasing often starts for a reason. Maybe you learned early on that keeping other people happy helped you feel safe, connected, or accepted. Maybe conflict felt uncomfortable or unpredictable. Maybe being the “good” one became part of how you understood yourself.
Whatever the reason, patterns that once helped you can become exhausting later on.
You may find yourself wondering:
Why am I always the one holding everything together?
Why do I feel so guilty when I say no?
Why do I know what everyone else needs but have no idea what I need?
Therapy can give you a place to slow down and start paying attention to those questions.
When Anxiety Gets Tangled Up With Relationships
A lot of anxiety shows up in our relationships.
You might feel fine when things are going well, but become incredibly anxious when someone pulls away, takes longer to respond, seems distant, or sends mixed signals.
You may find yourself thinking:
Do they actually care about me?
Did I do something wrong?
Why haven't they texted back?
Are they losing interest?
And then the analyzing begins.
You reread the conversation. You look for clues. You ask friends what they think. You try to figure out what the other person is feeling before they even tell you.
If this sounds familiar, we can look at what's happening underneath that anxiety and how it connects to your experiences in relationships.
The goal isn't to make you care less or stop wanting closeness.
It's to help you feel more secure in yourself - even when you don't have all the answers.
In Therapy, We Can Work On:
Understanding where these patterns come from:
We'll look at the experiences and relationships that may have shaped the way you respond to conflict, uncertainty, closeness, and rejection.
Getting more comfortable with boundaries:
Saying no doesn't mean you're selfish, difficult, or letting someone down. We'll work on making boundaries feel less overwhelming - and less guilt-inducing.
Figuring out what you actually need:
When you're used to paying attention to everyone else, it can take some practice to notice your own wants, feelings, and limits.
Getting out of your head:
We'll work on recognizing the situations that send you into an overthinking spiral and finding ways to respond without analyzing every possible outcome.
Changing relationship patterns:
Together, we'll look at how you relate to other people and what you may be repeating without realizing it.
Building a stronger sense of yourself:
Rather than relying so heavily on other people's approval, reassurance, or reactions to tell you that you're okay, we'll work toward feeling more secure in your own sense of who you are.
Looking Beneath the Anxiety
Because anxiety is often connected to what's happening in our relationships, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) can be particularly useful.
IPT focuses on the relationships in your life right now—how you're relating to other people, what's happening between you, and how those relationships affect how you feel.
We'll also explore the attachment patterns, expectations, and experiences that may be shaping the way you respond to other people.
This isn't about becoming less sensitive, less caring, or less invested in your relationships.
It's about learning how to care about other people without losing yourself in the process.
Feeling More Like Yourself
Over time, therapy can help you:
Feel less responsible for everyone else's emotions.
Set boundaries without being overwhelmed by guilt.
Trust yourself instead of constantly looking for reassurance.
Spend less time analyzing every interaction.
Be more comfortable with uncertainty.
Quiet the voice telling you that you should be doing more.
Make room for your own needs without feeling selfish.
Feel more grounded in your relationships and in yourself.
Therapy Isn't About Becoming Less Caring
You don't need to become a completely different person.
You can still be thoughtful. You can still care deeply about the people in your life. You can still be generous and sensitive to other people's feelings.
The difference is that you get to be part of the equation, too.
You can care about other people without taking responsibility for everything they feel.
You can say no without being a bad person.
And you can have needs without having to earn the right to have them.
Ready to Quiet The Noise?
Start with a free 15-minute consultation. We'll talk briefly about what's bringing you to therapy, answer any questions you have, and see whether working together feels like a good fit.
Anxiety, Overthinking & People-Pleasing Therapy in NYC
Maybe your mind rarely seems to turn off - and you're exhausted from trying to keep up with it.
You replay conversations, worry about what someone meant, second-guess your decisions, or find yourself trying to anticipate what everyone else needs. You may be saying yes when you're already stretched thin, working harder and harder to be “good enough,” or quietly pushing your own needs to the side.
You may know you're overthinking—but knowing that doesn't make it stop.
And sometimes anxiety doesn't look like panic. It looks like perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty saying no, constant self-doubt, or feeling responsible for holding everything together.
You don't have to figure out exactly what's going on before starting therapy. That's part of what we can explore together.