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Anxiety and depression therapy in Orange County
When anxiety is always there, everyday things can start to feel harder. You might find yourself overthinking conversations, replaying things you said, worrying about what could go wrong, or constantly second-guessing yourself. You may look like you're handling everything just fine while feeling exhausted from everything happening in your mind.
Depression can look different – quieter, heavier. You may still be going to work, taking care of your responsibilities, and doing everything you're supposed to do, but feel disconnected, unmotivated, or like you're just going through the motions. Things that used to bring you joy may not feel the same, and even simple things can take more energy than they used to.
Anxiety and depression don't always look the way we expect them to. Sometimes they're obvious, and sometimes they're harder to recognize because you're still functioning and getting things done. And sometimes, you're dealing with both at the same time.
What anxiety looks like up close
It shows up differently depending on the person. Some of the more common symptoms:
- Thoughts that circle the same worry without ever resolving it.
- Physical symptoms – tight chest, shallow breathing, clenched jaw, stomach aches, sleep that won't come or won't hold.
- Overpreparing or checking things repeatedly.
- Avoiding situations due to fear of what might happen.
- Irritability that arrives before you notice you're anxious.
- Anticipation that something might go wrong.
Anxiety is rarely random. It's often pointing to something underneath – something you may not always be aware of at first. When anxiety begins to interfere with daily life, we'll work together to better understand it and develop new ways of coping.
What depression looks like up close
It is not always sadness, and it is often not obvious from outside:
- Waking up tired no matter how long you were asleep.
- Things you used to enjoy arriving muted, or not really arriving at all.
- Decisions that used to be small taking a disproportionate amount of effort.
- Pulling back from people, and then feeling worse for being on your own.
- A harshness toward yourself you would never direct at anyone else.
- Getting everything done, on time, and feeling nothing about any of it.
A persistent heaviness that makes ordinary things feel far away is worth taking seriously, and we look underneath it, together.
Why the two so often travel together
Anxiety and depression can feel like very different experiences, but they often overlap. When you spend a lot of time worrying, overthinking, or trying to stay in control, it can become emotionally exhausting. You may eventually feel drained, disconnected, or lose motivation. At the same time, feeling depressed can make it harder to cope with the worries and uncertainty that anxiety brings.
For many people, the two can reinforce each other, making it difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. That's why it can be helpful to look at both rather than treating them as completely separate problems.
How I work with anxiety and depression
We get curious about the anxiety and what purpose it's serving. Anxiety is frequently an old strategy still doing its job. If staying three steps ahead was how you stayed safe growing up, your system will not give that up. Using Internal Family Systems, we get curious about the part that's working so hard, and what it believes would happen if it stopped. The same is true of the part that shuts everything down – that one is usually protecting you from something too.
We work to notice the thought patterns that run automatically, testing whether they hold up, and building grounding and breathing skills you can actually use in the moment. With depression, things can look a little different. When motivation is low, waiting until you feel like doing something can keep you stuck. Instead, we focus on small, manageable steps that help you reconnect with your daily life. We pay attention to what actually helps you feel a little better, rather than what you think you should be doing. Sometimes these small changes can make a difference, even when they feel too small to matter at first.
Read more about IFS-informed therapy Read more about somatic therapy Read more about trauma therapy in Orange County
Does this sound familiar?
If anxiety or low mood is interfering with your work, sleep, or relationships – or if you've been managing it alone for a long time, trying coping strategies that help for a week and then stop – that's a sign it might be time for support. Depression can show up as struggling to keep up with daily tasks, carrying it alone for a long time, or noticing things that used to help just don't anymore. If either of these sounds familiar, starting therapy might be worth exploring.
We'll talk through all of this during the consultation call. If your symptoms are severe enough to need a higher level of care, I'll help connect you with the right resources. I don't prescribe medication, though I'm glad to work alongside a prescriber if that's part of your care.
If you're having thoughts of not wanting to be here, that is more common than people admit and it deserves real support. Please tell me. If you need someone right now, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Not sure which fits?
Most people don't arrive with a clean label, and the thing you came in for is often not the whole story. You don't need to decide now. The other places people start:
Trauma therapy Childhood trauma therapy Parents who couldn't be there for you Grief and loss Couples and family therapy