Supporting Anxiety with Therapy, Natural
Tools, and Strength-Based Insight
By: Emily Brick, NCC, LPC, Therapist—Mount North
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
Anxiety is a natural response of your brain and body to perceived challenges or stressors. It reflects the nervous system’s effort to keep you alert, prepared, and safe. When we learn to understand how anxiety works and begin working with it instead of against it, we not only find ways to ease discomfort but also reconnect with the strengths and insights that often accompany it.
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
Understanding Anxiety: A Brilliant Brain on High Alert
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Your brain is hardwired to detect danger. The amygdala, a small but powerful structure deep in the brain, acts as your internal alarm system. When it perceives a threat—real or imagined—it signals the body to react with a fight, flight, or freeze response.
For some people, this system becomes overactive. Instead of responding only to actual danger, it starts firing in response to everyday stressors, future possibilities, or even unspoken thoughts. That’s when anxiety can become disruptive.
But here’s the key: the capacity for anxiety is not a mistake. It’s part of a deeply intelligent survival system. And while it can be uncomfortable, it also comes with remarkable strengths. People with anxiety are often incredibly attuned, responsible, creative, and empathetic. Their brains are built for deep thinking, anticipation, and connection.
The goal isn’t to “get rid” of anxiety—it’s to quiet the parts that interfere with well-being, while supporting and celebrating the traits that make you who you are.
Anxiety as a Source of Superpowers: Tapping
Into Your Unique Strengths
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
Anxiety isn’t just a challenge—it can be a source of remarkable strengths and abilities. Many
people with anxiety experience heightened sensitivity, creativity, and insight that others
might not notice. These “superpowers” include:
Exceptional Awareness: You might be highly attuned to details, social cues, and potential
risks, allowing you to anticipate problems before they arise.
Deep Empathy: Anxiety often comes with strong emotional sensitivity, helping you connect
with others’ feelings and perspectives deeply.
Creativity and Imagination: Your mind may naturally explore possibilities and generate
creative solutions, making you a thoughtful problem-solver.
Strong Sense of Responsibility: You likely care deeply about doing things well and supporting
others, reflecting your conscientious nature.
Vigilant Planning: People with anxiety often excel at anticipating obstacles and creating
thoughtful plans, making them excellent organizers and strategists.
Heightened Integrity: A strong inner compass and concern for doing the right thing often
drive individuals with anxiety to act with honesty and ethical clarity.
Strong Work Ethic: Many people with anxiety tend to be driven, meticulous, and
hardworking—often going above and beyond to ensure things are done well.
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
A Strengths-Based Approach: Honoring the
Gifts Within Anxiety
The strengths that often come with anxiety—like empathy, intuition, creativity, and a deep sense of responsibility—are powerful assets. When supported, these qualities can lead to meaningful relationships, innovative thinking, and exceptional problem-solving, but without the right tools, those same strengths can sometimes feel like too much. Sensitivity may lead to overwhelm, creativity can become overthinking, and care for others might result in self-neglect. A strengths-based approach helps you harness those gifts with intention and support—so they energize rather than exhaust you.
A strengths-based approach starts with this core belief: you are not defined by your symptoms—you are defined by your capacity, values, and strengths. Your anxious brain is not broken; it’s simply working overtime to keep you safe, loved, and prepared. Often, what shows up as anxiety is your nervous system responding to things that once required protection. We honor that, while helping you learn new ways to feel safe in the present.
Rather than focusing only on symptom reduction, a strengths-based approach helps you explore:
What your anxiety might be trying to protect you from.
What core values (like connection, achievement, or safety) might be driving anxious patterns.
How your sensitivity or intensity can be channeled into meaningful action.
What coping tools align with your personality, environment, and needs—not just what’s “supposed to work.”
In practice, this might look like:
Learning grounding skills so your strong awareness doesn’t feel like constant overstimulation.
Using your thoughtful nature to pause and reflect—without spiraling into overthinking.
Reframing anxious patterns not as flaws, but as signs of care, responsibility, and insight.
With support, you can build tools that allow your gifts to flourish without tipping into overwhelm. Therapy helps you make sense of your story and develop emotional flexibility. Medication can turn down the volume so you can focus more clearly. Natural tools give your body and brain a stable foundation to thrive on.
This isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about learning how to care for the incredible mind you already have—and creating space for it to work for you, not just protect you.
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
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The Three Pillars of Anxiety Support: Therapy, Medication, and Natural Interventions
Real-life strategy to reach your goals.
Managing anxiety is most effective when multiple approaches come together to support your unique needs. Here’s how therapy, medication, and natural interventions can work in harmony to help you thrive:
Therapy
Therapy offers a personalized, supportive space to understand your anxiety and develop tools that fit your life. Beyond helping you manage symptoms, therapy helps build resilience and deepen self-awareness. Common approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Teaches you to recognize and reframe unhelpful thought patterns and develop practical coping strategies.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Encourages accepting anxious feelings while committing to meaningful actions based on your values.
Mindfulness-Based Therapies: Help cultivate present-moment awareness to reduce rumination and increase emotional balance.
Somatic Therapies: Focus on body sensations and release tension or trauma stored physically, helping to calm your nervous system.
Therapy also supports skill-building in emotional regulation, stress management, and communication, empowering you to respond to anxiety with greater confidence.
Medication
Medication can be an important part of anxiety treatment, especially when symptoms are intense or persistent enough to interfere with daily functioning. Medication helps regulate brain chemistry, making it easier to engage in therapy and day-to-day activities. Some common options include:
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Often the first choice; they increase serotonin levels to improve mood and reduce anxiety.
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs): Similar to SSRIs, they affect multiple neurotransmitters to help manage anxiety.
Buspirone: A non-sedating medication specifically approved for generalized anxiety, often used as an alternative or adjunct to SSRIs.
Beta-Blockers: Used to control physical symptoms of anxiety like rapid heartbeat, especially helpful in performance or situational anxiety.
Other Options: Depending on your situation, a prescriber might consider other medications tailored to your needs.
Medication is always individualized, closely monitored, and adjusted as needed to balance benefits and minimize side effects. It’s most effective when combined with therapy and lifestyle approaches.
Natural Interventions
Your lifestyle and daily habits have a profound impact on anxiety. Here are some specific, evidence-based natural interventions that can support your mental health:
Sleep Hygiene: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, create a dark and quiet sleep environment, avoid screens and caffeine 1-2 hours before bedtime, and consider calming activities like reading or gentle stretching before sleep.
Physical Activity: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days—walking, swimming, biking, or yoga can help reduce anxiety symptoms by releasing endorphins and lowering stress hormones.
Breathing and Relaxation Techniques: Practice diaphragmatic (deep belly) breathing, box breathing (inhale-hold-exhale-hold for counts of 4), or progressive muscle relaxation to reduce physical tension and calm your nervous system. Apps or guided videos can assist with these.
Nutrition: Maintain balanced meals with plenty of whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Limit processed foods, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, which can exacerbate anxiety.
Herbs and Supplements: Certain supplements may support anxiety management. These include:
Magnesium (glycinate or citrate forms) to promote relaxation and reduce muscle tension.
L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, known for its calming effects.
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) to support brain health.
Vitamin D, which may influence mood and anxiety regulation.
B-complex vitamins, essential for nervous system function.
Adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha and rhodiola, which may help the body manage stress.
Always consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplements, especially if you are on medication.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Spend a few minutes each day in mindfulness meditation or body scans to increase awareness of the present moment and reduce worry cycles.
Sunlight and Nature Exposure: Aim for 15-30 minutes of natural light daily, ideally in the morning, to support your circadian rhythm and mood. Spending time in green spaces or near water can also boost feelings of calm.
Social Connection: Foster supportive relationships by spending time with friends, family, or community groups. Social support is crucial for emotional well-being and stress reduction.
Together, these natural strategies support your body’s ability to regulate anxiety, complementing therapy and medication for a balanced approach.
Finding Balance With a Beautiful Brain
Your brain has been working hard to protect you—and it’s also capable of learning new ways to feel safe, connected, and grounded. A whole-person approach to anxiety doesn’t ask you to change who you are. It invites you to get curious, to slow down, and to explore what supports you need in place to thrive.
Whether through therapy, medication, natural supports, or a combination of all three, healing from anxiety is not about becoming a different person. It’s about reconnecting with your strengths, expanding your capacity for calm, and building a life that allows your nervous system—and your spirit—to exhale.
A Reminder of Hope
The holidays may be different because of grief—but different does not mean empty, joyless, or
without moments of comfort. Healing doesn’t require forgetting, moving on, or pretending. It’s
about finding new ways to carry love forward, to connect with others, and to create meaning in a
season that has changed.
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