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Anxiety is a natural human response to stress, but when worry and fear become overwhelming, persistent, or begin to interfere with your daily life, it may be an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the United States, and the good news is that they respond very well to treatment. At Guzman & Baker, our therapists are experienced in helping people understand their anxiety and build lasting skills to manage it.

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What are anxiety disorders?

Anxiety disorders share a core feature: excessive fear or worry that is difficult to control and causes significant distress or impairment. Unlike the ordinary nervousness you might feel before a job interview or a big presentation, anxiety disorders persist over time and can affect your work, relationships, sleep, and physical health.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder involves persistent, excessive worry about a wide range of everyday topics — your health, finances, family, work, or the future. If you have GAD, you may find it difficult to stop worrying even when you know your concerns are out of proportion to the actual situation. Physical symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating are common. GAD affects roughly 6.8 million adults in the US and often develops gradually over many years.
Social anxiety disorder goes beyond ordinary shyness. It involves an intense fear of social or performance situations where you might be judged, embarrassed, or humiliated. You might avoid parties, meetings, speaking in class, or even eating in public. The fear is often out of proportion to any actual threat, but it feels very real and can significantly limit your life. Social anxiety typically begins in adolescence and can persist into adulthood without treatment.
Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks — sudden surges of intense fear that peak within minutes. During a panic attack, you might experience a racing heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is about to happen. After experiencing panic attacks, many people develop persistent worry about having another one and begin avoiding places or situations where they fear a panic attack might occur.
A specific phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a particular object or situation — such as heights, flying, needles, dogs, or thunderstorms. The fear is immediate, often extreme, and leads to avoidance behavior that can restrict your daily activities. Unlike general anxiety, specific phobias are focused on a single trigger. They are highly treatable with targeted exposure-based therapy.
Agoraphobia involves fear and avoidance of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic or other distressing symptoms occur. This can include being outside the home alone, being in crowds, using public transportation, or being in open or enclosed spaces. In severe cases, some people become housebound. Agoraphobia frequently develops alongside panic disorder.

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Common symptoms

Anxiety affects your body, thoughts, and behaviors all at once. Recognizing the symptoms can be the first step toward getting help. Physical symptoms may include a racing or pounding heart, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, dizziness, nausea, stomach upset, headaches, muscle tension, and sleep problems. Emotional and cognitive symptoms often include persistent worry, a sense of dread or doom, difficulty concentrating, irritability, feeling on edge, and the sensation that your mind is going blank. Behavioral symptoms commonly involve avoiding people, places, or activities that trigger anxiety; seeking repeated reassurance from others; procrastinating; or needing to over-prepare for everyday tasks.
Many people with anxiety also experience depression. If you notice symptoms of both, you are not alone — the two conditions frequently occur together, and treatment can address both at the same time.

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How Guzman & Baker treats anxiety

At Guzman & Baker, we believe that effective treatment starts with truly understanding your experience. Your therapist will take time to learn about your specific anxiety — what triggers it, how long you have been dealing with it, and how it affects your life — before collaborating with you on a personalized treatment plan. We draw on several evidence-based approaches that have strong research support for anxiety disorders:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is the gold-standard treatment for anxiety. It helps you identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns and gradually face the situations you have been avoiding. Most people see meaningful improvement within 12–20 sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT skills — especially distress tolerance and emotion regulation — are particularly helpful when anxiety feels intense and overwhelming. DBT teaches you concrete tools for managing difficult moments.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

MBCT combines mindfulness practices with cognitive therapy techniques to help you relate to anxious thoughts differently — observing them without getting caught up in them.

Exposure Therapy

A core component of CBT for anxiety, exposure therapy helps you gradually and safely confront feared situations, reducing the power anxiety has over your life over time.

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What to expect in treatment

Your first sessions will focus on understanding your anxiety and establishing goals. Your therapist will explain the treatment approach they recommend and answer any questions you have. Treatment for anxiety is typically active — you will likely practice skills between sessions and gradually work through situations that feel challenging.
Progress in anxiety treatment is rarely a straight line. Some days will feel harder than others, especially as you begin facing situations you have been avoiding. Your therapist will support you through this process at a pace that feels manageable.
Many people notice meaningful improvement within a few months of starting therapy. Some find that a shorter course of treatment gives them the skills they need; others benefit from longer-term support.

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When to seek help

Consider reaching out to Guzman & Baker if anxiety is:
  • Interfering with your work, school, or relationships
  • Causing you to avoid situations that are important to you
  • Disrupting your sleep regularly
  • Leading to physical symptoms like headaches or stomach problems
  • Making everyday decisions feel overwhelming
  • Accompanied by feelings of depression, hopelessness, or thoughts of self-harm
If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or others, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or go to your nearest emergency room. Guzman & Baker therapists are also available to support you in creating a safety plan.
You do not need to be in crisis to reach out. Many people begin therapy as a proactive step toward feeling better and building resilience. Whatever brings you here, we are glad you are taking this step.