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Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety: Symptoms, Support, & How Healing Happens

Anxiety is more common than most people realize - and if you’re here trying to make sense of your experience, you’re already taking a brave step. Anxiety can make you feel like you’re constantly “on,” waiting for something bad to happen, or trying to stop your mind from spiraling into worry. It can affect your sleep, your appetite, your focus, and the way you interact with the world. And yet, many people minimize it or blame themselves for not being able to “just calm down.”

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If that resonates with you: you are not dramatic, weak, or failing. You are human. Anxiety is both common and deeply treatable, and there is support that actually works. At Recovered & Restored Eating Disorder Therapy Center, we help individuals untangle anxiety with compassion, evidence-based care, and a genuine belief that healing is possible - because it is.

group of women eating

Anxiety can look like constant worry, panic attacks, fear of specific situations, overthinking, irritability, restlessness, or feeling “on edge” most days. Many of our clinicians, including Gabby, understand anxiety personally and professionally, and approach treatment in a way that makes clients feel seen instead of judged. You don’t have to hide what’s really going on. You’re allowed to name your symptoms and still be loved, supported, and helped. Read Gabby’s story about being an “anxious girlie” here. 

What We Treat: Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Not all anxiety looks the same. Some people worry about everything, some fear their own bodies during panic, and others avoid situations that feel unbearable. Knowing the difference helps you understand what you’re facing - but it does not change your worthiness of help. Learn more from the National Institute of Mental Health here. 

At Recovered & Restored, we treat several forms of anxiety, including:

 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD involves persistent, excessive worry about many areas of life - work, health, relationships, school, or the future. It often comes with symptoms like:

  • muscle tension

  • irritability

  • difficulty concentrating
     

  • trouble sleeping

  • feeling restless or “keyed up”

People with GAD often describe it as “I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop,” or “I don’t know how to turn my brain off.”

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder involves sudden waves of intense fear or discomfort that peak within minutes. A panic attack can include:

  • racing heart

  • shaking

  • dizziness

  • nausea

  • chest tightness

  • shortness of breath

  • fear of losing control or dying

Many clients end up in the ER thinking something is physically wrong - and are then told to “just relax.” That invalidation can make people more afraid of their own bodies. With the right support, panic attacks can become less frequent, less intense, and far less scary.

women holding hands

Specific Phobias

A phobia is an intense fear of a specific situation or object, such as:

  • driving

  • flying

  • blood or medical procedures

  • heights

  • closed spaces

  • vomiting (emetophobia)

  • animals or insects

Avoidance is common, but avoidance can shrink a person’s world quickly. Therapy helps slowly rebuild confidence, safety, and choice.

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Health Anxiety

Health anxiety involves fear about illness or physical sensations. Clients often spend hours researching symptoms, monitoring sensations, or seeking reassurance. This can become exhausting and distressing, but treatment helps interrupt this loop.

 

Anxiety with Life Transitions

Many clients also experience anxiety during:

Anxiety is not “just stress.” It’s a nervous system stuck in survival mode - and it deserves care.

How Anxiety Treatment Works (and Why It Helps)

Anxiety doesn’t improve by force, shame, or “calming down.” Healing requires tools, relational safety, and nervous system support. At Recovered & Restored, therapy is collaborative, gentle, and backed by research.

We integrate several evidence-based modalities, including:

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps clients identify anxious thinking patterns, challenge fears, and gradually reduce avoidance behavior. It’s considered a gold standard for GAD, panic disorder, and phobias and is highly effective for reducing symptoms.

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills

DBT skills support:

  • emotion regulation

  • distress tolerance

  • mindfulness

  • more effective communication

These skills help individuals navigate anxiety when feelings feel big, overwhelming, or fast.

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT teaches clients to move toward their values even when anxiety is present. Instead of fighting every thought, clients learn how to build a bigger, more meaningful life alongside them.

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Trauma-Informed Care

Many people with anxiety have nervous systems shaped by past experiences - not always dramatic trauma, sometimes chronic micro-stress. We approach all clients from a place of safety, consent, and empowerment.

What Anxiety Feels Like (So You Know You Aren’t Alone)

People often come to us saying:

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  • “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just can’t relax.”

  • “I’m constantly overthinking every decision.”

  • “My chest gets tight and then I panic.”

  • “I’ve been in survival mode for so long it feels normal.

  • “I don’t want to feel this way anymore.”

 

There is nothing wrong with you. Anxiety is not a personality flaw. It is a sign that your nervous system has been working overtime and needs relief, not judgment. 

Happy woman smelling pink flowers

Virtual Treatment Across Multiple States

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We provide anxiety therapy through secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions designed to make treatment accessible and flexible. Clients often appreciate virtual care because it:

  • eliminates commute time

  • reduces anxiety about office visits

  • fits around school/work schedules

  • supports continuity during travel

  • allows you to meet from your own space
     

We currently serve clients virtually in: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, and Florida. The goal is to remove as many barriers as possible - because you deserve help that fits your life, not the other way around.

virtual treatment

You Don’t Have to Have an Eating Disorder to See Us

While we’re known for eating disorder recovery, our anxiety services stand completely on their own. You can come to us for:

  • Generalized anxiety

  • Panic disorder

  • Phobias

  • Health anxiety

  • Social anxiety

  • Maternal anxiety

  • College-related anxiety

  • Perfectionism & high-functioning anxiety
     

If eating concerns are present, we can address them. If not, we simply focus on anxiety. Both are valid.​​​

​Other Services We Offer

In addition to anxiety therapy, Recovered & Restored provides:

Many clients utilize multiple services or collaborate with physicians and psychiatrists to create well-rounded care.​

Pink flowers and maccarons
other servics

​You Are Not Alone - Healing Is Truly Possible

Anxiety can make you feel like you’re too much, not enough, or impossible to help. None of that is true. You deserve to feel grounded, supported, and hopeful about your future. There is nothing embarrassing about needing help - in fact, reaching out is one of the bravest and most self-caring decisions you can make. If anxiety is making your world smaller, affecting your relationships, or stealing your peace, you don’t have to keep managing it alone. Support exists, treatment works, and your life is not defined by your symptoms. Whenever you’re ready, we’re here to walk alongside you.

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