Anxiety Therapy in Seattle

Virtual therapy for overthinking, stress, perfectionism, relationship anxiety, & the pressure to keep everything together.

 Anxiety doesn’t always look like panic.

Sometimes anxiety is obvious. Your heart races. Your chest feels tight. You can’t sleep. Your thoughts spiral and you know you’re anxious.

But sometimes it looks a lot more like:

• Replaying conversations to make sure you didn’t say something wrong

• Constantly wondering what other people think of you

• Struggling to make decisions without reassurance

• Feeling guilty when someone is disappointed in you

• Preparing for every possible outcome

• Putting enormous pressure on yourself to get things right

• Feeling like you should always be doing something productive

• Reading into texts, facial expressions, or changes in someone’s tone

• Having trouble relaxing even when there’s technically nothing wrong

• Feeling responsible for keeping everyone around you okay

• Overthinking your relationship and wondering whether something is “off”

• Saying yes because saying no makes you more anxious

• Feeling physically tense, restless, exhausted, or on edge

Sometimes the anxiety isn’t really about one particular thing.

It’s the feeling that if you stay vigilant enough, prepare enough, achieve enough, or keep everyone happy enough, maybe nothing will go wrong.

That can be exhausting.

When overthinking starts running your life.

Overthinking often feels productive because your brain is doing something.

You’re analyzing. Preparing. Rehearsing. Problem-solving.

But there’s a point where thinking stops helping you make a decision and starts helping you avoid the discomfort of not knowing.

So you think about it again.

Ask someone else what they would do.

Google it.

Replay what happened.

Imagine how the other person might respond.

Change your mind.

And somehow, after all that thinking, you trust yourself even less.

Therapy isn’t about teaching you to never overthink again. It’s about helping you recognize when anxiety has taken over the decision-making process—and learning how to tolerate uncertainty without needing to solve every uncomfortable feeling immediately.

Anxiety can show up in your relationships, too.

Maybe you feel relatively confident in other areas of your life, but relationships bring out a completely different side of you.

You might wonder:

Are they upset with me?

Did that text sound different?

Am I asking for too much?

Should I bring this up or let it go?

What if they leave?

What if I’m the problem?

Relationship anxiety can lead to reassurance seeking, conflict avoidance, people-pleasing, over-explaining, difficulty expressing your needs, or constantly monitoring the relationship for signs that something is wrong.

We can work on understanding the attachment patterns underneath those reactions so you can feel more secure in your relationships without needing to abandon yourself to keep them.

Learn More About Relationship Anxiety Therapy →

Perfectionism can be anxiety in really good packaging.

Perfectionism doesn’t always mean you need everything to be flawless.

Sometimes it means you’re terrified of getting something wrong.

You procrastinate because you don’t know the “right” way to start.

You obsess over decisions because you don’t want to regret them.

You struggle to rest because there’s always something else you should be doing.

You achieve something and immediately move the goalpost.

Or you hold yourself to standards you would never expect from anyone you love.

From the outside, this can look like ambition.

On the inside, it can feel like never quite being allowed to exhale.

Therapy can help you separate your values and ambitions from the fear, shame, and self-criticism that may have become attached to them.

People-pleasing and anxiety often feed each other.

If other people being happy with you helps you feel safe, disappointing someone can feel much bigger than simple disappointment.

So you explain.

Apologize.

Say yes.

Keep the peace.

Try to anticipate what everyone needs.

And then wonder why you’re exhausted, resentful, or disconnected from yourself.

Part of our work may involve helping you build boundaries, tolerate other people’s reactions, and learn that discomfort doesn’t automatically mean you’ve done something wrong.

Learn More About Therapy for People-Pleasing →

Anxiety therapy can help you work toward:

• Quieting the constant mental replay

• Feeling more confident making decisions

• Tolerating uncertainty without immediately spiraling

• Setting boundaries without excessive guilt

• Communicating your needs more openly

• Reducing reassurance seeking

• Understanding your relationship and attachment patterns

• Recognizing when anxiety is driving your choices

• Responding differently to perfectionism and self-criticism

• Feeling less responsible for everyone else’s emotions

• Building greater trust in yourself

• Feeling more present in the life you’re already living

The goal isn’t to become someone who never feels anxious, but to become someone who can feel anxiety without automatically handing it the steering wheel. Sounds liberating, doesn’t it?

Culturally responsive anxiety therapy.

Anxiety doesn’t develop in a vacuum.

Family roles, culture, gender, immigration experiences, achievement expectations, relationships, identity, and the communities we belong to can all influence what we learn about success, responsibility, conflict, independence, and disappointing other people.

As an Indian-American therapist, I understand that advice like “just set a boundary” or “stop caring what your parents think” can completely miss the complexity of staying connected to the people and values that matter to you.

Therapy doesn’t have to require choosing between connection and autonomy.

We can make room for both.

Looking specifically for culturally responsive support? Learn more about therapy for South Asian adults in Seattle. →

Anxiety therapy in Seattle & throughout Washington.

I’m Maya Nehru, LMFT, a Seattle-area therapist offering virtual anxiety therapy to adults throughout Washington and California.

I work with adults experiencing anxiety, chronic stress, overthinking, perfectionism, relationship anxiety, people-pleasing, family pressures, and difficulty trusting themselves.

Because sessions are virtual, I can work with clients throughout Washington, including Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, Bothell, and surrounding communities, as well as clients throughout California.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Do I need to have an anxiety disorder to start therapy?

No. You don’t need a diagnosis—or even know exactly what to call what you’re experiencing—to benefit from therapy. You might simply know that you’re spending too much time worrying, overthinking, second-guessing yourself, or feeling overwhelmed.

Can therapy help with overthinking?

Yes. Rather than trying to force yourself to “stop thinking,” we can look at what keeps the overthinking cycle going. You’ll learn to recognize when reflection has turned into rumination, tolerate uncertainty more effectively, and make decisions without needing complete certainty first.

Do you work with relationship anxiety?

Yes. Relationship anxiety and attachment concerns are a significant part of my work. This may include reassurance seeking, fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting a partner, conflict avoidance, hypervigilance to changes in someone’s behavior, or losing yourself in relationships.

Do you work with people-pleasing and boundaries?

Yes. Anxiety, people-pleasing, and difficulty setting boundaries frequently overlap. We can work on understanding why other people’s disappointment feels so uncomfortable and help you communicate your needs without excessive explaining, apologizing, or guilt.

Do you offer in-person therapy in Seattle?

My practice is virtual. I provide online therapy for adults located throughout Washington and California.

How do I get started?

We’ll begin with a free consultation (see button below) so you can tell me a little about what’s bringing you to therapy, ask questions, and get a sense of whether working together feels like a good fit.

You don’t have to think your way out of everything.

You can learn to trust yourself without having every answer.

You can disappoint someone without deciding you did something wrong.

You can have needs without immediately explaining why they’re reasonable.

And you can feel anxious without letting anxiety make every decision for you.