Common Sigs of Anxiety and Perfectionism:

• You overwork and struggle to set boundaries with your time

• You feel responsible for others' experiences and emotions

• You see mistakes as a sign of being unworthy and not good enough

• You hold back from sharing your work or ideas until they're "perfect

• You feel physically tense much of the time (tight shoulders, jaw clenching, stomach knots)

• Even after success, you focus on what could have been better rather than celebrating

• You delay starting projects until conditions feel "perfect"

• You engage in people-pleasing behaviors and have a hard time saying “no.”

• You hold yourself to standards you'd never expect of others

• You use words like "should," "must," and "have to" frequently

Anxiety and perfectionism often go hand-in-hand, especially for high-achieving adults, professionals, and first-generation individuals. Perfectionism is usually a pattern that is developed early on to help us cope with anxiety and keep us safe in relationships. Therapy can help you recognize and understand the roots of your anxiety and perfectionism and start to shift and break those patterns.

How can talk therapy help with anxiety, overthinking, and perfectionism?

As a therapist in Irvine, CA, I specialize in helping clients understand the roots of their anxiety and perfectionism—and begin to shift those patterns.

Together, we’ll work to:

• Recognize and soften your negative self-talk

• Build self-compassion and connect with your inner sense of worth

• Learn mindfulness techniques to reduce anxiety and overthinking

• Separate your self-worth from your accomplishments

• Develop a healthier relationship with failure and mistakes

• Identify and heal past relational or attachment wounds that contribute to your perfectionism

How does EMDR therapy help with anxiety, overthinking, and perfectionism?

If you've tried to "think your way out" of anxiety or self-doubt without lasting success, EMDR therapy offers a different approach. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (like eye movements or tapping) to help your brain reprocess distressing memories and shift how you feel in the present.

EMDR for Anxiety and Overthinking in Irvine, Los Angeles, and California:

• EMDR helps identify specific experiences that created your anxiety patterns, often ones you might not have connected to your current worries.

• The back-and-forth movements help interrupt those thought spirals when your mind gets caught in the same loops.

• You may notice your body feels calmer over time, like your nervous system is learning to relax again.

• Those triggering memories begin to shift, they become more like old photographs you can look at without being pulled back into the full experience.

EMDR for Perfectionism in Irvine, Los Angeles, and California:

• You'll process specific memories where you learned your acceptance or safety depended on being perfect.

• EMDR can reduce the anxiety spike that happens when you perceive you've made an error or fallen short.

• Many find their harsh inner critic naturally softens into a more supportive voice.

If you're stuck in the cycle of anxiety, overthinking, and perfectionism, therapy can help you find more ease and self-compassion. Together, we'll explore the parts of you that drive perfectionism—not to silence them, but to help them work with you. In-person sessions available in Irvine, CA | Virtual sessions available across California specializing in anxiety, perfectionism, EMDR, and therapy for high-achieving professionals