
Anxiety can look different for everyone. It's not always visible, like the panic attacks or looking tense. Anxiety is also overthinking, second guessing yourself, perfectionism, irritability, trouble sleeping, constantly feeling wired in your body, or not knowing how to slow down.
Maybe you’re the person everyone counts on, the one who always has a plan and is ready to put out any fire. You may be a first-generation professional carrying your family’s hopes, or a high achiever who can’t remember the last time you felt at ease. From the outside, things look fine. On the inside, your mind doesn’t switch off.
If this sounds familiar, we invite you to pause and finally take a breath. Water Lily Counseling can help you understand what is driving your anxiety and skills to finally quiet the noise.
Overwhelming thoughts can keep you up in the middle of the night, whether it's worries about tomorrow or replaying conversations from the other day. These thoughts are difficult to control.
It feels like the other shoe will drop at any moment. You're trying to make sure you've thought of everything possible. You want to remain in control of the unknown stressors and worst case scenarios. For many of us, this started young, in homes where we learned to stay alert and be prepared for anything.
You find yourself getting more easily frustrated or annoyed, even being shorter with those around you. You can't remember the last time you didn't feel tired. You're sleeping poorly and feeling keyed up and on edge.
Because anxiety can be so distressing, it is often easier to avoid the situation that causes it. Whether it's difficult conversations, tasks, or decisions, because the anxiety just feels like too much.
Avoidance can bring short-term relief, but it often makes the worry louder over time.
You don't feel present. You can be forgetful or have trouble focusing at the task on hand. You've entered a room and forgot why you went in there in the first place. Days can go by like a blur.
Anxiety doesn’t come from nowhere. For many BIPOC adults, it’s shaped by the messages we hear growing up, like "what will people say?” or “you have to work twice as hard to get half as far.” It can come from being the eldest daughter, the family translator, or the one who learned to keep the peace. It can come from navigating workplaces where you feel you can’t afford a mistake, or from carrying stress and silence passed down through generations.
None of this means something is wrong with you. Your anxiety likely began as a way to protect you. Therapy helps you understand where it came from, so you can decide what you still need it for.

If you are struggling with any of the above, Water Lily Counseling can help. Healing from anxiety doesn’t mean you’ll never feel worried again- instead, we hope to help you feel less afraid and out of control, and more confident in the tools you have to navigate the challenges head on.
Over time in therapy, you may:

Hi, I'm Sabiha. I help adults navigate anxiety using evidence-based techniques in a nonjudgmental, compassionate, and curious space.
Whether your anxiety comes from the pressure to succeed, perfectionism, people pleasing, or more-- I can help. We can work through this together to unlearn patterns you feel stuck in and replace them with ones that help you get to where you want to be today.
I'm passionate about this work because I know how isolating anxiety can be, and the power it can have to make you feel out of control. My approach is not to help you avoid anxiety, but to feel confident and equipped with tools to navigate it head on.
You deserve to trust yourself again, to feel relaxed in your body, and to feel present in your life.
Accepting clients virtually throughout Virginia and Massachusetts.
Also serving:
440 Monticello Avenue Ste 1802, Norfolk, VA, USA
phone: 617-214-2424 fax: 617-214-2124 email: sabiha@waterlilycounseling.com
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