Orlando Anxiety Therapy: How Anxiety Can Affect Your Relationship Choices
Orlando Anxiety Therapy: How Anxiety Can Affect Your Relationship Choices
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
Making decisions has always made you feel uncomfortable. Anxiety has a way of turning fairly simple choices into overwhelming battles in your head. There are just too many "what ifs." You feel overwhelmed with options and fear that whichever choice you make, it might be the wrong one.
In this article, we'll explore how anxiety can sway your relationship decisions and how the right support, like anxiety therapy, can help you shift from fear-driven choices to those based on your values and needs.
How Anxiety Impacts Decision-Making in Relationships
Anxiety can make your relationships feel so difficult. You overanalyze conversations, texts, and arguments until you feel exhausted. You second-guess your instincts. You feel paralyzed in front of big choices. You avoid making decisions about moving in together or meeting each other's families because you fear choosing "wrong" and regretting it forever. Perhaps you think about ending the relationship, but the fear of being alone keeps you stuck. Or fear of abandonment and rejection makes closeness feel unsafe.
If you can relate, you're not alone.
As an Anxiety therapist in Orlando, I often work with people who struggle with decision-making in relationships.
Anxiety usually plays a big role, making it difficult because they overthink every possibility while trying to make the best decision. But that's impossible, because there are always going to be factors you can't account for or predict. When anxiety drives decision-making in relationships, the pressure to make the "perfect" choice only fuels more doubt.
When Commitment Feels Overwhelming
You have been in a relationship for over two years, and family and friends keep asking when you'll move in together. Deep down, you want to take the next step, but every time you think, "That's it, I'm doing it!" you're consumed by "what ifs." What if we fight all the time? What if it doesn't work out and I'm stuck? You may be replaying the same questions in your head: "Are they the right choice? What if there were someone better for me? Will they be committed to our relationship as much as I am?" Instead of feeling excited, you feel paralyzed—and keep putting off the conversation.
Even small, everyday decisions like making a plan with your partner are a struggle. You frequently find yourself responding with, "We'll see…" or "Perhaps…" when your partner asks for a decision. If you fear commitment, you might avoid direct answers to keep your options open.
However, for some people, it's the opposite. Anxiety can push you to "lock things in" fast just to feel safe. You say yes quickly, brush doubts aside, and ignore red flags because the fear of being alone feels worse.
How Anxiety Therapy Can Help You Overcome the Fear of Ending Things
You often think about ending your relationship. You know it isn't healthy, but every time you imagine being single again, you're overwhelmed by panic. What if you stay lonely forever? What if no one else wants you? Perhaps you don't want to hurt your partner or waste the time you've committed so far. So, you stay—even though deep down you know the relationship is draining you. Anxiety does this to people because the unknown is sometimes scarier than what we already have.
Anxiety Therapist Explains Anxiety's Role in Managing Conflicts
As anxiety intensifies, your stress response kicks in hard. You will fight (argue more, lash out, defend yourself), flight (change the subject, leave the room), or freeze (go blank, shut down).
For some people, anxiety makes everything feel like a threat, so they end relationships too quickly. Say you have a fight and your anxiety spikes. You start overthinking every word, taking each one as proof you're not compatible and the relationship won't work. The more you analyze, the more uncertain you get. What might be everyday bumps start to look like deal-breakers, and you end things fast just to cut the tension.
3 Tools for Decision-Making Anxiety in Relationships
Your anxiety responses aren't "bad," they're just ways your nervous system is trying to protect you. But if you don't notice them and reset, they can hijack choices and block repair. Try these:
1. Reset before you decide: Take a 60–90 second breathing break or a short time-out with a clear plan to return. For example, if you're fighting, take a few moments to name what's happening (fight/flight/freeze) and wait until your body settles before choosing how to respond.
2. Keep it simple and slow: Use short sentences, "I" statements, and tackle one issue at a time. If either of you gets overwhelmed, use a pre-agreed pause signal. Give the decision a window (24–72 hours), and jot quick pros/cons instead of debating for hours.
3. Get grounded support: Talk it out with someone you trust or work with an anxiety therapist for an outside perspective. Skills from anxiety therapy at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, such as grounding, deep breathing, and guided meditations, help you stay present.
Ready to Choose with Clarity? Anxiety Therapy Orlando Can Help
Anxiety touches every part of life, and relationships are no exception. Maybe constant overthinking and fear of the unknown leave you weighing every decision until you're drained. Maybe a breakup feels like jumping off a cliff. Maybe every argument spirals. With insight, a few simple tools, and the right guidance, you can shift from anxious reactions to calm, values-based choices.
Ready to Start Anxiety Therapy?
If anxiety is steering your relationship, reach out today to learn how our anxiety therapists in Orlando can support you.
Not Quite Ready for Anxiety Therapy?
At Mindful Living Counseling, we know how overwhelming decision-making anxiety can feel, and you don’t have to face it alone. While you’re working on finding clarity and confidence, we invite you to explore the blogs below for more guidance and support.
Anxiety Therapy Orlando Resources
Couples Therapy Orlando: The Four Relationship Killers
Don't feel emotionally connected? 31 signs your partner is emotionally immature
Orlando Therapist Discusses the 4 Qualities of a Healthy Relationship
Orlando Therapist Providing Relationship Therapy: 5 Simple Steps to Setting a Boundary
Orlando Anxiety Therapist Shares: How to Handle Life's Curveballs
Anxiety Therapy Explains High-Functioning Anxiety
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know about Anxiety
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
At Mindful Living Counseling, we offer a variety of therapy services! Our therapeutic options include EMDR therapy, Trauma Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy. Additionally, we provide Guided Meditations for our clients.
Anxiety Therapist Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn is a therapist located in Orlando who specializes in supporting clients dealing with anxiety and trauma. She holds certifications as both a Sensorimotor Psychotherapist and an EMDR Therapist, and she is recognized as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Lauran aims to help individuals cultivate a sense of calm in their bodies, achieve mental peace, and foster connections in their relationships.