20 Tips to Manage Holiday Stress From an Anxiety Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Managing holiday stress often starts with noticing how much tension builds in your body and mind this time of year. It can be hard to relax when you’re hosting family, preparing meals, keeping up with traditions, or giving your time and energy in so many different directions.

As an Anxiety therapist in Orlando whose area of skill is in anxiety management, I have gotten to know many techniques that my past and present clients use to unwind. This week, I am going to share my top ways to de-stress this holiday season, which will help transform your holidays this year (and every other year).

If burnout feels more like what you're experiencing, I also have a separate article on holiday burnout. This one focuses specifically on holiday stress and the simple ways you can manage the tension and anxiety that show up during the season.

Anxiety Therapist Shares 21 Ways to Avoid Holiday Burnout

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Before you know it, the holiday craziness has arrived! So before you know it, you’re burnt out, and you’re feeling anxious. But this year, are you ready to avoid feeling stressed and anxious during the holidays?

As anxiety therapists in Orlando at Mindful Living Counseling, we are here to support you and remind you how you can be the best version of yourself during a stressful time, so you can really enjoy the holiday season.

Use the simple tips below to help stay afloat when you’re feeling the anxiety that ultimately leads to burnout. Check in with yourself as needed and try to accomplish at least one of the items on this list. We hope that this will help you refocus your energy on what is truly valuable during the holidays. 

Anxiety Therapist Shares: 10 Tips for Dealing With Difficult Family during the Holidays

Do you feel excited about the upcoming holidays? Are you ready to enjoy some much-needed time off, indulge in your favorite foods, and embrace your favorite holiday traditions?

Do you also experience a bit of anxiety and dread when you think about spending time with a difficult family member? You want to look forward to the big family meal together, but a part of you is bracing when you think of the unwelcome advice and commentary that will come your way.

How to Overcome Self-Doubt: Insights from a Trauma Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

We all experience self-doubt from time to time. Whenever we’re trying something new or stepping into a new group of people, it’s normal to tune into our environment more than ourselves. That kind of self-doubt is healthy. It helps us learn, grow, and get a feel for the culture we’re stepping into.

Self-doubt becomes a problem when it shows up over and over again in situations that shouldn’t feel this overwhelming. When it becomes pervasive, when it follows you from one situation to the next, that’s when we start looking at self-doubt as something that needs attention.

As a trauma therapist, I love helping folks overcome and heal their self-doubt. I’ve been working with a client who struggled with a lot of self-doubt in her relationship. Anytime something felt off, her first instinct was to assume it was her fault. She carried the weight of every misunderstanding, every moment of tension, convinced she was the problem.

Anxiety Counselor Explains CBT Therapy

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You've noticed that your anxiety gets in the way of daily life, making it hard to focus at work, enjoy yourself, or feel fulfilled in relationships. You overthink every decision, replay conversations in your head like a broken record, lie awake at night, and worry constantly about what the future might bring. And it's just… exhausting.

You've heard about cognitive behavioral therapy and wonder if CBT can help with anxiety. It's perfectly reasonable to want to know more before you begin counseling. People often have many questions about CBT when they call our practice, such as how CBT works, what cognitive behavioral therapy does, or why, for some people, CBT doesn't work. In this article, I will answer these questions and more to help you understand what to expect.

Orlando Counselor Providing Anxiety Relief

Does making decisions give you anxiety? No matter what you decide to do, you are plagued with internal distress? Do you feel stuck in the mud because none of the choices you make seem to be exactly right? Do you agonize over decisions because you are afraid you’ll make the wrong decision?

Orlando Therapist Explains Anxiety vs. Intuition: How to Tell the Difference

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You’re at a crossroads and a feeling washes over you: don’t move forward. You sense it in your body, but you can’t quite explain it. The question starts spinning in your mind, is this my intuition guiding me, or is it fear holding me back?

You don’t want to live a fear-based life. You’re ready to take risks, to expand, to learn, and to grow. You know that living in fear keeps you playing small, and you’re no longer willing to settle for that.

It’s common to wonder what your body is trying to tell you. Is it an intuitive hunch, or is it fear? When you first start leaning into your gut and listening for intuition, it can feel confusing. In the beginning, it’s hard to tell the difference between fear holding you back and the wisdom of your body pointing the way forward.

In this post, we’ll look at what makes intuition different from anxiety and explore practical ways to strengthen your intuition. By the end, you’ll have tools to help you recognize whether it’s fear speaking or your inner wisdom guiding you.

Anxiety Therapist Answers: What is Exposure Therapy?

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You often decline invitations to birthday parties, family gatherings, or after-work drinks, saying you're too tired or have other plans, just to avoid feeling judged or awkward in social situations. You refuse to go on family vacations that require flying because you are too afraid of it.

You've lived with anxiety for so long that avoiding uncomfortable situations, thoughts, and feelings has become so natural. But deep down, you know that avoiding everything that provokes anxiety will not make things better in the long term. Maybe you've heard about exposure therapy and how effective it can be for treating anxiety, and now you're searching online for "exposure therapy near me." Still, the idea of facing the things you fear can sound scary, or at the very least, uncomfortable. You might be wondering, “What exposure therapy actually treats?” “When is it not recommended?” or “Could it really help with my anxiety or phobia?”

I am an anxiety therapist, and I'll answer these questions and more in this article so you can make an informed and confident decision when choosing the right anxiety treatment in Orlando. Exposure therapy is one of the most researched and effective forms of anxiety treatment in Orlando and beyond.

Anxiety Therapy Orlando Guide to Creating Resilient Teams and Stronger Leaders

If you feel like your team crumbles under stress, or that your own exhaustion is fueling burnout around you, you’re not alone. Resilient teams aren’t built by pushing harder; they’re built by leaders who know how to manage their own anxiety and create safety. This series is your action plan for exactly that.

Throughout this series, we've explored several key strategies to help you foster resilience within yourself and your team. From managing your nervous system to embracing psychological safety, each post has provided tools that empower leaders to navigate stress, build stronger teams, and reduce burnout.

In case you missed any of the posts or need a refresher, here’s a recap of the core strategies and the links to the full articles.

Anxiety Therapy Orlando Shares A Guided Meditation: Presence & Intention

Written and recorded by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

As an Orlando therapist, I often witness how the demands of daily life can pull us away from the present moment and disrupt our inner calm. Whether you're managing stress, processing emotions, or looking for ways to feel more grounded, mindfulness offers a powerful path to healing and self-connection.

To begin, find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Choose a private, uninterrupted setting that allows you to focus fully on yourself.

Anxiety Therapist Shares A Guided Meditation: Box Breathing

By: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we believe in the power of grounding practices to support clients dealing with anxiety and trauma. Guided meditation is one of our favorite tools to help you find calm and clarity in the midst of life’s challenges.

In our previous blog post, Box Breathing: A Tool for Anxiety, we introduced the concept and benefits of box breathing. Now, we’re excited to share this follow-up—a guided meditation designed to help you incorporate this powerful technique into your daily routine. Find a comfortable space, take a deep breath, and let this meditation guide you toward stillness and peace.

How Social Media Fuels Holiday Loneliness—and Ways Anxiety Therapy in Orlando Can Help

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

You’re at home, too worn out to do anything after a long day of juggling your job, personal or family responsibilities, holiday gift shopping, and everything else on your plate. You sink deeper and deeper into your sofa, scrolling through social media, and it feels like you're sinking into your soul, too. Post after post, it all looks the same—happy people who somehow seem to have it all together. Glowing faces, expensive outfits, glasses raised in celebration, and the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background. The weight in your chest seems to grow heavier. You can’t seem to shake the feeling of unease—that sense of being on the outside, as if all the best things are happening to someone else.

If you've ever caught yourself comparing your real life to those polished posts and feeling like you're falling short, you're not alone. As an anxiety therapist in Orlando, I often seek out helpful resources for my clients who deal with anxiety. Right now, I'm reading a fantastic book called "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt. It discusses how social media can be particularly damaging to teenage girls. I've been thinking about how social media can intensify feelings of anxiety and loneliness, so I wanted to share some ideas on that and what we can do to deal with it.

10 New Year's Resolutions to Help Ease Anxiety: Tips from an Orlando Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

If you experience anxiety, even thinking about setting a New Year's resolution may add another layer of stress, making you doubt your willpower, persistence, and abilities, wondering whether you're setting yourself up for failure. You may feel overwhelmed by the pressure to “be more” or "do better." You might feel paralyzed by the fear of not living up to your standards, especially if past attempts to meet similar goals didn't go as planned. These thoughts can create a cycle of anxiety. So, you might give up before you've even tried.

But what if you were to reframe your New Year's resolutions so they are not about perfection or drastic changes?

Anxiety Therapist Shares: 4-7-8 Breathing

In our previous blog, we explored the box breathing technique—a simple yet effective tool for managing anxiety and grounding yourself in moments of stress. Now, we’re diving into another transformative breathing technique: 4-7-8 breathing.