Understanding Anxious Attachment

You just sent a text message, and now you’re glued to the phone awaiting a response. Each minute seems like an hour, and before you know it, in this small gap of time, you’ve concluded the other person has decided they want nothing to do with you anymore. Your mind is racing, and your heart is pounding. While you know on some level that this is not reasonable, your body and emotions have convinced you that your reaction is based on facts. 

And then five minutes later, they text back, as if nothing ever happened. Because it didn’t. Despite the stress and anxiety you just felt, nothing actually happened. Instead, what felt like free-falling from an airplane was actually your mind, body, and emotions being hijacked by your attachment system. 

If this sounds familiar, you are likely struggling with anxious attachment. 

People with anxious attachment can experience a great deal of self-doubt in relationships, and it can be helpful to explore their early attachment history to help you better understand the root causes. 

Orlando Trauma Therapist Shares What Is Behind Daddy Issues

I’m Lauran Hahn, LMHC and one of my specialties is helping people recover from toxic relationships and improving their attachment styles. It's my passion to help those who have experienced trauma and anxiety. Mindful Living Counseling, my therapy practice in Orlando, Florida, is a safe space where you can find the support you need to heal from your trauma.

Recently, I was asked to share my thoughts on the root cause of "daddy issues." This made me reflect on how the term itself carries a negative connotation and fails to accurately describe the challenges faced in relationships, especially for women.

How to Set Boundaries: 5 Simple Steps That Actually Work

Updated February 2026

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn. LMHC

Do you feel like things are out of balance in one or more of your relationships? Like you’re giving more than your fair share of time, money, or emotional support. Maybe you’re the one who always adjusts your schedule. Or maybe you’re the one who listens for an hour but doesn’t feel heard when it’s your turn. Over time, that imbalance starts to wear on you. You might not even say anything at first. You just feel it. Tension. Irritation. A quiet kind of resentment.

When that feeling shows up, it’s usually a sign that a boundary needs attention. Not because the other person is terrible, and not because you’ve done something wrong. It just means something isn’t working for you anymore.

Parenting Therapy: Is Your Adult Child Still Living at Home?

Written by: Nicole Barrett, LCSW

If your adult child is still living at home, you have probably found yourself lying awake, asking hard questions. Why haven’t they moved out yet? Am I helping or making this worse? How do I help my child become independent without pushing them away? You want the very best for your child. And yet every reminder, every offer of help, and every unfinished conversation can leave you feeling anxious, stuck, or unsure of how to support your child through this challenging time.

Reactive Parenting: Why Am I So Reactive?

Written by: Nicole Barrett, LCSW

You had a vision of the parent you would be. Calm, patient, loving, and steady, no matter what. You imagined handling challenges with grace, guiding your child with wisdom, and ending each day feeling connected and proud. But real life looks different. By the end of the day, you may have raised your voice, snapped, withdrawn, overexplained, or watched your child’s expression shift after something you said. Later, when the house is quiet or the day is finally over, guilt and disappointment creep in. You wonder why you are so reactive and why parenting feels so much harder than you thought it would be.

You’re longing for closeness in relationships, but you just can’t seem to make that deep connection. You can’t quite put your finger on what is preventing you from making that meaningful and lasting connection.

You’ve even gone so far as to reflect on your old relationships and evaluate your unhealthy relationship patterns, but even with all this self-reflection and learning from your past, that feeling of being deeply emotionally connected continues to evade you.

At Mindful Living Counseling Orlando, we help people heal from and stop getting into toxic relationships. All of our therapists specialize in helping people move out of unhealthy relationships, so that they can cultivate meaningful and satisfying relationships.

How to Deal With an Emotionally Immature Partner

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

You’re tired of walking on eggshells, trying to keep your partner calm and regulated. You have overextended yourself in an effort to keep the peace and prevent your partner from losing their cool. By this point, you’re realizing that you’re in a relationship with an emotionally immature partner, and now you’re wondering: what do I do about it?

As an attachment therapist who helps people navigate the complexity of relationships, I help my clients move into a place of empowerment and choice when it comes to dealing with an emotionally immature partner.

Anxiety Therapist: 6 Types of Toxic Guilt and 6 Tips to Help and Heal

Tired of feeling ripped apart by guilt? Does making decisions feel like anxiety and guilt volleyball? “If I work late, I will feel bad about not being with my family, but if I go home, I will feel bad about not getting more work done.” No matter what you decide to do, you are plagued with anxiety and guilt. Does it feel impossible to do things that will allow you to take care of yourself because the burden of guilt is just too much to bare? If toxic guilt has attached itself to you like the Bubonic Plague, read on to find the type of toxic guilt you struggle with and tips for dealing and healing so you can have peace of mind.

A Trauma Therapist Explores How Guilt in Relationships Turns Care Into Resentment

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

You want to be a good partner. A good parent. A good friend. In fact, this matters more to you than almost anything else. You love the people in your life so much that it’s painful when they’re unhappy. When someone you care about is upset, you can almost feel it in your own body.

You work hard to anticipate the needs of those you love. If they’re struggling, you give more, do more, become more, because that’s what good people do, right? A caring person doesn’t let someone they love suffer or feel uncomfortable.

And yet, over time, you begin to feel a growing internal tension, a tangled web of guilt and resentment. It builds quietly until you notice yourself pulling away from the people you love most.

10 Strategies for Dealing With Self-Doubt (From a Trauma Therapist)

Written by: Lauran Daughtery Hahn, LMHC

If you’re tired of self-doubt holding you back, you’re not alone. Deep down, you know you’re capable of so much more, but the second-guessing keeps taking up too much space in your mind. You find yourself questioning decisions you’ve already made, wondering if you set the right boundary, or replaying conversations long after they’re over. That nagging, critical voice of self-doubt can be loud and, honestly, exhausting.

As a trauma therapist, I’ve walked alongside many clients who’ve struggled with this same pattern. I’ve seen how self-doubt can shrink people, stall their confidence, and disconnect them from who they truly are. And I’ve also seen what happens when they learn how to work with that inner noise instead of getting pulled under by it.

After years of helping clients heal self-doubt, I’ve put together a trauma-informed list of strategies to help you quiet the noise, gain clarity, and move toward the life you know you’re meant to live.

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

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?

Orlando Therapist Guides You in Choosing Your Word of the Year

As we are rounding out the year, take a moment and reflect on the year. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment? Do you feel like the year was a struggle and really tested your limits? Or do you feel like it was a blend of both ease and difficulty? In either case, there is a lot of information to garner from reflecting on the year.

Anxiety Therapist Shares: 10 Gift Ideas for People With Anxiety

The holiday season is almost here, and you know what that means - it's time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones! Are you ready for the stress and pressure of gift-giving to hit you? We know how challenging it can be to find the perfect present for everyone on your list.