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.

Anxiety Therapy Orlando: Setting Boundaries to Manage Holiday Stress 

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

As the holiday season rolls around, you feel a mix of excitement and joy but also a sense of worry - anxiety and stress. You look forward to taking time off work, spending time with loved ones, and celebrating with those who matter most. However, all the shopping, cooking, socializing, and financial strain can leave you too drained to truly enjoy the holidays.

OCD and Anxiety & How They Are Connected: Insights from an Orlando Therapist

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Do you have this constant need to control your surroundings or your thoughts only to feel powerless and worn out as a result? In your daily routine, you might do the same things repeatedly to try to calm your anxiety or spend ages worrying about whether you forgot to finish, unplug, or left something undone, afraid that even the tiniest mistake could lead to a disaster.

Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety can feel overwhelming. It can feel like intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are often taking control of your day, your relationships, and your life. At Mindful Living Counseling, Orlando, FL, we understand how discouraging and exhausting this can be. Our anxiety therapist provides a safe environment to break free from these cycles and regain peace of mind.

Understanding the connection between OCD and anxiety is the first step toward finding relief. As an Orlando Therapist, I will guide you in understanding this connection, whether you're seeking anxiety therapy or looking to understand these challenges better.

Anxiety Therapy Orlando: How ERP Can Help with OCD

If you or someone you know is dealing with OCD, you may already know how exhausting it can be. Whether it’s the fear of contamination, the overwhelming need for things to feel “just right,” or intrusive thoughts that overwhelm you with uneasiness, guilt, and shame, these thoughts can become unbearable. When this happens, you engage in endless rituals (compulsions)—wash your hands repeatedly, check locks until it feels “safe,” or mentally review your thoughts, correspondence, or events to ensure you didn’t miss something important. Still, deep down, you know these compulsions won’t stop the anxiety or prevent the worst from happening. Instead, they eat up your time, disrupt your relationships, and leave you feeling stuck.

But there are ways to manage and regain control of your OCD. Working with an Orlando therapist trained in ERP can help you find relief and manage your OCD symptoms.

Anxiety Therapist Orlando: Understanding Different Types of OCD

Frequently when people think of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), they usually think of contamination OCD, which focuses on excessive handwashing and cleanliness. However, OCD encompasses much more than this.

There are different types of OCD such as self-doubt and checking OCD, intrusive forbidden thoughts, and hoarding. Working with a therapist in Orlando can help you understand your OCD and develop personalized strategies to manage symptoms, regain control over your thoughts, and improve your overall quality of life.

Orlando Therapist: 5 Natural Ways of Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Do you notice a shift in your mood and energy as the seasons change and the days become shorter and colder? Do you feel tired and down when it gets dark early, sleep longer than usual, or have a low-level feeling of dread? The shorter days force you inside, leaving you feeling lethargic and unmotivated. 

As we head towards the changing of seasons, the days in our part of the world will gradually shorten, leading to less sunlight and warm weather. For people who have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this time change can be particularly challenging. SAD is linked to reduced exposure to sunlight, which affects key chemicals in the brain. According to NIMH - Seasonal Affective Disorder is a drop in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, combined with an overproduction of melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep, which can lead to feelings of depression, fatigue, and overall sluggishness.

So, what are some things that people who struggle with wintertime blues can do to prepare themselves better?

What is the Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation? And How Do They Help with Mental Health?

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Do you struggle with anxiety and wonder how mindfulness or meditation can help? There's much talk these days about self-care and the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. It seems like everyone is into these practices. Friends, coworkers, and social media influencers are all talking about how mindfulness and meditation have improved their mental health and well-being.

You may have many concerns, such as: "Do I need mindfulness, meditation, or both?" How can I know which type of meditation is right for me? How can these routines help me with my anxiety? You are not alone. Many people who are trying to take charge of their physical and mental health feel overwhelmed when introduced to the terms mindfulness and meditation.

We at Mindful Living Counseling understand your confusion and want to clear that up for you. Allow us to take you through untangling these terms, understanding the difference, and learning how to use mindfulness and meditation to improve your mental health and overall well-being.

Orlando Therapist Shares Emotional Blueprint: Understanding Our Emotional Responses

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

The Heart of Well-Being: Embracing Emotional Health 

I believe at the core of all problems is how we attend to our emotions. This seems like a pretty lofty statement, I know, but with all of the years of being a therapist, I really do believe how we show up for our own emotional health, dictates our overall well-being.

When we disconnect from our emotions, we disconnect from the core of who we are. We end up in situations that don’t align with our personal values and find ourselves in unfulfilling jobs and relationships. We lose touch with ourselves and put our needs and wants on the back burner, don’t engage in nurturing self-care practices, or don’t do things to fill up our cup. We tend to be on autopilot moving through life feeling half empty.

When we tune into our inner world, we tap into our deepest desires and authentic truth. Having access to such wisdom allows us to be true to ourselves, pick personally fulfilling careers, and choose friends and relationships that enrich our lives. 

When we’re tapped in, we know that our emotions are necessary to experience the fullness of life. We allow our emotions to signal to us what we may need at any given moment. We honor our own needs, wants, and desires. We set boundaries and practice self-care because we prioritize our needs and understand that it is our responsibility to ensure our needs are met.

Orlando's Coziest Bookshops to Reduce Anxiety

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

In the bustling heart of Orlando, amidst the theme parks, downtown commotion, and tourist attractions, there is a quiet sanctuary for those seeking relief from the stresses of daily life: a cozy bookshop. Finding these pockets of peace is great to stop by after a stressful day of work, for some self-care time, or for a quiet afternoon with your family or friends.

Anxiety Therapist: Understanding Stress And How to Cope

Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC

Have you ever experienced a racing heart, sweaty palms, or a whirlwind of worries in your mind? As an Anxiety Therapist, I am well-versed in how stress triggers the body's natural "fight or flight" response. In this blog post, you will learn about the complex nature of stress, how it affects our minds, bodies, and lives, and how to navigate the path toward peace and well-being. I hope that this blog post helps you recognize when you are experiencing stress and when it’s time to reach out for support.

Anxiety Therapy Orlando: 5 Signs You Have Anxiety

Written by: Elizabeth Yoak, LMHC

Lately, you haven’t felt like yourself. You’ve been feeling overwhelmed, jittery, and tense. Things that you used to be able to do with ease now feel impossible to accomplish without a sense of being on edge. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you may have even started to avoid certain tasks that make you feel this way.

As this feeling goes on, you start questioning what it is that you’re experiencing. You’re starting to wonder “Is this what anxiety is like?”. You’ve heard the term anxiety used before but you’re curious if this describes what you have been feeling. Mostly though, you just want to feel calm again.

Knowing the signs of anxiety is an important first step in identifying what you may be experiencing. At Mindful Living Counseling, one of our specialties is helping those who have anxiety. We are passionate about helping people move from feeling anxious and overwhelmed to calm and collected. If any of the above feelings resonate with you, I encourage you to read on to learn more about the 5 signs of anxiety.