The Anxious Voice
Sarena Korni | June 2023
You have a voice in your head; your conscious and subconscious self. This voice tells you what to say, what to do, how to feel. This voice is an artifact of a life lived, lessons learned, plans for the future, hopes, dreams, wishes and fears. This voice is a faithful companion, reminding you of your strengths, lifting you up when times are hard, cautioning you when necessary, stern, but never unkind.
For an individual with anxiety, the voice is distorted. It is an artifact of a life half-lived. This voice convinces you that lessons learned are actually “failures”, that plans for the future are “uncertain”, that hopes, dreams and wishes are a “mirage”, and that fear is always reality. This voice is an unfaithful companion, reminding you of every perceived weakness, pushing you down when times are hard, cautioning you, always stern and unkind. This is the voice of anxiety.
Common Things The Anxious Voice Says
- “You’ve done something wrong.”
- “You don’t deserve this.”
- “You don’t belong.”
- “You can’t do that.”
- “You’ll never do that.”
- “Why can’t you be like him/her/them.”
- “They don’t like you.”
- “You’re unworthy.”
- “This will go wrong.”
- “It’s impossible.”
How Therapy can Help Silence the Anxious Voice
- Therapy can help you to pinpoint the negative self-talk that is caused by anxiety: The first step to overcoming the limitations that the anxious voice places on you is recognizing the thoughts and emotions that it feeds you.
- Therapy can help you determine triggers that fuel the anxious voice: The way in which we have experienced the world shapes who we were, who we are, and who we become. Gaining a better understanding of self concept and social perception will help to determine what experiences produce anxious self-talk.
- Therapy can help you invalidate that voice: Oftentimes, the anxious voice is a product of traumatic or difficult experiences that are not a reflection of who we are, who we want to be and how we live our lives.
- Therapy can help you to rediscover your authentic voice: You deserve to live life authentically; in accordance with your hopes, dreams, goals, and fears. Therapy can help you to rediscover the conscious and subconscious you that believes this too.
We all deserve to live a life uninhibited by negative self-talk. A life that is authentic to who we are and who we would like to become. Therapy can help you discover tools that help you on this path to rediscovering your happiness.
While our physical offices are located in South Loop and Lakeview neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois for in-person sessions, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more.
This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health related definitions that are written by our therapists.
While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.