Unmask Anxiety #17 Anxiety Is Not Your Identity with Lara Dolden

Have you ever told yourself “I’m just an anxious person”?

In this episode of Unmask Anxiety, I’m joined by psychologist and cognitive hypnotherapist Lara Dolden to explore why anxiety is not your identity and what may actually be happening beneath the surface.

So often we try to fight anxiety, get rid of anxious thoughts, or learn enough coping tools to keep functioning, but what if anxiety itself was never the real problem?

Together we explore how anxiety can become the lens we see ourselves and our lives through, why our minds repeat old patterns and stories, and how anxiety is often a protective response created from past experiences, beliefs, and conditioning.

We talk about:
• Why anxiety is not who you are
• How labels like “I am an anxious person” can shape your identity
• The difference between coping with anxiety and truly healing
• Why you can understand your anxiety but still feel stuck
• The hidden ways anxiety influences your choices, relationships, and dreams
• How old beliefs and stories shape what feels possible for your life
• Learning to stop fighting yourself and start understanding what your anxiety is trying to show you

If you have spent years trying to fix yourself, manage your anxiety, or wondering why you keep repeating the same patterns — this conversation is your reminder that there is nothing wrong with you.

Healing is not about staying on the surface and trying to fix the symptoms.

It begins when we start understanding what is happening underneath.

Connect with Laura:
laralistenstherapy.com

@laralistenstherapy

Connect with Sofia:

https://www.facebook.com/sophia.fiotakis.7

https://www.tiktok.com/@holistic_anxiety_coach