Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) shows up as constant, uncontrollable worry—often about everyday things like work, health, family, finances, or the future. Even when nothing is wrong, your mind scans for what could go wrong. This leads to chronic tension, mental exhaustion, and a feeling of never fully being able to relax.

GAD often feels like your mind is always “on,” analyzing, preparing, and bracing for the worst.
Common experiences include:

• Persistent worry that feels impossible to turn off
• Feeling tense, keyed up, or on edge
• Difficulty concentrating or staying present
• Racing thoughts and mental “what if” spirals
• Physical symptoms like muscle tension, headaches, stomach discomfort, or fatigue
• Restlessness or difficulty sleeping
• Feeling responsible for preventing bad outcomes
• Worrying about multiple areas of life at once
   

Many people with GAD describe it as a “background hum” of anxiety that never fully stops.

Generalized anxiety can affect nearly every part of life:

• Trouble falling or staying asleep
• Difficulty relaxing or “turning your brain off”
• Overthinking conversations or decisions
• Constant reassurance-seeking
• Delaying decisions due to fear of making a mistake
• Feeling irritable, overwhelmed, or mentally drained
• Avoiding situations that trigger worry
• Struggling to enjoy downtime without guilt or fear
   

You may look calm on the outside, but inside you’re constantly trying to manage, plan, or prevent something bad from happening.

Generalized anxiety is fueled by two main processes:

1. Worry feels productive, like it keeps you prepared or safe
2. Avoidance and over-planning temporarily reduce anxiety
    

But this keeps the system stuck: the brain learns that worry = safety, so it produces more of it.

Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy for GAD includes:

• Reducing reassurance-seeking and overthinking loops
• Exposure to uncertainty, rather than trying to eliminate it
• Practicing “letting thoughts be thoughts” without engaging them
• Behavioral changes that break the connection between worry and control
• Learning how to respond to anxiety instead of reacting to it
   

You’ll learn skills to stop feeding the worry cycle and build tolerance for everyday uncertainty.

• Identify the worry themes (health, work, relationships, future)
• Map your reassurance patterns (Googling, texting, over-planning, mental checking)
• Shift your response to uncertainty
• Practice exposures to feared situations or thoughts
• Build daily habits that reduce chronic worry over time

The goal isn’t to eliminate worry—it’s to stop worry from running the show.

If anxiety is shaping your decisions, energy, or daily life, therapy can help you build a calmer, more grounded way of moving through the world.

Whatif provides ERP therapy via telehealth across California, including:
Los Angeles • San Francisco • San Diego • Orange County • Sacramento • Long Beach • Riverside • Oakland • San Jose • Fresno • Bakersfield • and statewide.