Leeds Anxiety Clinic

Leeds Anxiety Clinic Leeds Anxiety Clinic is a private treatment service operating from a discreet building on Queen Stre

Worry can feel like a good way to protect ourselves. If we worry enough, we think we’ll spot every danger. But living th...
15/11/2025

Worry can feel like a good way to protect ourselves. If we worry enough, we think we’ll spot every danger. But living this way all of the time is absolutely draining.

Instead, think of worry like a thermostat you can learn to adjust. Sometimes we need to worry about important things. But most of the time, we can run it on low and keep our mental energy bills down.

Try turning "this is a disaster" into "I'm having the thought that this is a disaster". Notice that it is just a thought...
13/11/2025

Try turning "this is a disaster" into "I'm having the thought that this is a disaster". Notice that it is just a thought.

One of the key ideas we teach is that our thoughts aren’t reality. They are mental events, and with practice, we can choose not to get hooked by them. Adding the prefix "I'm having the thought that..." is just one of the defusion techniques you can use.

Social anxiety can feel like fear, but underneath it often lies low self-esteem. When we feel inferior, we often assume ...
10/11/2025

Social anxiety can feel like fear, but underneath it often lies low self-esteem. When we feel inferior, we often assume others see us that way, too. But we can’t actually know what they’re thinking. This is what psychologists call a thinking trap.

By developing our self-acceptance and our ability to use self-compassion, we can see that these imagined judgements by others are just thoughts, not truths.

Trying not to think about something often keeps it in focus. Instead, see if you can let worries come and go, without ru...
08/11/2025

Trying not to think about something often keeps it in focus. Instead, see if you can let worries come and go, without rushing to fix or solve them.

Trying to push our worries and intrusive thoughts away often leaves them unresolved. Instead, try to notice them simply ...
06/11/2025

Trying to push our worries and intrusive thoughts away often leaves them unresolved. Instead, try to notice them simply as thoughts: ones we can choose to engage with, or let pass. When we can step back from our automatic reactions, we give ourselves the chance to respond differently and break the cycle.

Doing our best can be great. But when it spills over into perfectionism, we can find ourselves feeling endlessly self-cr...
03/11/2025

Doing our best can be great. But when it spills over into perfectionism, we can find ourselves feeling endlessly self-critical, overworked and exhausted.

Tackling perfectionism involves digging down and discovering the root cause. It is often driven by a fear of being criticised, either by other people or our internal self-critic.

Identifying this root cause can help us push back against our perfectionistic tendencies.

Trying to convince yourself that your intrusive thoughts are untrue is exhausting. Instead, try to develop your ability ...
01/11/2025

Trying to convince yourself that your intrusive thoughts are untrue is exhausting. Instead, try to develop your ability to recognise them as intrusive thoughts. Doing this makes it easier to put them to one side.

Our thoughts don’t always reflect reality. Just because we have a thought does not make it true.Often, we buy into our t...
30/10/2025

Our thoughts don’t always reflect reality. Just because we have a thought does not make it true.

Often, we buy into our thoughts straightaway. For example, "I need to get this sorted immediately...", "my friends don't like me..." or "I need to get out of here right now...". These thoughts attempt to seize control of our attention. But with practice, we can gently see them for what they are: just thoughts, not facts.

When we have an intrusive thought, our first reaction is often to try to make sure the thought isn’t true.Unfortunately,...
27/10/2025

When we have an intrusive thought, our first reaction is often to try to make sure the thought isn’t true.

Unfortunately, this leaves us trapped in a cycle where we are constantly trying to reassure ourselves. Because we can never be 100% sure, we end up worrying about it over and over again. It is exhausting and gets in the way of life.

There is a different strategy we can use. By identifying these thoughts as OCD, we can learn not to get hooked by them. Seeing them as intrusive thoughts, rather than automatically accepting them, puts us back in control.

Some worries are about real things, and so it can feel like we should worry about them. A better question to ask might b...
25/10/2025

Some worries are about real things, and so it can feel like we should worry about them. A better question to ask might be "Is it helpful for me to worry about this?"

For example, we are all likely to get ill at some point in our lives. But would it be a life well lived to spend our whole lives worrying about that? There is a better way: seeing worries as thoughts floating through our heads that we can choose to respond to or not to respond to.

The key is changing the question from "Is this real?" to "Is this helpful?" If it is leading us away from the life we want, it is unhelpful, and we might be better served by putting that worry aside.

Social anxiety isn't a fear that something bad will happen to us. It's a fear of being overwhelmed by shame, and we worr...
23/10/2025

Social anxiety isn't a fear that something bad will happen to us. It's a fear of being overwhelmed by shame, and we worry to protect ourselves from that.

When we understand this, we can start addressing the real issue: not the fear itself, but the shame beneath it.

This matters because effective therapy for social anxiety focuses on these underlying causes, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach to anxiety. These causes often include difficulties tolerating distressing emotions, low self-esteem, or fears about social rejection, isolation, or loss of status or employment.

Does public speaking terrify you?We can help. Get one-to-one support with one of our anxiety specialists. Our Fear of Pu...
17/07/2025

Does public speaking terrify you?

We can help. Get one-to-one support with one of our anxiety specialists. Our Fear of Public Speaking therapy was developed in collaboration with a Toastmasters public speaking champion, helping you conquer your fear and communicate with confidence.

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Queen Street
Leeds
LS12TW

Opening Hours

Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm

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