How Mindful Self-Compassion Helps with Anxiety: Insights from a Portland Therapist

Using Self-Compassion to Help with Anxiety with a Portland Therapist

Portland’s seemingly inclusive culture offers opportunities for connection and self-expression. Yet, even in this progressive city, anxiety and self-doubt can hold you back. As a Portland therapist, I help people from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond to and navigate these challenges through mindful self-compassion - a powerful approach to soften the inner critic and foster kindness toward yourself. Let’s explore why anxiety and self-doubt are so persistent and how mindful self-compassion can offer some relief.

Understanding Self-Doubt and Anxiety: Why it Feels So Persistent

Anxiety and self-doubt feel like an endless loop. These experiences can feed into each other in a way that’s often dizzying and difficult to interrupt. Imagine this: You’re getting ready to meet a new friend for coffee. As you’re getting ready, your thoughts begin to spiral:

“What if they don’t really want to see me?”

“I probably won’t have anything interesting to say.”

By the time you leave the house, you’re feeling tense and bracing for an uncomfortable interaction, unable to enjoy the experience. Perhaps you’re also going through your personalized greatest hits of embarrassing moments.

For many within the LGBTQ+ community, these feelings can be amplified by the added pressures of navigating societal expectations, internalized stigma, or past experiences of rejection or Queerphobic trauma. These layers of anxiety and self-doubt can feel deeply ingrained, making it seem impossible to change them.

Here’s the truth: Anxiety and self-doubt are not permanent states, and they certainly do not define you. They’re patterns of experience that can be understood and reframed with the right tools and support.

How Mindful Self-Compassion Offers Relief from Anxiety

Mindful self-compassion combines two powerful practices: mindfulness, which invites you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment, and self-compassion, which encourages you to treat yourself with the same care that you’d offer a close friend.

When a Mindful Self-Compassionate lens is applied to therapy, the approach can help you step back from anxious thoughts and recognize them as temporary, not defining truths about who you are. For instance, instead of believing, “I’ll never get this right,” mindful self-compassion allows you to pause and reframe: “I’m feeling overwhelmed, and that’s human. I can give myself a moment to breathe.”

Mindful self-compassion also offers people within the LGBTQ+ community a way to process feelings of ‘otherness,’ counteracting internalized Queerphobia with self-acceptance and care.

Two Mindful Self-Compassion Exercises to Try

If you’re interested in getting a sense of what mindful self-compassion is in practice, these exercises are a great starting point:

1. Soothing Touch for Anxiety

Physical gestures help activate your body’s calming response when anxiety feels overwhelming.

• Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably with both feet on the floor. You can begin by rubbing your hands together to warm them up.

• Place one hand over your heart space or gently place them wherever you notice tension in your body, like your shoulders.

• Take a deep breath and notice the warmth and support of your touch.

• As you exhale, silently repeat a comforting phrase like, “It’s okay to feel this way” or “You are supported.”

This act of kindness toward yourself begins to create a sense of safety and grounding, easing physical tension and creating space between you and the experience of anxiety. This practice, paired with therapy, can become a supportive tool for calming anxiety in your daily life.

2. A Self-Compassion Break for When You’re Feeling Anxious

This quick exercise is helpful for moments when anxiety feels distracting.

• Pause and acknowledge what you’re feeling without minimizing or amplifying it. Silently say to yourself: “This is a moment of anxiety.”

• Remind yourself that anxiety is a common human experience: “I’m not alone in feeling this way.” You can even bring to mind the thought of every other person in your community or the world over who may be experiencing anxiety.

• Offer yourself kindness: Place a hand on your heart, take a deep breath, and ask, “What care do I need right now because this is how I feel?”

This practice shifts the focus from fighting your anxiety to soothing it, allowing you to approach yourself with compassion instead of judgment.

Finding Support with a Portland Therapist

While these practices are a wonderful start, therapy can help you deepen your understanding of anxiety and self-doubt, uncovering patterns that no longer serve you. Working with a Portland therapist who incorporates mindful self-compassion offers exploration of these challenges in a supportive, affirming space. For LGBTQ+ individuals, anxiety therapy in Portland with a compassionate therapist can help process identity-related challenges while building self-compassion

Ready to Embrace a Kinder and Calmer Way of Being?

Anxiety and self-doubt don’t have to define your life. Through exploring mindful self-compassion, you can create space for clarity, calm, and self-acceptance.

Eric Goodwin, Portland Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor

As a Portland therapist, I specialize in helping LGBTQ+ individuals and others navigate anxiety with curiosity and kindness. Together, we’ll explore what resonates with you, empowering you to build a more compassionate relationship with yourself.

If you’re searching for anxiety therapy in Portland or support from a Queer therapist, I’m here to help. Call 971-533-5590 or click here to schedule your free 15-minute consultation. You deserve a space to explore these challenges with care and understanding. Let’s take this first step toward creating the peace you’ve been seeking.