What is anxiety and why is it so common today?
Anxiety is a natural response of our body to situations we perceive as threatening or uncertain. At its appropriate level, it helps us to stay alert and respond effectively. But when anxiety becomes chronic, disproportionate, or appears for no clear reason, it becomes a problem that can severely limit quality of life.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety disorders affect more than 300 million people worldwide, and their prevalence has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Catalonia, consultations for anxiety have multiplied in recent years, and many people are looking for an online anxiety psychologist who can support them in a flexible and professional way.
I am Xènia Capel Salcedo, a licensed health psychologist registered with COPC under number 14982. I offer online anxiety therapy by video call with techniques based on scientific evidence. In this article I'll explain how anxiety treatment works in an online format, what types of anxiety exist, and how I can help you.
Types of anxiety disorders I treat online
The word "anxiety" covers a wide set of disorders, each with its own specific characteristics. Online anxiety treatment is effective for all of these types:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is characterized by excessive and persistent worry about multiple areas of life: health, work, money, relationships, the future. The person feels they cannot control the worrying thoughts and chronically experiences muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating. It is one of the disorders that responds best to online cognitive-behavioral therapy, since work on thought patterns can be done perfectly well by video call.
Social Anxiety or Social Phobia
Social anxiety involves an intense fear of being judged, humiliated, or rejected in social situations. People with social phobia avoid speaking in public, meeting new people, eating in front of others, or participating in meetings. Online anxiety therapy is paradoxically a very suitable format for these people: the screen acts as a safety element that makes it easier to start treatment without the stress of having to physically go to a consultation.
Panic Disorder
Panic attacks are sudden and intense episodes of extreme fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as tachycardia, difficulty breathing, dizziness, a sensation of suffocation, and fear of dying or "going crazy." Panic disorder appears when the person lives with the constant fear of having another attack. Online therapy allows us to work with interoceptive exposure protocols and cognitive restructuring that are highly effective for overcoming panic.
Specific Phobias
Specific phobias are intense and irrational fears of specific objects or situations: flying, heights, animals, blood, enclosed spaces, etc. Although the person knows that their fear is disproportionate, they cannot control it. In online therapy we apply gradual exposure techniques adapted to the digital format, including the use of images, videos, and virtual reality exercises when appropriate.
Separation Anxiety in Adults
It is not only children who suffer from separation anxiety. Many adults experience intense distress when they have to be away from significant people (partner, children, family). This anxiety can limit personal freedom and create conflicts in relationships. Online therapy allows us to work on it from the person's everyday environment, which makes it easier to generalize progress.
How does online anxiety therapy work?
Online anxiety therapy follows the same clinical protocols as in-person therapy, with the advantage of being able to be done from anywhere with an internet connection. The process consists of several phases:
• Initial assessment: In the first session we do a detailed exploration of your symptoms, their duration, intensity, and impact on your daily life. We use validated questionnaires to establish a baseline that will allow us to measure progress.
• Case formulation: Together we develop a model that explains how your anxiety is maintained. We understand your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors, and how they reinforce each other.
• Active intervention: We apply the therapeutic techniques most appropriate for your case. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment with the most evidence for anxiety disorders, but I also integrate other approaches such as EMDR for anxiety linked to traumatic experiences.
• Relapse prevention: Once goals have been achieved, we work on strategies to maintain results in the long term and to manage possible moments when anxiety reactivates.
Techniques I use in online anxiety therapy
As an online anxiety psychologist, I apply a set of techniques with a solid scientific basis that adapt perfectly to the video call format:
Cognitive restructuring
We identify the negative automatic thoughts that fuel anxiety and replace them with more realistic and balanced interpretations. Screen sharing allows me to show you diagrams, schemas, and worksheets in real time while we work together on your thought patterns.
Gradual exposure
Exposure is the most effective technique for overcoming fears. It consists of progressively confronting feared situations, starting with those that generate the least anxiety and moving toward the most difficult. In the online format, we design exposure hierarchies and practice exercises that you can do in your real environment between sessions, with my support by video call when needed.
Relaxation and physiological regulation techniques
Diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness are essential tools for reducing the physiological arousal of anxiety. We practice them together during the online session, and I will teach you how to apply them autonomously in your daily life.
EMDR for anxiety linked to trauma
When anxiety has its origin in traumatic experiences (accidents, abuse, losses, situations of extreme stress), EMDR therapy is particularly effective. The EMDR protocol has been successfully adapted to the online format and allows you to process the disturbing memories that fuel current anxiety.
Advantages of anxiety therapy in an online format
The online format offers specific benefits for people who suffer from anxiety, going beyond simple convenience:
• No travel stress: For many people with anxiety, leaving home, driving, or taking public transport is already a source of distress. Online anxiety therapy completely eliminates this barrier, allowing all energy to be focused on therapeutic work.
• Safe environment: Doing the session from home provides a sense of security that makes it easier to open up emotionally. People with social anxiety or agoraphobia find it much easier to start therapy from a space they control.
• Schedule flexibility: Anxiety often coexists with work, family, and work-life balance difficulties. The online format makes it easier to find a schedule that adapts to your reality without having to add travel time.
• Continuity of treatment: Trips, moves, or changes in routine do not interrupt the therapeutic process. You can keep your sessions from anywhere, which is key in the treatment of anxiety, where regularity is essential.
• Practice in real context: Since you are in your usual environment, we can integrate exposure exercises and emotional regulation directly into your daily space, which favors the transfer of learning.
When should you seek professional help for anxiety?
Not all anxiety requires professional treatment. But there are clear signs that indicate it is time to ask for help:
• Anxiety is constant or very frequent and does not respond to your attempts to manage it on your own.
• You avoid situations, places, or people because you fear feeling anxiety, and this limits your life.
• You suffer from recurring physical symptoms: tachycardia, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, dizziness, muscle tension.
• Anxiety affects your work, relationships, or health.
• You have had panic attacks or live with the fear of having one.
• You have difficulty sleeping because of worrying thoughts.
• You turn to alcohol, non-prescription medications, or other substances to calm your anxiety.
The role of medication in anxiety treatment
One of the most frequent questions is whether you need to take medication to overcome anxiety. The answer is: it depends. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment for anxiety disorders and, in many cases, is sufficient on its own. However, when anxiety is very severe or disabling, the combination of psychological therapy and anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication may be the most effective option.
As a psychologist, I do not prescribe medication, but I can advise you on whether a complementary psychiatric assessment could be beneficial and coordinate with your doctor to offer you comprehensive treatment.
Daily strategies for managing anxiety
In addition to therapy, there are habits and strategies you can incorporate into your daily life to reduce anxiety:
• Regular physical exercise: 30 minutes of moderate physical activity significantly reduces cortisol levels and increases endorphins.
• Sleep hygiene: Establishing regular sleep routines, avoiding screens before sleep, and creating an environment suitable for rest.
• Balanced diet: Reducing caffeine, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods; increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and quality protein.
• Breathing techniques: 4-7-8 breathing (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8) activates the parasympathetic nervous system and calms anxiety in just a few minutes.
• Limiting information overload: Excessive consumption of news and social media is an increasingly recognized factor in anxiety. Setting digital limits is an important protective measure.
• Social connection: Talking to trusted people and maintaining quality social relationships is a fundamental protective factor against anxiety.
Take the first step toward your well-being
If anxiety is limiting your life and you feel you need professional help, you don't have to wait until the situation becomes unbearable. I offer a free initial informational session where we will assess your situation and decide together how to move forward.
Online anxiety therapy allows you to start today, with no waiting lists, no travel, and the assurance of working with a licensed health psychologist specialized in anxiety disorders. Contact me by WhatsApp or call me to make an appointment.