Therapy Progress with Anxiety: Why Healing Isn’t Linear and How Mindfulness Helps
When we imagine therapy and healing, it’s easy to picture progress as a straight climb upward — each step building neatly on the last. In reality, the journey is far less linear. It often feels more like the game of snakes and ladders.
There are times when we’re climbing steadily: anxiety feels lighter, the body feels more grounded, and life feels more spacious. These are the ladder moments — when it seems like we’re finally moving past old struggles.
And then, without warning, a “snake” appears. A familiar anxious thought, an old trigger, or a wave of tension pulls us down. It can feel like we’ve lost all our progress and landed right back at the beginning.
But these moments aren’t failure. They are part of the process. Each time anxiety reappears, we meet it with more tools, more awareness, and more compassion than we had before. What once felt overwhelming may now feel more manageable. Instead of being consumed by the spiral, we begin to notice it earlier, name it, and bring ourselves back more quickly.
This is where mindfulness becomes so valuable. Mindfulness allows us to pause, notice what is happening in the body and mind, and soften into the present moment. Rather than fighting anxiety, we learn to sit with it, breathe into it, and allow it to pass. Each moment of mindful awareness is like a rung on the ladder, helping us regain steadier footing.
Over time, anxiety begins to feel less like an enemy and more like an unwanted guest — one we never asked for, but who keeps showing up at the door. At first, we resist and try to push it away. But with practice, we learn to acknowledge it, invite it to sit quietly in the corner, and carry on with our day. We don’t have to enjoy its company, but we no longer let it take over the whole house. In this way, anxiety becomes something we can live alongside, without letting it control us.
“The greatest progress may be realising that every step — whether up or down — is still moving you closer to peace.”
Progress in therapy is not about never slipping down the snakes. It’s about recognizing that each time we do, we land with more resilience. Anxiety doesn’t disappear, but it no longer has the same power over us. Instead, we learn to make peace with its presence — treating it less like a monster under the bed and more like a quirky companion we know how to manage.
Mindfulness Practices for Anxiety
If you find yourself caught on a “snake,” here are a few practices that can help:
Pause & Name It
Take a breath and say to yourself: “This is anxiety. It’s here, but it will pass.” Naming what’s happening reduces its hold.
Body Scan Reset
Close your eyes and gently scan from head to toe. Notice areas of tension — jaw, shoulders, belly — and soften them with the breath.
Anchor in the Present
Choose one thing you can see, hear, and feel right now. This draws attention away from anxious “what ifs” and grounds you in the moment.
Gentle Breathing
Inhale to a count of four, hold for two, and exhale to a count of six. Longer exhales calm the nervous system and signal safety to the body.
Mindfulness is not about “fixing” anxiety. It’s about meeting it with awareness, so you can respond rather than react. Each practice becomes a rung on the ladder, a way to climb back with steadier steps.
Progress with anxiety isn’t about reaching the top without ever slipping. It’s about learning how to meet yourself — and even your “unwanted guest” — with awareness, patience, and compassion on every square. With mindfulness as your companion, even the snakes become part of the way forward.
