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How to Become an Amazing Anxiety Coach [2024 Edition]

Are you thinking about a full-time career as an anxiety coach?

Do you want to pursue your one-true calling but don’t know how to go about it?

Well, I can help.

People get anxious for various reasons.

Let’s explore some of them.

With this new year, a whole new decade begins. Most people around you are focusing on what they want to accomplish. That can bring about a lot of anxiety.

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Some of these people are even going a step further. They start posting their accomplishments of the past decade on social media. This scenario is a perfect recipe for social anxiety for lots of people. And an anxiety coach can help.

Because there is always a category of people who will be looking at these posts and becoming anxious.

They would be wondering to themselves if they wasted their time, money, and energy on futile things in 2019. Or perhaps even in the entire decade.

They are probably looking at their peers and comparing lives.

Most people are clueless about what to do in the year to come. So, they cannot cope with the anxiety that comes with a whole new decade!

Anxiety can occur because of various reasons. And in different forms. It’s not always something that people can deal with on their own. This is why people need an Anxiety Coach.

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What is Anxiety and how can an anxiety coach help?

Anxiety is a feeling of fear or apprehension about what lies ahead.

It is our body’s natural response to stress.

What most people don’t know is that it is normal to be anxious. It is sometimes even healthy.

But, when we regularly have bouts of anxiety, it will unsettle us. This will turn into a mental health disorder. This requires the help of an anxiety coach.

The disorder leads to excessive nervousness, fear, worry, and apprehension. It is also characterized by other things like:

  • Irritability
  • Lack of concentration
  • Difficulty to sleep
  • Nausea
  • High blood pressure
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Types of Anxiety Handled by an Anxiety Coach

There are various types of anxiety. The list continues to grow with the changing world.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

In GAD, a person gets worried about non-specific daily objects and events. GAD is the most common anxiety disorder.

Social Anxiety

Meanwhile, a lot of people suffer from social anxiety. It is based on a fear of negative judgment from people in society.

People suffering from social anxiety are scared of publicly embarrassing themselves. They find it difficult to cope in such situations.

Phobia

Another irrational fear that most people have is a phobia of a specific event, activity, or object. A person with a phobia might accept their fear as illogical. But, they cannot control their feelings of anxiousness around the trigger.

Separation Anxiety

Then, there are people who get extremely attached emotionally to a person or place.

They feel safe and secure in the respective situation. Later, they find it difficult to deal with the stress of separation. Separation anxiety disorder might sometimes result in panic symptoms.

Panic Disorder

This brings us to our next type of anxiety. This is Panic disorder. Brief and sudden attacks of intense apprehension characterize a panic disorder. A panic attack can lead to many things:

  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Difficulty in breathing.

All of these can be changed with the involvement of an anxiety coach.

Who Is an Anxiety Coach?

Now we know what anxiety is. We also know the forms it can take.

We need to come up with solutions to deal with it. This is where an anxiety coach steps in.

An anxiety coach is a person who works one-on-one with people dealing with anxiety. The coach helps them overcome their fears and apprehensions.

An anxiety coach manages anxiety and seeks to provide relief from it. The goal of an anxiety coach is to promote self-care in clients.

A good anxiety coach focuses on select lifestyle areas of their clients. They also take into account personal and professional relationships to get a full picture.

The anxiety coach and the client then set out a workable strategy. This can include both short-term and long-term goals to manage anxiety.

It is the coach’s responsibility to monitor their client’s progress and help them stay on track.

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How to begin your journey as an Anxiety Coach?

Most people who pursue coaching do it because they want to make a difference in someone’s life. They are driven with a strong sense of purpose.

They desire to contribute to society.

Coaches want to share their life experiences – both positive and negative. Thus, they can change the world for the better, one person at a time.

Once you have decided to enter this field, don’t second guess yourself. Answer your calling!

But having said that, it is also imperative to ask yourself as to why specifically anxiety coaching?

Choosing your niche is extremely important when it comes to becoming a life coach.

For a better understanding, you can read my article that talks about the importance of coaching niches.

As an anxiety coach, you will actively be able to promote self-care and human well-being in general. This, in turn, will create a strong sense of self-worth and career satisfaction for you.

But the topmost reason to become an anxiety coach should be that you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else.

Let’s explore everything you need to know about becoming an amazing and successful anxiety coach.

The first and foremost thing that you need to do in order to become an anxiety coach is to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Once you have listed them down, work upon the skills you think can be honed. Because there is always a scope for improvement.

We will further discuss the skills of an anxiety coach below. However, you need to remember that you cannot help other people manage their anxiety if you are impatient.

After you have identified your skills, spend some time thinking about your target audience. Anxiety varies in men and women. As The Wall Street Journal points out, anxiety looks different in men.

It is different in teenagers and adults. Also think of career-oriented individuals and those with a more laid-back attitude.

So, you need to ask yourself: do you only want to work with teenagers?

Or do you think you will be better handling people anxious about their career?

Is there a specific type of anxiety disorder that you want to address? You might also choose to take all sorts of clients for a wholesome understanding and better experience.

All these questions need to be thought of. You need to be clear about what it is that you do best and what you want to work with.

When this gets a million views, I'm going to print out the stats and give them to the owner of this home. Random DIY signs are one of my favorite things. Think about it...what sort of intense need are these people satisfying when they decide the only course of action is to make their own signs and put them on public display? What's the story here? Why did they decide to have these face the 7-11 gas station? In all seriousness, I'm sure someone working in a mental health or suicide prevention field can make use of this stock photo.

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Essential Skills Required to Be an Anxiety Coach

This brings me to my next topic. I will talk about the most essential skills required to become a successful anxiety coach.

In order to work with people who are anxious and stressed, the first and foremost quality that an anxiety coach requires is patience.

A patient individual doesn’t get riled up easily. They can be more objective and deal flexibly with challenging situations.

Further, anxiety coaches are extremely good listeners. It goes hand in hand with being patient. A good listener comes across as a wise person. They can empathize with the problems of others.

Effective listening builds trust and also boosts the confidence of the person talking as they feel acknowledged. They come to believe that someone is understanding them and their issues at hand.

An anxiety coach can ask the right questions. When people look for an anxiety coach, they want a constructive conversation.

And a constructive conversation is a two-way street. The coach and the client can only talk about the issues at hand if both of them can keep the conversation going.

The onus is on the anxiety coach to ask the right questions. They should follow up on what the client is talking about.

Nobody is looking for a coach who is just trying to smartly market the business.

Lastly, one cannot help others to deal with stress if they don’t know how to cope with it themselves.

A positive attitude, a good understanding of life situations, right lifestyle choices, and self-awareness go a long way in our ability to deal with stress.

The task of an anxiety coach is to guide anxious people to become the best version of themselves.

However, in doing so, one needs to be detached. They cannot themselves get affected and stressed about the situations of their clients.

Why Do People Hire an Anxiety Coach?

What is expected of you as an anxiety coach?

Your clients might not even know what answers they are seeking.

And if they don’t know that, rest assured, they don’t know what to expect from you either.

The best way to approach such a situation is to have a direct chat with the client before you finalize anything.

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To help you, here is the link to my guide on the top five powerful coaching

questions to ask.

However, there might be others who come to you with a generalized set of expectations. These include:

Guidance

A client could come to you for advice or information on certain life situations. They can seek your counsel on things that trigger their anxiety.

Mindset change

The client might also recognize a need for a change in mindset and seek expert guidance on the same.

Experience

A client could reach out to you for your experience and understanding of life.

Acknowledgment

Sometimes people just feel unheard and underappreciated. A client wants someone to understand them and their anxiety issues.

Transformation

A person suffering from anxiety may hire an anxiety coach in a bid to transform their life.

Helping someone transform their life involves working with them closely on all aspects of their life.

This can include food habits, sleeping patterns, relationships, work schedules, and leisure activities.

Tips to manage anxiety

Clients also want tips and tricks to better manage their anxiety issues. Most of them are just looking for another person to list out what they already know and constantly check on them.

This motivates them to do the small things. That will go a long way in changing their life.

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Anxiety Coach’s Tips and Tricks to Manage Anxiety

Many already know this. But, as anxiety coaches, it becomes our responsibility to impart this knowledge.

Here is what one can do to better manage anxiety:

Identification of trigger points

The primary step in dealing with anxiety is to identify the cause. The client might already be self-aware or seek your help in identifying trigger points.

Exercise

Any form of physical activity stimulates various chemicals in the brain. This leaves you feeling happier, peaceful, and less anxious. Regular exercise lifts one’s confidence and self-esteem.

Mindful meditation

This is different from actively working out. It involves paying attention to one’s breath, emotions, inner thoughts. It also means establishing a deep connection with oneself.

Change of diet

Believe it or not, anxiety is also a lifestyle issue.

Sometimes it is just what we eat or don’t eat that triggers anxiety.

Give up smoking. Avoid alcohol as much as possible. Consume less meat. Steer clear of processed foods.

This small change of diet could do wonders for your mind and body.

Increase focus, knowledge, and memory.
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Difference between Anxiety Coaching and Meditation

People often confuse anxiety coaching with meditation.

However, as mentioned above, meditation is just one of the things that helps to better manage anxiety and stress.

Several pieces of research have shown that meditation can significantly reduce anxiety and stress. It helps people laden with anxiety to cope with unfavorable situations, providing immediate relief to them.

However, in order to differentiate between meditation and anxiety coaching, let’s try and understand meditation first.

What is Meditation?

Meditation has its roots in Buddhist philosophy. It is a practice used to focus and calm the mind. The end goal of meditation is to reach a mentally clear and emotionally stable state.

It is mindfulness-based meditation one pursues in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The concepts of meditation and mindfulness are very similar.

Mindfulness helps one live in the present and focus clearly on it.

Mindfulness-based meditation aims to help one detach from anxious thoughts.

Steps for Mindful Meditation

  • Find a quiet place where you are least likely to be distracted or disturbed.
  • Sit in a comfortable position. You could sit cross-legged or upright on a chair.
  • Relax, close your eyes, and pay attention to your breathing.
  • If you feel distracted, repeat the above step until you are no longer distracted.
  • Anxious thoughts may pass through your mind. Let them. The best way to fight them is to accept them. Then turn the focus back to your breathing.
  • Do this for 10-15 minutes. Do it until you are able to clear your mind.
  • Now open your eyes and observe your breath, your thoughts, and how you feel about yourself.

As I already explained, meditation is just one of the many things you could do to deal with anxiety.

It is the primary responsibility of an anxiety coach to encourage mindful meditation in clients. However, anxiety coaches do more than just that.

“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh
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Should you become an Anxiety Coach?

This brings me to the most important question in this blog. Should you continue on this path and strive to become a top-notch anxiety coach?

Coaching is amongst the most lucrative and fastest-growing career paths out there.

A lot of people want to quit their regular jobs and make a career out of coaching. However, they are unsure of the prospects that lie ahead of them.

My advice to such people is that they shouldn’t be afraid to pursue their one true calling. If you want to become an anxiety coach, nothing is holding you back.

Anxiety coaching is all about helping people combat stress and channel their emotions positively. If you believe you have it in you to guide others to the best version of themselves, then just go ahead and do it.

You have what it takes to be an anxiety coach.

The market of coaching has a huge untapped potential. It will only grow by leaps and bounds in years to come.

Huffpost also lists out the things to consider before embarking on the higher journey of becoming a coach.

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Anxiety Coach Salary

Anxiety coaches usually bank upon their experience and reputation in the industry to earn a six-figure salary.

You can earn a similar amount with the right guidance and training.

It won’t happen overnight, and that is okay. Starting a coaching business from scratch and scaling it to earn more money is what you should be focusing on.

An anxiety coach’s salary can range from anything between $100 per hour to $300 per hour.

It all depends on one’s experience and clientele. The more high-ticket clients that you find, the more you can earn as an anxiety coach.

When you start building your network, your worth as an anxiety coach will improve tenfold

You can also provide your clients with a 4-session or a 6-session package. This will not only seem like a feasible deal to them. It will also ensure a steady flow of income for you.

Overall, an anxiety coach earns anywhere between $50,000 to $500,000 each year. This is of course dependent on your experience and client list as a coach.

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Do you need Coaching Certifications to become an Anxiety Coach?

You don’t really need certification to get started as an anxiety coach.

Many award-winning coaches are leaders in their field without a diploma or certificate.

Certifications can add additional help at best. Remember that your reputation as an anxiety coach will be based on your skills.

People will trust you based on instinct and networking.

Sources and Training Courses

In my experience, I have come across many helpful guides. But even a simple Google search will show you several books and podcasts.

As an anxiety coach, you may want to look up some of these. I found them very useful.

  • No More Anxiety! Be Your Own Anxiety Coach by Gladeana McMahon
  • The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It by Margaret Wehrenberg
  • Own Your Anxiety: 99 Easy and Natural Ways to Channel Your Secret Edge by Julian Brass
  • Self-Coaching by Joseph Luciani

There are several YouTube videos and podcasts too on anxiety coaching. You can find them here and here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an anxiety coach?

An anxiety coach is someone you hire to help you overcome your anxiety disorder and/or to help you face a specific situation that causes you anxiety.

How do I completely overcome anxiety?

One way to completely overcome anxiety is to stop worrying about things you can’t change. There are things in life that are completely out of our control, and you can’t do anything about them. Find ways to push your anxieties to the back of your mind. You can breathe deeply and focus on things that you have some control over. The more you try to push your anxiety out of your mind, the less power it will have over you. Just think positively and get rid of your fears.

Why do people hire an Anxiety Coach?

Anxiety Coaches work with clients to help them recognize, understand and change the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that contribute to their anxiety. They may also do exposure therapy, helping their clients face their fears. The goal for everyone is more confidence and a more empowered way of feeling and thinking.

What are the differences between an anxiety and meditation coach?

Anxiety Counselling focuses on understanding the probability of future danger and the habit of overreacting to non-existent danger. Meditation Coaching focuses on acquiring clarity, calmness and confidence.

Do you need coaching certifications to become an Anxiety Coach?

You don’t need any coaching qualification or certification to start practicing as an anxiety coach. It is important to have a good knowledge about anxiety and it’s different types, symptoms, causes and treatments. Before starting work as an anxiety coach, you may enroll yourself to a coaching program. Most coaching programs prepare their students to build up a successful coaching practice. It is important that they should not just give you the basics, but they should help you to reach your desired level as a coach.

 
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