find the grace to change your mindset: You are not lazy
You're Not Lazy.
You're Overwhelmed.
Why anxiety looks like procrastination — and what therapy with Kate can actually do about it.
Accepting new clients at gokc's Brookside location in Kansas City, MO. In-person & telehealth available across Missouri.
You woke up this morning with every intention of having a good day. And then — slowly, then all at once — it unraveled. The emails piled up. The to-do list felt impossible. You zoned out for an hour doing nothing, then beat yourself up for the rest of the afternoon. By evening, you were exhausted in the way that sleep doesn't seem to fix.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. And you are almost certainly not lazy.
What you might be is anxious — in a way that the world around you hasn't given you language for yet.
"Wanting to create a space free of shame, my goal as your therapist is to provide a safe, non-judgmental place for you to discover your most authentic self."
When Anxiety Looks Nothing Like Anxiety
Most people picture anxiety as nervousness — a racing heart before a big presentation, sweaty palms before a first date. And yes, anxiety can absolutely show up that way. But for a lot of people, especially high-functioning adults, anxiety hides under different disguises. It looks like perfectionism that keeps you from starting anything. It looks like avoidance masquerading as "I'll do it later." It looks like a constant low hum of dread that you've just learned to live with.
It looks like being busy all the time but feeling like you've accomplished nothing. It looks like lying awake replaying a conversation from three days ago. It looks like saying yes when every cell in your body is screaming no — because disappointing someone feels genuinely unbearable.
Signs You Might Be Living With Anxiety — Not Just Stress
Stress is situational. It rises and falls in response to what's happening around you. Anxiety is different. It tends to linger past the situation that sparked it, and it often doesn't need a reason at all. Here are some signs that what you're experiencing may be anxiety worth exploring:
- You feel a persistent sense of dread or unease even when things are "fine"
- You replay conversations, decisions, or mistakes long after they've passed
- You struggle to rest — even when you're tired, your mind keeps going
- You say yes to things out of fear of what saying no would mean
- You have trouble making decisions and second-guess yourself constantly
- You feel a disconnection between how capable you look to others and how you actually feel inside
- Your body holds the tension — tight chest, clenched jaw, knotted shoulders
- You feel responsible for everyone's comfort except your own
If several of these landed for you, that's not a coincidence. That's information.
What Therapy With Kate Actually Looks Like
Kate Schroeder, PLPC, is a therapist at gokc Healing Center's Brookside location in Kansas City. She works with adults who are tired of performing wellness while privately feeling like they're barely holding it together. Her approach is direct but never harsh — she describes it as person-centered warmth, combined with psychoeducation on what's actually happening in your body when you feel uneasy, and "a healthy dose of humor to keep us grounded."
That last part matters more than it sounds. A lot of people avoid therapy because they're afraid it will feel heavy, clinical, or like being studied. Kate's sessions are none of those things. She meets you where you are — not where a textbook says you should be.
Body-Based Awareness
One of Kate's core tools is helping clients understand the physical dimension of their anxiety. Anxiety isn't just a thought problem — it lives in the body. Tight shoulders. A shallow breath. The way your stomach drops when you see a certain name on your phone. Kate helps you start noticing those signals and, over time, shifting them. This isn't abstract — it's practical, grounded work that gives you tools you can actually use between sessions.
Self-Esteem and Identity Work
For many of Kate's clients, anxiety is intertwined with a deeper question: Who am I, really? Years of people-pleasing, perfectionism, or chronic self-doubt can erode your sense of self until it's hard to know what you actually want, feel, or believe. Kate specializes in the patient, important work of helping people reconnect with their authentic selves — not the version who performs "okay" for everyone else.
Trauma-Informed Care
Kate holds a trauma-informed lens in all of her work. This means she understands that many anxiety patterns have roots in earlier experiences — even ones that don't feel like "trauma" in the traditional sense. You don't have to have a dramatic backstory for Kate's approach to be relevant to you. She works with people navigating the quieter, accumulated wounds: the households where emotions weren't welcome, the relationships where you learned that your needs were an inconvenience, the years of trying to earn your own sense of belonging.
You Don't Have to Have It All Figured Out Before You Reach Out
One of the most common things people say before starting therapy is some version of: "I don't even know what I'd talk about." Or: "I feel like other people have it so much worse." Or simply: "I should be able to handle this on my own."
Kate has heard all of these — and she'd gently push back on every one of them. You don't need a crisis to deserve support. You don't need to arrive with a prepared agenda. You just need to be willing to show up — honestly, imperfectly, and exactly as you are.
That's what her office in Kansas City's Brookside neighborhood is for. A space where you don't have to perform. Where your anxiety gets to be named, explored, and — over time — genuinely loosened.
Whether you're in Brookside, Waldo, Prairie Village, Leawood, Overland Park, or anywhere across Kansas City, you're closer to support than you might think.
Ready to stop white-knuckling it?
Kate is currently accepting new clients at gokc Healing Center's Brookside location. In-person sessions and telehealth across Missouri are both available. Private pay accepted.
Meet Kate & Request a Consultation