What’s Your Anxiety Type? Learn the 3 Types with Noelle McWard Aquino

In this episode, Noelle McWard explains the 3 main anxiety types (catastrophizing, control, and distorted beliefs) and shares simple tools to help you feel calmer and more in control.

Noelle McWard Aquino is a therapist in Chicago with more than 30 years experience specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders. She is the author of the bestselling book, Anxiety Unpacked: Discover Your Type and Recover Your Peace, published in 2025. In addition to her clinical work, she is a speaker, therapist educator, and mother to a young adult child who has lived with anxiety for most of his life.

In this episode:

• Noelle shares how she was drawn to working with anxiety early in her career (even though she didn’t personally struggle with it), and later realized it prepared her to support her own child who lives with anxiety and OCD.
• She explains anxiety isn’t just “worry” — it shows up in the body too, like a racing heart, tight muscles, short breath, and feeling like you can’t relax or shut your brain off.
• She talks about how anxiety is actually normal and human — it’s meant to protect us — but it becomes a problem when it shows up constantly even when there’s no real danger.
• Noelle shares the 3 main “anxiety types” she teaches: catastrophizing, control, and distorted beliefs, and she explains why knowing your type matters so you can treat the real root, not just the symptoms.
• Noelle explains catastrophizing is when your brain jumps into “what if…” mode and creates worst-case stories — and one helpful practice is asking: “What do I know is true right now?” so you can separate facts from fear.
• Noelle talks about control anxiety as a deep need for safety, where you try to manage everything by over-preparing and overthinking — but the real goal is building trust that you can handle whatever happens.
• Noelle shares that distorted beliefs are painful inner stories like “I’m not good enough” or “I’m unlovable,” and healing starts when you practice new actions (like saying no or setting boundaries) and see that you can still be accepted.
• She talks about how her free quiz click here helps find your anxiety type.

Contacting Noelle:

Free Quiz: https://noellemcwardaquino.com/anxiety-type-quiz/

This is a quiz to identify your anxiety type.

https://noellemcwardaquino.com/

On socials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelle-mcward-192473b/

https://www.facebook.com/counselingsolutionschicago

https://www.instagram.com/noellemcwardaquino/

Blogpost: https://therelaxationlounge.info/whats-your-anxiety-type/

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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from your doctor, therapist, or other healthcare provider. Please talk to a qualified professional about your specific health needs.

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