If you’d like some simple tools to better navigate your anxiety around an interpersonal issue…

And to approach that conversation you’ve been nervous to have with more confidence…

Then you’ll want to pay close attention to this letter today.

Here’s the story:

My name is Matthias Barker. I’m a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in couples therapy, childhood traumas, and interpersonal conflict.

Here’s why this is important for you:

If you’ve ever struggled to have a confrontational conversation with someone close to you…

If you’ve ever faced anything like this, you know what it feels like.

The anxiety that surfaces around conflict can inspire such deep distress that it leaves your head spinning in rumination: dwelling on every detail of what could go wrong.

Anxiety provoking situations are everywhere:

• Your boss rolls their eyes when you ask them a question
  
  
• Your teenager announces they are planning to drop out of high school
  
  
• Your mother announces an impromptu visit (which you fear will be accompanied by personal slights and judgmental criticism)
  
  
• Your spouse is making financial decisions you don't agree with
  
  

These can be tumultuous conflicts that evoke strong physiological reactions…

Head-aches, sweating, jitters, heart-racing…

These can feel distracting and make it harder to concentrate in tense moments and important conversations.

Maybe you don't want to bring up a bunch of conflict....maybe you feel guilty letting people down...or maybe you put a lot of pressure and expectations on yourself.

It’s easier to sweep things under the rug and rationalize them away… but out-of-sight-out-of-mind only works for so long.

The reality is:

Maybe you’ve experienced this before.

Good news: I recently recorded a workshop designed to help you navigate the anxiety of having a confrontational conversation…

And also give you practical tools for how to approach it.

It’s called the Anxiety Workshop: Navigating Confrontation

First, something you should know:

This workshop does NOT replace or constitute therapy...I'm not your personal therapist.

This workshop is designed to aid you in your personal development or even complement your formal counseling with a local therapist.

I’ll provide you the tools to better approach situations like the ones just described, as well as provide you a step-by-step guide to work through contentious conversations inspired by the latest psychological research.

In the workshop, you will:

• Discover the psychology and source of anxiety
  
  
• Learn a model for navigating your anxiety while you come to a solution for your personal conflicts

My style is authentic, accessible and down-to-earth, so you can count on the workshop being free of unnecessary psychobabble, and NOT boring!

Trust me: it doesn't matter if you’re introverted and have spent years avoiding conversations like these… navigating this conflict is not beyond you.

Even if you’re nervous that you'll just be a burden or bringing up all this negatively will disappoint the people you care about...

The Anxiety Workshop may potentially assist you in finding the courage to discuss the things that are important to you in a more effective manner.

To help you decide if it’s for you…

• The demystifying truth about anxiety… what causes it… and how to work through it (Includes the two main forms of anxiety you need to know about)
  
  
• How to deal with uncomfortable feelings, intrusive thoughts, and self-critical thoughts (This doesn’t mean you’ll never face anxiety again, but it doesn't have to control you in the same way.)
  
  
• The “catch-22” of your body’s physiological response to anxiety (Often, our impulses only make matters worse! Here’s how to diffuse some of the physiological intensity inherent in difficult conversations)
  
  
• 3 simple questions to ask yourself for overcoming uncertainty around having a tough conversation with a loved one (If you just keep coming back to these three questions, you’ll be empowered to communicate in a more honest and meaningful way)
  
  
• Rumination: how to avoid falling into thought loops that seem productive when, in fact, they're getting in your way.
  
  
• The connection between your level of uncertainty and how that shapes your anxiety (And how to use this understanding to let yourself off the hook for thinking you ‘shouldn’t’ feel a certain way)
  
  
• The destructive power of “label loops” and their negative impact on behavior
  
  
• A key truth behind anger… and the paralyzing emotions that underlie it (A method for getting to the root of your own emotions and those of the people you care about)
  
  
• How avoidance often brings about the very thing we are trying to avoid! (And what to do instead to not get caught in an endless pattern of minimizing and appeasing)
  
  
• The most important step to identifying your default anxiety response
  
  
• A research-proven technique for disentangling yourself from troubling thoughts (These are the thoughts that suck you in and keep you tangled up in worry and overthinking)
  
  
• How to avoid the two main pitfalls of excessive worry and frozen tension (And how to find the courage to have needed conversations in a more transformational way with people that matter to you)
  
  
• A thorough discussion on how to apply these techniques with children (While the concepts are similar, there are important differences when dealing with kids and teenagers)
  
  
• Two simple ways to reduce self-critical thoughts and self-judgement (Also, the absolute worst thing you can do that will likely make the feeling worse)
  
  
• Strategic ways to allow someone to hear you out without instantly putting them on the defensive (It's not about manipulating people to do what you want, but approaching them in this way is your best bet to step into more productive ‘negotiation’)
  
  

There’s just a small sample of what you’ll hear in the workshop.

This virtual recorded workshop includes a 45-minute lecture and 55-minute Q&A session where individual questions were submitted.

But that’s not all...

• How to resolve issues in a marriage when partners have different anxiety coping mechanisms (It can be tricky when partners deal with conflict in different ways…here are some ideas for where to start)
  
  
• A simple exercise to relieve anxiety and fall asleep faster (Truth be told, this may require practice. But it’s been a game-changer for me and for many of my patients.)
  
  
• “Why do I always feel the need to say sorry for everything?” Simple techniques that let you express yourself with more courage and authenticity
  
  
• How to achieve true, positive communication without being overbearing (Helpful for when your partner goes quiet or gets that ‘deer in the headlights’ look)
  
  
• Journaling secrets to release tension (Journaling can be an incredible tool, here are some of my best practices for getting the most out of it)
  
  
• A proven-effective way to praise your kids without creating anxiety-provoking standards. (We cover some of the dangers of labels in the workshop. Here’s how to bring the best out of your kids while letting them be themselves)
  
  
• The Opposite-Handed Writing Technique…Does It Work? My Thoughts
  
  

That’s what awaits you in the Q&A.

Not only will the workshop help you discover immediate actions you can take for the anxiety you feel in the key relationships of your life, but it will ALSO provide you the tools, mindsets, and strategies you need to become a more effective communicator and talk about your needs with greater impact.

The workshop is designed to give you simple, practical, and actionable tips you can use as soon as today to improve your relationships...and to grow as an individual.

Here’s the bottom line:

 The Anxiety Workshop is $75 today.

PLUS: You'll also get instant access to...