Amber Metz is a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) who focuses on being warm, empathetic, and genuine to enable her clients to blossom into the person they are meant to be. My conversation with her gave me first-hand experience of her deep compassion and genuine empathy for people.

Keen to note how Health and Wellness Coaches differ from clinical psychologists, Amber mentioned that Health and Wellness Coaches do not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatments, or provide psychological therapeutic interventions. Instead, Health and Wellness Coaches partner with clients in the realm of lifestyle behavior change. People come to coaching with goals for one or more areas of their well-being. Coaches help clients make small, sustainable shifts to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. It’s a collaborative, forward-focused journey to awaken the best inside of each person.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety, in her experience, includes components such as obsessive thoughts, feeling self-critical, and/or an obsession with how one is being perceived, often in a social situation, to the point that it interferes with your everyday functioning. It causes great distress beyond short-term fears or worries and is pervasive, constant for some, or coming and going in certain situations or times of the day for others. Trying to measure oneself to a high standard (either self-imposed or from other people) is a common anxiety trigger, she notes.

Her Life Experiences

Amber experienced high anxiety in her early 20s over her career. As an Art Education graduate, she realized the chaotic environment of being a teacher was not meant for her. Various personality assessments showed she is an introvert, a highly-sensitive personality, and works best in one-on-one situations. Putting too much pressure on herself to “figure out” her career, she experienced an anxiety attack during her job search. Immediately seeking a coach helped her gain control over the situation and her emotional well-being. The emotional turmoil she experienced was the catalyst to focus on the goodness within her.

Seven years later, after taking various creative and helping jobs and getting married, Amber sought support from another coach who unknowingly rekindled a passion for coaching inside her. She returned to school at Georgetown University which offers a phenomenal experiential, hybrid, and small cohort-based program for Health and Wellness Coaching.

Though she experienced uncertainty about pursuing a new career path, recognizing that it’s ok to change her mind helped her push past the doubts.

Being in the Moment

Amber leads clients through visualization and anchors them in the present moment to overcome anxiety. The imagery for the visualization is based on discussions about the client’s life and can be quite emotional for many. This leads to a sense of peace and calmness from within. She emphasizes the significant impact that breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques can have on people experiencing anxiety and encourages people to develop a practice that works for them. Her coaching sessions enable clients to feel heard and validated and teach them to look within for answers.

Holistic Healing

Anxiety is a true mental health concern, yet not everyone takes it seriously in Amber’s experience. It’s more than simply working through emotions. It can be extremely helpful to work alongside a qualified mental health professional to find hope and healing for you.

Understand and accept that you are no less of a person if you seek help.

The interplay of genetics, family history, and the environment can trigger an overactive nervous system and lead people to a state of anxiety. Nothing happens in isolation. Taking a holistic approach to one’s anxiety and overall well-being is paramount. Working with a team of professionals and/or exploring multiple healing modalities that resonate with you often brings clarity and direction. Coaching can help individuals identify triggers and develop lifestyle behavior changes to improve their quality of life. Amber believes anxiety is not something that defines anyone, nor is it something people have to live with. There are ways to get help.

Influence of the Influencer: Social Media and its Effect on Anxiety

Unless you’ve curated uplifting content to your feed, Amber feels social media breeds anxiety. Comparison is high, trying to meet the standards within our social circle or influencers. Amber encourages people to ask if following someone or scrolling through social media is increasing or reducing their anxiety.

It is essential to limit social media if it’s one of your triggers. Amber has found that those who took a digital detox found themselves peaceful and energized. Replacing screen time with in-person connection, especially in nature or participating in shared activities works wonders.

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An approach Amber recommends people can do while scrolling through social media is to scan your body. Is your heart racing? Have your thoughts become anxious? Is there tightness in your body or breathing? Then stop. Put the screen aside and switch to an uplifting activity, such as journaling, deep breathing, taking a walk, or talking to a loved one. Notice if your symptoms are lessened. If you’re inclined to go back to scrolling, observe if it happens again. That could be a clue to limit screen time, Amber says. An idea she shared was to consider setting an alarm across the room, that you have to walk to turn off to manage your screen time.

Being Compassionate To All

Amber is a client-centered coach who meets people where they are on their wellness journey. She strongly believes in being an ally as a coach. People don’t work on things until they are ready to. There is never any pressure to work through difficult things, such as anxiety, before a client is ready. Letting the client lead is most important. Once trust is built, clients often are surprised by how much transformation can occur through being vulnerable. It’s a privilege to compassionately walk through the darkness with clients until they can see the light for themselves, she says.

Benefits and Access to Treatments

The stigma for seeking therapy has decreased, even if there is a long way to go. No one wants to be labeled with anxiety, as it often attacks our sense of self-worth and identity, Amber notes. No one should be made to feel “less than” because of their struggles, anxiety included. There are many wonderful organizations, support groups, providers, apps, and resources for working through anxiety. It just takes some trial and error to find them and figure out what will work best for you.

The act of self-care and self-love involved in acquiring the right support for you will create a ripple effect in your life, improving yourself and your loved ones, including future generations, she says. Amber hopes to empower others to find the courage to seek the help they deserve.

The Future of Connection for Women