Because anxiety presents differently for everybody, it can sometimes be easy to miss.

Musician Ayla Tesler-Mabé grew up with parents working as psychology professionals, so she was well-versed in anxiety from a young age. However, neither Ayla nor her family realized she had been grappling with anxiety and perfectionism. Ayla had fainted as a child, but it took fainting on a flight as a young adult—and waking up to "a good hundred people staring"— to investigate further and seek answers.*

She soon realized that beneath her outwardly calm demeanour, her nervous system felt constantly “heightened.” She was living with a crippling fear of failure that she admits drove her success at times but was not the most pleasant motivator.

Medication and therapy helped Ayla come to terms with and manage her anxiety. She explains that medication helped her “deal with some of the physical symptoms” that often prevented her from cementing healthy habits in place. Ayla’s episode touches on how important it is to use coping tools like therapy even when things are going well. “You have to outsmart yourself sometimes,” Ayla says, “especially when you know you have negative habits you’ve built.”

If you are interested in learning more about helpful therapies for anxiety and other mental health challenges, you can learn more about cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on our website. For free anxiety management tools based on CBT, check out our free app, MindShift CBT.

*A note: For anyone who fears fainting from anxiety, know that it is not typical. A sudden and significant drop in blood pressure causes fainting. When you’re anxious, your blood pressure rises. So, it’s extremely unlikely that you will faint, even when you have a panic attack.

About the Guest:

Ayla Tesler-Mabé is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist living in Vancouver, BC. Showcasing her musical talents online has earned her millions of views on her YouTube and TikTok accounts.

She is an accomplished guitarist who has performed (and collaborated with) artists like Willow Smith. From 2017-2019, she was a member of the band Calpurnia with Finn Wolfhard, performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and starring in a Weezer music video with the group. You can listen to Ayla’s latest solo single, Give Me a Sign, on your favourite music streaming service.

In addition to her latest solo release, she has new music in the works with her band Ludic, whose sound blends vintage and modern soul, funk, jazz, and pop.