About Ryan Rivera & Calm Clinic

Dear Friend,

For some people, fear makes sense. They feel fear at appropriate times, like when they watch scary movie, hear loud noises in the middle of the night, or when their cars skid on icy roads.

But for other people, fear crops up in situations that don’t logically warrant it. Take away that icy road and pretend it’s a breezy spring day and you’re driving six blocks to go out to dinner with an old friend. Nothing scary about that, right?

Unless You’re One of Us...

If you’re reading this page, perhaps you are among the one in nine people struggling with overwhelming anxiety. Did you know there were so many of us?

Maybe there are times in your life when you are so paralyzed by worry that your day-to-day activities halt completely. You roll out of bed and wish you could roll back in. The thought of getting into your car and driving to work sends you into a tailspin.

You’re afraid that you’ll have a panic attack in aisle five of the grocery store, worried about what people will think of you if you fall apart in line at the bank, afraid that you won’t get through another day of "faking it" through the racing heart, the dizziness, and the choking terror that arises every time you have to open your month in front of a group of people.

I’ve Been There…

Because I’ve been suffering and looking for the answer for long seven years and later spoke on several talk shows on the topic of anxiety and panic, I’ve met and corresponded with literally thousands of people who’ve been there too.

Some of them are still "there."

And each time someone asked me how I got past my years of panic and anxiety, I wanted to give more than a one-minute summary.

I knew that I could never encapsulate everything I learned and all the strategies I used to get better in the short time I was given to spend with each of these people.

I began writing down all the things I wanted to share. I thought back to the time when panic and anxiety seemed like an insurmountable wall, and I couldn’t see any future beyond it. My self-esteem was shattered. I felt like Humpty Dumpty, broken into a million tiny pieces and unable to put myself back together again.

More than anything, I felt hopelessly alone, convinced no one in the world could understand what I was going through

But there are more than 20 million of us in America alone who do understand. According to the American Psychiatric Institute, anxiety disorder is the most common mental health problem in the United States today. It’s not always easy to believe that, though, because so many people are still afraid to talk about it.

My first goal for this page, is to provide you comfort if you still feel alone and tell you how I fought back the panic that engulfed my life and overpowered me, using the strength I never believed I had.

It is my deep hope that when you are finished reading, you will realize there is no reason to be ashamed and that if I can win this fight, you can too.

You will also learn how to beat your anxiety by using coping strategies, visualizations, positive thinking, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises, as well as how you can find a help to guide you through to your complete recovery.

I’ve detailed what worked for me—and what didn’t work—so you can see if you’d like to try any of my methods. My "Panic Plan" gives an easy-to-follow map of the steps I used to build myself up and knock the anxiety down.

When you finish reading this page, I hope you won’t close it thinking about anxiety and worry, but instead, thinking about dreams and possibility. We are not defined by our obstacles, but by our responses to them.

Anxiety can be a terrific gift if you allow it to be.

It can bring out your personal best and give you the opportunity to show yourself that you are worth fighting for and that you have an unbreakable spirit.

Once again, thank you for visiting this website. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story with you.

Sincerely,



Ryan Rivera

President, Calm Clinic