Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Voy a empezar una terapia corta para manejar mejor mi ansiedad. - I am going to start a short therapy process to handle my anxiety better.

Voy a empezar (ir + a + infinitive) = “I’m going to start”
- Very common in spoken Spanish.
- Sounds more immediate or planned, like you’ve already decided or arranged it.
- Often used the same way English uses “going to”.
Empezaré = “I will start”
- Also correct, but can sound a bit more formal, distant, or neutral.
- Common in writing, predictions, or more formal speech.

In Latin American everyday speech, voy a empezar is much more natural when talking about a personal plan like therapy.

Why is there an a after empezar? Why empezar una terapia vs empezar a una terapia vs empezar a manejar?

There are two different structures here:

Empezar + noun
- Empezar una terapia = to start a therapy
- No a before the noun.
- Similar to English: “start something”.
Empezar a + infinitive
- Empezar a manejar = to start to manage
- You need a before a verb in the infinitive when it’s the action you’re beginning.

So in your sentence you have both patterns:

Voy a empezar una terapia (start a therapy – noun)
para manejar mejor mi ansiedad (to manage – infinitive, but after para, not after empezar)

You would not say:

✗ empezar a una terapia (incorrect)

Why is it una terapia corta and not un terapia corto? How do I know the gender and adjective agreement?

In Spanish, nouns have grammatical gender:

terapia ends in -a and is feminine: la terapia, una terapia.
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun.

So:

una terapia corta
- terapia = feminine singular
- corta = feminine singular form of corto/corta

If it were a masculine noun, the adjective would be masculine:

un tratamiento corto (a short treatment)
- tratamiento = masculine
- corto = masculine form

The article (una/un) and the adjective (corta/corto) both match the noun’s gender.

Could I say una terapia breve instead of una terapia corta? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say una terapia breve. Both are correct but the nuance is slightly different:

corta
- Literally “short” in length/time.
- Very straightforward and common.
breve
- Also “short,” but sounds a bit more formal or technical.
- Often used in more professional contexts: terapia breve is even a specific approach in psychology (“brief therapy”).

In casual conversation in Latin America, una terapia corta is perfectly natural.
If you’re referring to a specific psychological method, a therapist might say terapia breve.

In English we say “start therapy” without a. Why do you say empezar una terapia and not just empezar terapia?

Both are possible in Spanish, but they don’t sound exactly the same:

Voy a empezar una terapia corta…
- Emphasizes one specific course of therapy (a program, a series of sessions).
- Feels slightly more concrete and countable.
Voy a empezar terapia…
- Also natural, especially in informal speech.
- Feels more like the general process of being in therapy, without focusing on one discrete “therapy program”.

In your sentence, because you add corta (short), it’s very natural to treat it as a specific una terapia corta.

Why is it para manejar mejor mi ansiedad and not por manejar mejor mi ansiedad?

Para and por both translate to “for” at times, but they’re used differently.

para + infinitive often expresses purpose or goal:
- para manejar mejor mi ansiedad = in order to better manage my anxiety
por is more about cause, reason, or exchange:
- Lo hice por ansiedad. = I did it because of anxiety.

In your sentence you’re explaining the purpose of starting therapy (why you’re doing it), so Spanish uses para, not por.

Why does mejor go in the middle: manejar mejor mi ansiedad? Could I say manejar mi ansiedad mejor or mejor manejar mi ansiedad?

All three word orders are grammatically possible, but they sound slightly different:

manejar mejor mi ansiedad
- Very natural and common.
- Adverb (mejor) goes right after the verb.
manejar mi ansiedad mejor
- Also correct.
- Slightly more emphasis on mejor, like “manage my anxiety better”.
mejor manejar mi ansiedad
- Grammatically okay, but here mejor can sound more like “it’s better to manage my anxiety”.
- The meaning can shift to advising or evaluating: It’s better to manage my anxiety.

For the straightforward meaning “to better manage my anxiety,” manejar mejor mi ansiedad is the smoothest and most neutral.

Why is it mi ansiedad instead of la ansiedad? Could I say la ansiedad?

You can technically say both, but they don’t feel exactly the same:

mi ansiedad = my anxiety
- Personalizes it: you’re talking about your own anxiety.
- In this context, this sounds the most natural, because therapy is usually about your personal mental health.
la ansiedad = the anxiety
- Sounds more general or abstract: “the anxiety” as a condition or concept.
- Could sound like you’re talking about anxiety in general, not specifically yours.

Since you mean your anxiety, mi ansiedad is the best, most natural choice.

In Latin America, does manejar commonly mean “to manage” feelings, or does it mainly mean “to drive”?

In Latin America, manejar has both meanings and both are very common:

To drive (a car, etc.)
- Sé manejar. = I know how to drive.
- Maneja muy rápido. = He/She drives very fast.
To manage / handle / deal with
- manejar mejor mi ansiedad = to better manage my anxiety
- manejar una situación = to handle a situation
- manejar un negocio = to run/manage a business

In psychological or emotional contexts, manejar la ansiedad / el estrés / las emociones is completely natural and widely understood as “to manage/handle”, not “to drive”.

Could I use other verbs instead of manejar here, like controlar or lidiar con? Do they sound different?

Yes, there are several options, each with a nuance:

manejar mi ansiedad
- Neutral, common.
- Focuses on handling it in a practical way, developing skills.
controlar mi ansiedad
- Means to control my anxiety.
- Slightly stronger idea of having control over it, maybe reducing or stopping anxiety.
lidiar con mi ansiedad
- Literally “to deal with my anxiety”.
- Emphasizes coping with it, putting up with it, struggling with it.
gestionar mi ansiedad
- More formal/technical: to manage my anxiety.
- Common in psychological, self-help, or clinical language.

In everyday Latin American Spanish, manejar mi ansiedad and controlar mi ansiedad are very frequent. The original manejar sounds natural and appropriate.