Anxiety Counselling
What is Anxiety?
Everyone has experienced fear at one time or another, with symptoms such as a pounding heart, fearful thoughts, sweating etc. Fear is an essential emotion to have, as it tells us when something isn’t quite right and warns us of a potential danger. However, sometimes we experience fear that doesn’t go away or fear of something that is not explicitly harmful or dangerous. This is when fear becomes anxiety.
What are the typical symptoms?
Symptoms of anxiety include:
Distressing thoughts, fears and/or worries about not being able to cope or of things going wrong (e.g. regarding your health, children, finances, work etc.)
Feeling a sense of doom and/or dread
A tummy ache, butterflies, a sinking feeling in your tummy or muscle pain
Tremors
Shortness of breath, shaking, sweating, a rapid heart beat
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Restlessness
Inability to function or concentrate
Tiredness
Poor or disturbed sleep
Panic attacks which can include fears of dying or going crazy
What are the different kinds of anxiety?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is characterised by persistent worry and anxiety in diverse situations with little or no trigger.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety occurs when an individual fears interacting with people or being negatively judged, criticized, put-down or embarrassed in the presence of others.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterised by obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals or behaviours performed in an attempt to reduce anxiety.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder manifests itself in episodes commonly known as panic attacks. These are sudden periods of intense anxiety or fear that often result in feeling frozen, a dry mouth, shortness of breath, trembling and/or sweating. It can be really frightening to experience a panic attack. Many people who experience one fear that they are having a heart attack.
Phobias
A phobia is an irrational fear in which an individual dreads a situation, place, object or animal that is a far greater danger in their mind than in real life. Individuals who experience phobias often go to great lengths to avoid their perceived danger.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD usually results from a person experiencing intense fear following and/or witnessing a traumatic event. The symptoms include:
Flashbacks of the event that caused the trauma that feel extremely real
Sweating, a racing heart and/or panic attacks
Feeling emotionally numb
Avoidance of situations that remind the person of the traumatic event
Sporadic feelings of irritability and/or anxiety with no apparent source
It’s nothing to be ashamed of
Many people who experience anxiety feel embarrassed or ashamed, but it’s actually very common. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and it can be treated. When anxiety starts to affect your wellbeing, it’s time to get help. At Tonic Psychology, we have a great deal of experience in successfully treating anxiety. Our team of therapists can help you to understand your anxiety and what triggers, so that you can learn effectively how to minimise or eliminate it.
How can therapy help?
Negative thoughts often what underpin anxiety. Therapy can teach you how to challenge the anxious or negative conclusions you may be making when you feel anxious, thereby helping you to stop believing unhelpful thoughts so that they no longer affect you.
During therapy, you will also learn to coping mechanisms such as mindfulness and deep breathing or relaxation techniques, with the result that you will feel generally calmer, more relaxed and less worried or stressed.