Anxiety

We all have anxiety and if we didn’t we wouldn’t live much past our toddler years. Anxiety is designed to keep us safe from threat, it is a hardwired physiological response to danger that signals the brain and body to respond automatically. This is known as the Fight/Flight response that helps us deal with the life threatening situation. It is our body’s smoke alarm and firefighter all in one. However, anxiety can become a bigger problem when the smoke alarm is sounding reguarly but there is no fire. The alarm could be responding to the imagined threat that we are thinking of which is likely to be impacting your day to day life. If the feelings of anxiety are strong, persistent, or the worrying feels out of control, you may wish to seek help.

Some physical symptoms of anxiety are;

  • Heart racing

  • Nausea (feeling sick) this could be at specific points in the day, for children it can be before school or bed time.

  • Sleep problems

  • Biting cheeks or grinding teeth

  • Difficulty breathing, or monitoring your breathing

  • Needing the toilet more, or less often

  • Headaches

  • Panic attacks

  • Speeding up

Anxiety can be very uncomfortable and the panic can feel terrifying, but it is not in itself harmful. I have posted some links below on how to manage panic attacks that may be useful.

Another difficult part of anxiety is the inner termoil it can cause. Signs and symptoms of this are;

  • Rumination - also known as unhelpful thinking. The process of going over and over something in the hopes to understand it better. You may do this for hours or days.

  • Seeking reassuance - asking parents or partners to tell you it is all going to be ok or that “XYZ” won’t happen.

  • Avoidance - staying away from the topic, person or place that causes the feeling of anxiety

  • Catastrophizing - believing the worst case scenario will happen

  • Intrusive thoughts or images - imaging your family dying or picturing a distressing image.

  • Inflated responsibility - feeling as though it all rests on your shoulders and that if you don’t do or say something, somethig bad will happen.

  • Worry that you are going “mad” or feeling out of control

It is important to note that we can all experience anxiety and not have a disorder. Anxiety is something we feel when we are worried, afraid or feeling dread. We may be concerned about the future and hear ourselves saying “what if” a lot of the time. You may notice that you seek reassurance from loved ones, checking that everything will be ok, and you might be avoiding places, people or specific triggers to minimise the anxiety, or stop a panic attack from happening.

If your symptoms fit the medical criteria as layed out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, version 5 (DSM-5) your anxiety may have become a mental health problem such as, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Health Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Each of these anxiety disorders have a specific set of symptoms, and some cross over, so it is important to speak with a doctor to help determine any diagnosis if you feel this would be beneficial to you. A counsellor cannot diagnose you with any type of mental health disorder, but they can discuss any concerns you have around a potential disorder.

Treatment

If you were to ask your GP what the most effective form of treatment for Anxiety is, they would say Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and medication. Whilst this is the most common form of therapy offered through the National Health Service (NHS), it is important to mention that other therapeutic modalities also help with anxiety and some with good research behind them also.

Humanistic therapies such as Person-Centred and Gestalt believe that anxiety presents because of a person’s disconnection to their true self, often stemming from unmet needs, a lack of self-acceptance or authenticity. Anxiety, from this perspective is seen as a signal that one’s current way of living is not aligned with their true desires or potential. The therapist would work with the individual to explore this more and allow them room to consider what they really want and work towards this. It is important to note, that one therapeutic approach may work for one person and not another, so consider all types of therapy and make an informed decision for yourself.

When looking for a therapist, you can go through the NHS or get one privately through platforms like the Counselling Directory or Psychology Today. Be sure to ask your prospecting therapist if they can work with anxiety and what approach they use, so you can explore if this is best for you.

Anxiety does like knowledge, so some self-help and education around anxiety is something you can do from the comfort of your own home and at no cost to you when using the internet. Please ensure to use credible sources for this, trained professionals, NHS, Mind, or Anxiety UK. Getting informed and doing the cognitive work is only one part of the picture when it comes to the impact of anxiety, so be sure to look into movement, relaxation techniques, sleep hygeine and somatic therapies to give you a holisitc approach to treatment.

References and Helpful Links