Anxiety

Anxiety describes the way people become overwhelmed by fears - future based fears. It has been described as being like ‘a sudden visitor who has a habit of calling unexpectedly and penetrating into every nook and cranny of my house all at once - and who wont take any hints to leave.’ Anxiety affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and behaviourally.

This can result in symptoms such as restlessness, feelings of nervousness and tension. Catastrophising can occur - where the imagination starts to go into overdrive, imagining worst case scenarios - this can result in physical symptoms happening, such as an increased heart rate, breathing rate increasing (hyperventailation), sweating and trembling (which can result in muscle ache). Weakness and fatigue can occur also. Cognitive ability can be affected, with concentration interupted and feelings of impending doom making people with this condition feel tearful. Physical symptoms such as breathlessness, stomach aches, headaches and pins and needles can also exacerbate worry by making people think they have something seriously wrong.

Anxiety may come from our fears, but without the fear response where would we be? The fear response enables us to survive:being rightly fearful of actual dangers leads us all to take care, to seek help, to fight the dangers or run away. (Sanders & Willis 2003). Anxiety is experiencing overwhelming fear - where objectivity has been overtaken by doom.

Everybody will, at some point, have expereinced anxiety - whether it is during a driving text, exam, or having to present something at work, etc. We all need anxiety as a survival mechanism o help keep us safe. Debilitating anxiety, which can stop everyday functioning and socialisng is something very different where the fear response has spiralled beyond apparent control. When this happens it can impact people in a number of ways, resulting in behavioural changes, isolation and illness.

There are many different theories on how anxieties take hold - from the psychodynamic theory that anxieties took on the function of helping to repress much deeper worries to modern concepts of anxiety putting avoidance as the main reason for anxiety issues. Personality traits are also thought to be considered a reason for some people developing debilitating anxiety. The individuals’ belief system is also thought to be a reason for why anxiety can manifest and develop in a person.

Anxiety disorders can consist of panic, agoraphobia, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. Each individual who experiences these anxiety disorders will have specific triggers which will cause the anxiety to appear.

Hypnotherapy and counselling can help with treating anxiety. Developing understanding and awareness of what is happening cannot be underestimated. The relief in sharing thoughts and feelings which may never have been discussed and said out loud is immense. Breaking down the anxiety which has been experienced, understanding exactly how it affects you and exploring the root causes and triggers can help reduce attacks and symptoms. Strategies and building a coping ‘toolbox’ offering anxiety reduction by focusing on changing thoughts and behaviours can result in control being taken back and everyday life becoming manageable again.

To start the journey of managing your anxiety today, the following tips can be useful - mindfulness apps or classes uses meditation and breathing exercises to support you with staying in the present - grounding thoughts. Exercise is very useful as a way to improve physical and mental health, releasing tension and also encouraging the release of ‘happy hormone’ serotonin. Alowing yourself time to relax and do something you enjoy will help with anxiety levels - whether its making a playlist of motivational or soothing songs or having a bath and reading a book. Finally avoid caffeine and harmful substances such as smoking and alcohol as much as possible. drinking more water and getting more sleep will only help with managing anxiety symptoms.