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Anxiety - What is it, Can Counselling help?

Writer's picture: Mel CrossleyMel Crossley

Anxiety is a natural reaction of worry or fear to various situations.


When anxiety becomes a daily occurrence, to the point where one cannot recall the last moment of relaxation, it can impact mental health significantly.


Counselling offers a means to delve into the origins of these feelings, comprehend them, and propose methods for managing such situations. A counsellor can assist in developing strategies to cope with anxiety.


What causes anxiety?


Anxiety originates from our 'fight or flight' response, which activates when we perceive danger, the 'fight or flight' response is involuntary, triggering hormone release, like adrenaline, to heighten alertness.


Typically, once a threat passes, our bodies release chemicals to relax us, easing the adrenaline surge.


However, during an anxiety-induced 'fight or flight' response, this calming process often doesn't occur. We misinterpret fearful situations as dangerous.


Our Human instinct is to solve problems, to alleviate the anxiety-inducing situation. Yet, this can intensify the anxiety.


People's reactions to situations vary. One person might become anxious over attending a party, while it may not affect another.


Seeking a counsellor's guidance can clarify the specific triggers of your anxiety.


Anxiety about anxiety itself is common, feeling anxious about being anxious and events that will cause anxiety can cause total overwhelm and affect how we behave, sleep and generally feel.


What does anxiety feel like?

People feel anxiety in many different ways, one person may hold their chest and talk about increased heart rate, chest tightness and feeling dizzy. Another person may notice their breathing becomes faster, hyperventilating, body exhaustion. It is also common to feel it in your belly, with butterflies, needing to use the toilet and diarrhoea.

Anxiety can make it hard to concentrate, make you feel panic and really affect your sleep.


These feelings can interfere with your life, become out of proportion and be very distressing.

How to overcome anxiety

Understanding the root cause of your anxiety is crucial so that you can then proceed to tackle it effectively.

You might consider strategies to disrupt a pattern of negative thoughts that contribute to your anxiety. Alternatively, it's worth examining whether the source of your anxiety is based on reality or simply a product of your imagination.

Engaging in breathing exercises can assist in controlling your physical breath, thereby influencing relaxation of the mind.

For some individuals, mindfulness practices like meditation can also yield beneficial results.

How counselling can help with anxiety

A counsellor can assist you in examining your current situation and understanding the reasons behind your emotions.

They can support you in discovering effective ways to manage and overcome your anxiety by identifying the root causes and triggers. Together, you can address any unhelpful thought patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety.

Through working with individuals and their physical responses, we aim to help them reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety.

We guide individuals in finding the techniques that suit them best, often incorporating practices like focused breathing or meditation to redirect their response to anxiety.

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