What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their life. It is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something that is uncertain or unknown. Anxiety is a normal response to stress or a challenging situation, and it can help us prepare for action or keep us safe. However, when anxiety becomes a daily occurrence and you are unable to recall the last time you felt at ease, it may negatively impact your mental health.
Anxiety Counselling can be beneficial in helping you to identify the root cause of your anxiety, better understand these feelings, and develop strategies to manage them. A counselling service like lotus therapy can provide you with the tools you need to effectively cope with anxiety.
What Causes Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal response to a perceived threat, triggered by our body’s “fight or flight” mechanism. When we feel threatened, our body releases hormones like adrenaline to increase alertness and prepare us to respond to the perceived danger. However, in cases of anxiety, this normal response does not occur and we continue to perceive fearful situations as dangerous. As a result, people with severe anxiety may feel like there is a constant threat, even when there is none. They may try to solve the problem, but their efforts can actually increase their anxiety. Different people may react differently to the same situation, with some experiencing anxiety while others remain unaffected.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
When you feel anxious, your body activates its fight or flight response and goes on high alert, looking for potential danger. As a result, anxiety can cause a range of symptoms that vary from person to person. Some common symptoms of anxiety include nervousness, restlessness, or tension; feelings of danger, panic, or dread; rapid heart rate; rapid breathing or hyperventilation; increased or heavy sweating; trembling or muscle twitching; weakness and lethargy; difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the source of anxiety; insomnia; digestive or gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, constipation, or diarrhea; a strong desire to avoid triggers of anxiety.
In addition to these physical symptoms, anxiety can also manifest as mental or emotional symptoms. These may include obsessions with certain ideas, which may be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); repeating certain behaviours over and over again.
Anxiety counselling can help you uncover the underlying causes of your anxieties and fears, learn how to relax, view situations in a less frightening way, and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. It can give you the tools you need to overcome anxiety and teach you how to use them.
A counsellor can support you by exploring your feelings and understanding the reasons behind them. They can help you find strategies to overcome your anxiety that work for you. Counselling sessions may involve examining what is causing your fears and any underlying issues or triggers that contribute to feelings of anxiety.
Anxiety Counselling can also help with identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and work with you to slow down the physical response that leads to anxiety. Through counselling, you can discover which techniques work best for you, such as breathing or mindfulness, to help redirect your focus away from the anxiety response.
Types of Treatment for Anxiety:
The treatment for anxiety disorders varies depending on the specific symptoms and diagnosis. For example, someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may require a different approach than someone experiencing anxiety attacks. The duration of therapy also depends on the type and severity of the anxiety disorder. Research suggests that significant improvement can often be achieved within 8 to 10 therapy sessions, even for severe anxiety disorders. Many anxiety therapies are relatively short-term, designed to help patients develop the skills and strategies they need to effectively manage their anxiety and improve their quality of life
There are various types of therapy that can be used to treat anxiety, with the leading approaches being cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help individuals understand and change the negative thought patterns that contribute to their anxiety symptoms. By learning to identify and challenge these thoughts, patients can reduce the intensity and frequency of their anxiety symptoms.
The behavioural component of CBT involves exposing patients to activities and situations that trigger their anxiety, such as public speaking or being in an enclosed space, in a controlled and gradual manner. This helps clients learn that their feared outcomes are unlikely, and develop coping skills to manage their anxiety. Through this process, patients can learn to cope with anxiety-provoking situations and develop healthy coping strategies. Anxiety counselling can be conducted individually or in a group of people with similar anxiety problems. The ultimate goal is to reduce anxiety levels, calm the mind, and overcome fears.
If you are experiencing panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, constant worries, or a disabling phobia, it is important to know that you do not have to live with anxiety and fear. With the right support, you can find relief.
Related
