ANXIETY 

Are you or a loved one suffering with anxiety or constant worry?

• We all know that worry or being anxious is not helpful but that doesn't make it easy to stop. It is often relentless and automatic. It is important to know that worry has a function, it causes our mind and body to speed up to prepare us to respond to an emergency. Anxiety has a strong effect on us because it's one of our natural survival responses.   However, sometimes worry becomes  misplaced and so relentless that we can feel overwhelmed with emotion and distress and we become so adept at worrying that it becomes an anxiety disorder.  This can cause our lives to become unbearable out of balance and lead to feeling many physical and psychological symptoms that you may recognise:

• Psychological

  • not being able to focus or lack of concentration
  • feeling irritable with everyone around us for no apparent reason
  • feeling depressed and disinterested in things
  • loss of self-confidence and withdrawing from people and activities
  • trouble sleeping
     
• Physical
  • rapid and/or irregular heartbeat
  • Breathing fast or unable to catch your breath
  • tense or weak muscles
  • sweating or freezing
  • churning stomach or loose bowels
  • dizziness
  • dry mouth.
  • extreme physical symptoms can result in 'panic attacks'.
     

If you or anyone you know is suffering like this, they can get help. In my clinic I help people on daily basis to figure out where their worry comes from, how they can learn to deal with it and move towards  more balanced behaviour and thoughts, giving immediate relief to panic attacks and acute anxiety symptoms, and allowing them to be happy in the knowledge of who they are.

What is Anxiety?

• Life is full of potential stressful events and it is normal to experience anxiety in everyday situations, however persistent and excessive anxiety can cause more serious mental health problems. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems in nearly every country in the world and, while a low level of anxiety can be a useful motivating force, in some cases it can take over your life. 

• Anxiety, when acute is constant and persistent and can affect your ability to function normally in everyday life.  Though anxiety is a type of fear usually associated with a perceived threat or something going wrong in the future, it can also seem to arise from something right now, something that is hard to put  your finger on. Unlike fear itself, which is a response to an immediate danger, anxiety is  often an ongoing sense of worry without a specific cause.

• Anxiety when acute is  a psychological  disorder and is a combination of mental, physical and emotional. It uses extensive mental ability for ruminating on things over and over, it is emotional as we can feel the unpleasantness arising within us and  physical as we feel our  heartbeat racing and the knot of nausea in our stomach all  to the point of it becoming a clinical problem. 

• Sometimes there can be a single trigger or event that raises anxiety levels, but generally it's a number of things or a combination of things, worrying about family members, health, work deadlines,  exams, how we think we look, going on a first date or whether we feel safe.

What Causes Anxiety?

Feelings of anxiety can be caused by lots of things and vary according to what you’re worried about and how you act when you feel apprehensive. They depend  on who you are the uniqueness of you. The  causes of anxiety are different for everybody and getting to the root of it depends on and lots of things that have made you take up your position in life as 'You'

• your genes
• how you were brought up
• your life experiences
• the way you learn and cope with things.

Just knowing what makes you anxious and why can be the first steps to managing anxiety.It can be hard to break this cycle, but you can learn to feel less worried and to cope with your anxiety so it doesn’t stop you enjoying life. In Olivia Fox Psychotherapy I can help you do this. 

What Should I do about my Anxiety?

If you feel anxious all the time, or if it feels like your anxiety is taking over your life, then it’s a good idea to ask for help. I am expert and passionate about helping people deal with anxiety. My approach is three pronged and is a proven successful formula providing immediate relief for panic attacks and assists in helping you to move away from the  persistent distress of worry and anxiety to a balanced and happier life. It includes:

Psychotherapy or Counselling,  these are forms of psychological treatments that involve speaking to a qualified professional therapist.  Speaking to me is often the first and most effective step for people dealing with anxiety problems. Speaking helps you to understand your way of being in the world and how your thoughts, moods and behaviour are linked. This understanding will help you manage your anxiety and allow you to feel in control again . 

Mindfulness is an immediate and useful technique on changing the relationship between the individual and their thoughts. Using taught techniques, I can help people be ‘mindful’ of their thoughts and break out of a pattern of negative thinking.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and practical techniques that are psycho-educational and aim to help the person understand the nature of their anxiety and equip them with the necessary skills to cope with it. This works by educating the individual to look at their lifestyle, challenge unhelpful thinking, evaluate their symptoms and gradually expose themselves to the source of their anxiety.

Take your first step and contact me to make an appointment: