Anxiety

We all experience anxiousness to some degree as part of our daily lives.

Fear and stress are usually adaptive responses to life’s challenges – our way of coping with a perceived physical or social threat. Persistent anxiety, however, can lead to unhelpful and maladaptive responses to situations. This is because anxiety leads us to anticipate and even expect that we might not be able to cope in certain situations. This can result in avoidant behaviours that impact our ability to function or at worst, develop into panic attacks. Signs that anxiety is becoming a problem can include:

• persistent and intrusive worrying
• feeling out of control, overwhelmed, tearful, and moody
• having trouble concentrating or forgetfulness
• shortness of breath or hyperventilating
• muscular tension or tremors
• chest pain or heart palpitations
• sleep disturbances
• sudden changes in appetite or dry mouth
• nausea, diarrhea, indigestion or abdominal pain
• headaches or dizziness
• sweating without exercise

How we support you

There are a variety of psychological therapies that are proven to be successful in helping people manage and overcome anxiety. Our practice believes that while life can throw up many different types of challenges, no-one should have to experience ongoing anxiety. We work with you to help identify the causes of your anxiety and develop a treatment approach that meets your particular needs so that you learn to manage anxiety in your own way and move towards living a more rewarding and fulfilling life.