Anxiety

Anxiety is extremely common, and is sometimes, though not always linked with depression and may affect your confidence.  Some of us will recognise ourselves feeling tearful, being quick to temper, or finding it difficult to sleep. Our body sometimes lets us know we are distressed through symptoms such as eczema, diarrhoea, low energy levels, palpitations, giddiness or panic attacks. Sometimes we resort to behaviour patterns to try and regulate and calm ourselves, for example in obsessive compulsive patterns, over or under eating, by creating constant busyness or conversely in a feeling of shutting down.

Reasons why you may feel stressed

There may be very clear reasons why you are feeling stressed or distressed linked to a specific life event such as the break up of a relationship, loss of your job or the death of someone close. It could be that you just have too much on your plate and find it hard to find a place and space for yourself.

Equally anxiety can arise from life experiences which have led us to feel unsafe, unseen, misunderstood, or fearful. Our bodies get stuck in a state of hypervigilence. The primitive part of our brain stimulates a hormonal response designed to ready us for fight or flight. Our body recognises and interprets these signals as alarming and we can get stuck in a cycle of misinterpretation which can be very limiting to our everyday lives.

How I Work with You

Therapy works to try and understand the underlying causes of your anxiety and to help you access a wider set of choices. I see the distress and symptoms which bring you to therapy as guiding you to find different ways of behaving and relating. I create a caring and safe space in which you can explore feelings which you might otherwise push to one side or find overwhelming. I help you to form a clearer understanding of how your life history may still influence how you behave or view the world and to find a tenderness and acceptance of who you are. This often leads to changes in ways of understanding yourself and grows new attitudes which ultimately can be very freeing.

Some Useful Resources:

Making changes to your diet and being mindful about your caffeine and alcohol consumption can help. Regular exercise and practising good self care are proven to bring about a reduction of the symptoms.

If you are suffering from persistent anxiety and depression you may choose to seek advice from your GP. For some medication can provide a level of relief from the symptoms.

Mind

https://www.mind.org.uk/search-results?q=anxiety%20treatments

NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/stress-anxiety-companion/

Anxiety UK

https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/