Anxiety Counselling
What is Anxiety - Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Anxiety is an extremely natural and usually short-lived reaction to a stressful event; typically associated with nervousness, worrying feelings, or apprehension towards what is to come. Typically, people experience anxiety in situations which are challenging or unfamiliar, where there is uncertainty present or the person may not have the skills to cope with the situation.
Common situations in which most people experience anxiety would be attending a job interview, public speaking, a first date, meeting new people.
However, for some people, the experiences of anxiety are more severe, and longer-lasting. They experience anxious feelings, thoughts, and severe physical symptoms which impact upon their daily lives. Severe, frequent, recurring, and persistent symptoms of anxiety may be considered an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders affect around 16% of Australians every year, making it the most common type of mental health problem diagnosed in Australia. If you align with these symptoms, it is important to seek help as early as you can. We understand it can be scary, and we are here to help you take the first step.
Symptoms
There are many symptoms of anxiety. Some common ones are:
Restlessness
Fast heartbeat
Sweating
Shaking/Trembling
Nausea
Feeling faintish or light-headedness
Numbness
Concentration difficulties
Urge to avoid
Causes
There is usually not a single cause for anxiety. Research suggests that risk factors that can contribute to the development of anxiety can be: a person’s genetic make-up, biological factors, stressful life experiences (e.g. marriage breakdown), unhelpful thinking styles (e.g. catastrophising), and unhelpful coping strategies (e.g. avoidance).
Types of Anxiety Disorders
There are different types of anxiety disorders, including:
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) - characterised by persistent and excessive worry, often in relation to a range of daily situations (e.g. family, health, work). This type of worry may be difficult for the person to control and does interfere with the person’s day-to-day life, including relationships.
Specific phobia - characterised by extreme anxiety and fear of particular objects and/or situations. This anxiety and fear is out of proportion to the actual danger present. Some common phobias include spiders and other animals, injections, blood, and fears of flying.
Panic disorder - characterised by repeated and unexpected panic attacks – sudden surges of overwhelming anxiety and fear. This feeling is accompanied by physical symptoms (e.g. chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations). With panic disorder, the panic attacks usually come ‘out of the blue’ with triggers not commonly identified.
Agoraphobia - intense anxiety in two or more situations and places where the person feels it would be difficult for them to escape or get help. This fear is out of proportion to the actual danger present. Common situations include: being in enclosed places (e.g. shops, cinema), being in a crowd, public spaces, or being outside of the home alone.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) - is characterised by severe fear of one or more social situations where a person feels they could potentially be scrutinised by others (e.g., being observed while eating, having a conversation, giving a presentation). The person fears their anxiety symptoms will be obvious to other people and that the symptoms will be negatively evaluated (e.g., they may feel embarrassed, or that others will be offended or reject them). With SAD, The fear is out of proportion to the actual threat facing the person.
Treatment
Anxiety is a common reason for individuals to seek out help from mental health professionals, and research indicates numerous psychological treatments that have demonstrated to be effective in treating anxiety.
Specific psychological treatments for anxiety that our psychologists are trained in can include:
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) - has been shown to be the most effective in treating Anxiety disorders. It is designed to help people to notice and change unhelpful thinking style patterns, and thus, change is reflected in emotions and behaviours that bring about anxiety symptoms. Additionally, it focuses on teaching clients skills to manage anxiety in an ongoing way.
Exposure therapy - the psychologist guides the person through a series of real or imaginary scenarios to confront specific fears. Gradually, the person learns to cope more effectively with these fears, and with practice, the anxious response naturally decreases and comfort and confidence with the task increases.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) - This treatment is designed to help the individual with anxiety to remain present and aware of symptoms without judging them, instead of fighting against anxious thoughts and engaging in behaviours of avoidance. As strategies of ACT are practiced over time, the individual becomes less overwhelmed and more accepting of their anxious experiences, and are better able to engage fully with life.
Relaxation training - strategies such as mindfulness, meditation or progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) has been demonstrated in research to effectively reduce anxiety, when practised regularly.
Lifestyle changes - Behavioural changes/activities such as increasing enjoyable activities, getting regular exercise and adequate sleep, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, improving time-management skills and can aid in reducing anxiety.
Other formats of therapy which can be helpful, such as schema therapy and insight-oriented therapy.
Our clinicians at Life Growth Psychology are highly trained to provide the following to help you in treating anxiety symptoms. If you want to find out more, you can contact us below to make the first step.
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