Anxiety Counselling in Lincoln and Louth
What Anxiety is all about?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. Counselling or therapy can really help with common anxiety based moods and feelings.
Common Anxiety Signs and Symptoms
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Feeling nervous, restless or tense
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Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
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Having an increased heart rate
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Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
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Sweating
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Trembling
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Feeling weak or tired
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Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
Panic Attacks
What is a Panic Attack?
Panic attacks are very simply a difficult type of fear response. Panic attacks can be disabling and are an exaggeration of the body's normal response to situations of stress, danger and even excitement.
What Does a Panic Attack Feel Like?
During a panic attack, physical symptoms can build up very quickly. These can include:
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a pounding or racing heartbeat
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feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed
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feeling very hot or very cold
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sweating, trembling or shaking
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nausea (feeling sick)
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pain in your chest or abdomen
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struggling to breathe or feeling like you're choking
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feeling like your legs are shaky or are turning to jelly
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feeling disconnected from your mind, body or surroundings, which are types of dissociation.
During a panic attack you might feel very afraid that you're:
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losing control
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going to faint
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having a heart attack
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going to die.
Treating Anxiety and Panic With Counselling
Whether you’re suffering from panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, or an incapacitating phobia, it’s important to know that you don’t have to live with anxiety and fear. Counselling can help though, and for many anxiety problems, therapy is often the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy—unlike anxiety medication—treats more than just the symptoms of the problem. Therapy can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Therapy gives you the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches you how to use them.
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Anxiety disorders differ considerably, so therapy should be tailored to your specific symptoms and diagnosis. If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for example, your treatment will be different from someone who needs help for anxiety attacks. The length of therapy will also depend on the type and severity of your anxiety disorder. However, many anxiety therapies are relatively short-term. According to the American Psychological Association, many people improve significantly within 8 to 10 therapy sessions.
Cathy Stones Counselling
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) For Anxiety
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders. Research has shown it to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and generalised anxiety disorder, among many other conditions.
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CBT addresses negative patterns and distortions in the way we look at the world and ourselves. As the name suggests, this involves two main components:
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Cognitive therapy examines how negative thoughts, or cognitions, contribute to anxiety.
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Behaviour therapy examines how you behave and react in situations that trigger anxiety.
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The basic premise of CBT is that our thoughts—not external events—affect the way we feel. In other words, it’s not the situation you’re in that determines how you feel, but your perception of the situation.
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For example, imagine that you’ve just been invited to a big party. Consider three different ways of thinking about the invitation, and how those thoughts would affect your emotions.
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If you would like to know more, please do get in touch via phone or email. I work with clients who have anxiety in Lincoln and Louth.
