Anxiety is something most of us experience from time to time. You might feel nervous before an important conversation, worry about money or struggle to sleep when you have a lot on your mind.
Usually, these feelings pass once the situation has settled.
But what happens when the anxiety doesn’t go away?
Perhaps you constantly feel on edge, overthink every decision or find yourself expecting something to go wrong. You may look as though you’re coping on the outside while privately feeling exhausted by your own thoughts.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Anxiety can affect anyone, and counselling can help you understand what is happening beneath the worry.
What does anxiety feel like?
Anxiety doesn’t always look like a panic attack. It can appear in quieter ways that gradually become part of everyday life.
You might experience:
- Constant worrying or overthinking
- Replaying conversations in your mind
- Feeling restless, tense or unable to relax
- Difficulty sleeping
- A racing heart or tightness in your chest
- Feeling breathless, dizzy or shaky
- Stomach problems or nausea
- Irritability and difficulty concentrating
- Avoiding places, people or situations
- Needing reassurance from other people
- Feeling that something bad is about to happen
Some people know exactly what triggers their anxiety. For others, it seems to arrive without an obvious reason.
Why am I anxious when nothing is wrong?
This is a question I often hear.
Anxiety is the body’s threat response. It is designed to protect us by preparing us to respond to danger. However, this internal alarm system can sometimes become overly sensitive.
Your body may react as though you’re in danger even when you’re physically safe. This can be influenced by past experiences, prolonged stress, difficult relationships, bereavement, health concerns, work pressures or significant changes in your life.
Sometimes anxiety develops gradually. If you’ve spent a long time pushing through stress and putting other people’s needs before your own, you may not realise how overwhelmed you feel until your mind and body begin to struggle.
Your anxiety isn’t a sign that you’re weak or failing. It may be your mind’s way of telling you that something needs attention.
The anxiety and avoidance cycle
When something makes us anxious, avoiding it can bring immediate relief. You might cancel plans, put off a phone call, avoid driving or ask somebody else to deal with a situation.
That relief can make avoidance feel like the safest choice. Unfortunately, it can also reinforce the belief that the situation really was dangerous or that you wouldn’t have been able to cope.
Over time, your life may become smaller as more situations begin to feel threatening.
This is one reason anxiety can be difficult to overcome alone. You may understand logically that something is safe while still experiencing a powerful emotional and physical reaction.
When should I consider counselling for anxiety?
You don’t have to wait until anxiety becomes unbearable before speaking to someone.
It may be helpful to consider counselling if:
- Worry is taking up a large part of your day
- Anxiety is affecting your sleep, work or relationships
- You’re avoiding things you would normally enjoy
- You regularly seek reassurance but never feel reassured for long
- You feel permanently tense or on alert
- Panic attacks are making you afraid of going out
- You no longer feel like yourself
- The strategies you usually rely on aren’t helping
You also don’t need to have a clear explanation for how you feel. Counselling can give you the space to explore that.
How can counselling help with anxiety?
Counselling isn’t about being told to “stop worrying” or being given generic advice to think positively.
It offers a confidential and non-judgemental space where you can slow things down and begin to understand your anxiety. Together, we can explore what may be triggering it, the experiences that have shaped your responses and the patterns that might be keeping the anxiety going.
Therapy may help you:
- Recognise your individual anxiety triggers
- Understand how thoughts, feelings and physical sensations connect
- Respond differently to anxious thoughts
- Reduce avoidance and build confidence
- Develop healthier boundaries
- Understand the impact of past experiences
- Find ways of managing overwhelming feelings
- Feel more in control of your choices
As an integrative therapist, I adapt the way we work to suit you as an individual. There isn’t one approach that works for everyone, and we can move at a pace that feels manageable for you.
Anxiety counselling in Doncaster
If anxiety has started to take over your life, you don’t have to manage it on your own.
I offer face to face therapy, walk and talk therapy and online therapy. Whether you’re experiencing constant worry, panic attacks, health anxiety, relationship anxiety or simply feel overwhelmed, therapy can provide a safe place to explore what’s happening.
You don’t need to wait until you reach breaking point. Asking for support is not an admission that you can’t cope, it is a step towards understanding yourself and creating change.
To arrange a free 15-minute consultation, email info@empowermetherapy.co.uk or send me a message. We can talk about what you’re experiencing and whether I might be the right therapist to support you.