One of the most common problems people come to counselling with is anxiety. 

When we use the word anxiety to describe how we feel about ourselves and situations we are faced with most of us understand that anxiety means a state of distress usually accompanied with worry and broken sleeping patterns. 

We can all relate in some way to difficult situations, events and relationships that cause us to feel anxious or nervous.  However difficult, feelings of anxiety, may be for us to manage, anxiety is in essence a normal human emotion that we all feel from time to time.  Like other emotions like anger, sadness, joy and fear, emotions come and then go. Where anxiety becomes problematic it seems to be prolonged over a longer period and we can have great difficulty in shaking it off. 

 One of the key aims of therapy is to help clients to understand that anxiety is also a physical feeling, and connected to our thought processes and over thinking.  When we feel anxious we notice it in our body, this is known as the fight or flight response, characterized by an increased heart rate, racing thought shallow breathing.  This happens as a reaction to a real or in some cases perceived threat. Our nervous system has evolved to quickly act in times of danger, so quick that the reaction is instant and automatic. The fight or flight reaction is vital to our survival system as our brain and body are attuned to act immediately to a life threatening situation.  Usually after the threat has gone or been dealt with our body returns to a state of rest and digest which is a calm (all is well) emotional and physical state. This state of calm takes longer that fight or flight to be activated and if we are in a constant state of hypervigilance (on high alert to danger) we can become confused exhausted and despairing. 

Therapy can you learn strategies for coping with stress and anxiety.  Talking about your thoughts and feelings in counselling is the first step.  Learning about ways to change and replace negative self-critical thoughts is the second step. The third entails developing a plan to help you tap into your inner resources and strengths and reconnect with activities that you may have given up. Physical exercise and mindfulness, self-compassion are important too in helping you to feel calm and grounded. In our sessions we also look at creativity and ways to improve connections with others that are essential in developing motivation and goals. 

Managing difficult emotions is challenging but can be made easier with the help and support of a qualified experienced counsellor.