It is normal for everyone to feel anxious or worried about things from time to time. This is a normal mental and emotional process that allows us to anticipate potential threats to our wellbeing and to plan ways to minimise their impact on us.
Where this becomes a mental health issue, however is when people realise their level of anxiety is impacting on their wellbeing and conditions such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder can develop. They might be experiencing constant restlessness, unspecified and non-specific feelings of dread, have difficulty concentrating and experience high levels of irritability, and/or be feeling ‘on edge’.
In such cases the sufferer will have such feelings of worry and dread that begin to modify their normal life in order to avoid having to deal with them. This may include but is not limited to withdrawing from social interactions, avoiding school or work and family activities.
There can be physical symptoms as well such as insomnia and tiredness, dizziness, heart palpitations, muscle tension and aches, shaking, sweating, nausea, stomach and headaches and more.
Psychologists have developed reliable diagnostic teststo determine if someone is experiencing anxiety beyond the levels expected in normal life. Should you be experiencing any of the symptoms of anxiety Paula will undertake such an assessment with you and then determine the most suitable course of treatment.
In some cases the anxiety may be a symptom of a phobia or other condition, which will need to be identified and treated accordingly.
Treatment for Anxiety There are many ways of treating anxiety. Working with Paula you will discover your triggers and work out ways to better manage the causes of andyour responses to your anxiety.
In Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the approach is largely rational. We use our ability to ‘think about our thinking’ to recognise that when we are anxious we will overestimate the impact of things we worry about and we underestimate our ability to cope with them. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approaches can be very helpful for people suffering from anxiety in recognising this, and using it to develop strategies to change their perceptions and significantly reduce, if not eradicate, their anxiety.
Other approaches Paula may employ include more traditional talking therapies such as psychotherapy, or the more recent Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approach. This is designed to help clients to reduce their struggle to control or eliminate the negative experiences in their lives while increasing their involvement in meaningful life activities. Relaxation and mindfulness techniques will also assist and,for many people this proves to be the most useful approach. Paula works collaboratively with her clients to determine which of these techniques will work best for them.
For more information about anxiety, and to book an appointment, please call Paula today on 07305 780371 or by e-mail @ [email protected], alternatively please fill out the online form.