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Anxiety and Panic
Anxiety can affect far more than how you feel emotionally. It can influence your thoughts, your body, your relationships, your confidence and the way you move through everyday life.
You may find yourself constantly worrying, overthinking conversations or situations, imagining what could go wrong, struggling to switch off, or feeling that your mind is always 'on'. You might experience physical symptoms too, such as a racing heart, tension, restlessness, difficulty sleeping or a feeling of being unable to fully relax.
Sometimes anxiety has an obvious cause. At other times, you may feel anxious without really understanding why.
For some people, anxiety can become so familiar that it starts to feel like part of who they are. You may have learned to manage it by keeping busy, staying in control, avoiding certain situations, pleasing other people or constantly trying to prepare for what might happen next. These strategies can provide temporary relief, but they can also keep you caught in a cycle of anxiety.
When anxiety becomes panic
Sometimes anxiety can build to a point where it feels overwhelming or frightening. For some people, this can lead to a panic attack - a sudden surge of intense fear or physical sensations that can feel very real and sometimes even feel as though something is seriously wrong.
During a panic attack, you might experience a racing or pounding heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness, shaking, sweating, nausea, chest tightness, feeling faint or a sense of losing control. Some people experience a feeling of unreality or disconnection from their surroundings, or become frightened that they are going to faint, be unable to cope or that something terrible is about to happen.
Panic can feel particularly frightening because the physical sensations themselves can create more fear, which can then intensify the sensations and create a cycle that feels difficult to break. If you've experienced panic, you may also find yourself becoming anxious about having another attack. This can sometimes lead to avoiding certain places, situations or activities, or constantly monitoring your body for signs that another panic attack might be coming.
You don't have to let anxiety lead the way.
Counselling isn't simply about being told to 'stop worrying' or given a list of techniques to make your anxiety disappear. Instead, we can explore your experience of anxiety as an individual. This may include looking at your thoughts, emotions, relationships, experiences and patterns of behaviour, as well as how anxiety shows up in your body. Together, we can begin to develop a greater understanding of what lies underneath your anxiety and what you need in order to feel safer, more grounded and more able to cope.
Depending on what feels appropriate for you, our work may also include experiential approaches such as visualisation, imagery, body awareness or other ways of exploring emotions that aren't always easy to put into words.
The aim isn't necessarily to eliminate every anxious thought or feeling. Anxiety is a normal human response, and sometimes it can provide useful information. Instead, counselling can help you develop a different relationship with your anxiety, so that it doesn't have to dictate your choices, limit your life or leave you feeling constantly on edge.
How can counselling help with anxiety?
How do I know if I need counselling for anxiety?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You don't need to have a diagnosis or know for certain that what you're experiencing is anxiety. You may simply feel that something isn't quite right, that you're worrying more than usual, finding it difficult to switch off, feeling on edge or struggling to cope with everyday situations. Anxiety can show up in many different ways, and sometimes it isn't obvious what is causing you to feel this way. If something is affecting your wellbeing or making life feel harder, counselling can give you space to explore what's going on.
What if I don't know why I'm anxious?
You don't need to know why you feel anxious before coming to counselling. Sometimes there is an obvious reason, while at other times anxiety can build gradually without a clear cause. You might even find yourself thinking, “I don't really have anything to be anxious about, so why do I feel like this?” . We can take the time to explore what you're experiencing and look at the thoughts, feelings, relationships, experiences and patterns that may be contributing to it.
What if I avoid things because of my anxiety?
You may find yourself avoiding certain situations, conversations, places or activities because they make you feel anxious. Avoidance can feel like the safest option in the moment, but it can sometimes make anxiety feel more powerful over time. Counselling can help you explore what you're afraid might happen, what the anxiety is telling you and what may be keeping the pattern going. There is no expectation that you should simply force yourself to do things you're not ready for. The aim is to develop greater understanding and choice, so that anxiety doesn't have to make every decision for you.
Can anxiety affect my confidence?
Yes. Anxiety can have a significant impact on how you see yourself. You may constantly doubt your decisions, worry about what other people think, fear making mistakes or feel that you need to get things 'right'. You might appear confident to other people while privately experiencing a lot of self-doubt. Counselling can provide space to explore where these patterns of thinking may have come from and how they affect the way you relate to yourself and others.
What if I experience panic attacks and I am worried I will have one in a counselling session?
If you've experienced panic attacks, you may understandably worry about having one in front of someone else - including your counsellor. You might even avoid counselling because you're afraid of becoming overwhelmed or not knowing what to do if panic happens during a session. If you do experience a panic attack during counselling, you don't have to manage it on your own. We can slow things down and focus on helping you feel more grounded and present in the moment. This might include grounding techniques, bringing your attention to your five senses, noticing your surroundings or gently becoming aware of your breathing and body.
There is no need to feel embarrassed or worry that you've somehow done something wrong. A panic attack can be a frightening experience, but we can work through the moment together and, when you feel ready, explore what happened and what might help you feel more confident if it happens again.
What can I do when I feel anxious?
When you notice anxiety building, it can help to pause rather than immediately trying to push the feeling away. Bring your attention to what is happening around you and in your body. You might try grounding yourself by noticing what you can see, hear and feel, or taking a few slower breaths and allowing your body to settle. It can also help to remind yourself that feeling anxious doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong or that you need to act immediately. Sometimes simply noticing the anxiety and allowing it to be there, rather than fighting against it, can reduce some of the fear around the feeling.
If anxiety is happening regularly or beginning to affect your everyday life, it may be helpful to explore what is underneath it rather than relying on coping techniques alone.
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