Can counselling help my anxiety?
The answer here is undoubtedly yes! Real & measurable improvements by sufferers of anxiety are experienced everyday with the correct anxiety treatments. Depending on the level of anxiety that you experience, the duration of the treatments for anxiety will differ, but know this… there is help and it does work.
What are the psychological treatments for anxiety?
There are a range of effective anxiety treatments that when applied honestly and consistently usually result in significant positive relief from anxiety.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety
- Behavioural Therapy for anxiety
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which is also commonly referred to as CBT is a highly structured psychological therapy with aims to make a connection between the way we think and the way we act. In identifying the thought patterns that make us feel anxious we can then identify the behavioural patterns that result in us becoming more anxious.
Once these negative thoughts and beavioural patterns have been identified you can work with your psychologist or counsellor make targeted specific changes which in turn reduce the amount of anxiety you will feel. CBT is based in addressing anxious situations realistically and allows you to approach your anxieties with less fear.
Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety
Behavioural therapy doesn’t attempt to change your beliefs and thought processes directly. Behaviour therapy targets activities and experiences that are positive and rewarding for the patient. By focusing on the positives the end goal is to reduce the amount of needless worrying and situational avoidance that often result in increased anxiety.
Behaviour Therapy uses graded exposure. This simply means that you are gradually exposed to situations that would normally produce signs of anxiety and by overcoming these feelings of anxiety in the specific situation you gradually realise that your anxiety is able to be controlled and even conquered.
Anxiety symptoms & signs of anxiety
Symptoms of anxiety can sometimes be very subtle and can also develop slowly over time. It is usual that we all experience anxiety at some point in our lives and it’s a very normal reaction to many of the situations we face in everyday life.
If we experience anxiety that is connected to a specific event or a stressful situation and this anxiety is experienced for a limited time, this would not be considered an issue requiring anxiety therapy. However, often people may experience anxiety that is not related to a specific experience. If the frequency and persistence of the anxiety begins to have an impact on their lives and interactions, this would be considered as anxiety that may require anxiety treatment. Anxiety symptoms can be physical, psychological & behavioural.
- Panic attacks
- Racing heartbeat
- Elevated breathing
- Hot & cold flushes
- Sleep disturbances
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Obsessing over unimportant things
- Excessive Nervousness
- Chronic indigestion
- Pronounced muscle tension
- Avoiding social situations
Types of anxiety
Anxiety affects people in many ways and the severity of the symptoms can lead to major disturbances in day to day life.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Usually categorised by individuals who have experienced anxiety most days for a period of over 6 months. There may be a combination of factors that lead to a Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Possible biological conditions or a family history may exist. Generalised Anxiety Disorder can also be triggered by experiencing stressful events in your life, such as physical and emotional abuse, the death of a loved one or separation events.
Specific Phobias
Anxiety can be caused by specific phobias that the individual experiences. This can be a fear of flying, fear of heights, animal phobias and any number of other pronounced and irrational phobias. We all experience fear in certain situations but a specific phobia will begin to take control of our actions until they become less and less rational in relation to the specific phobia.
Specific phobias will often be associated with panic attacks that overwhelm the sufferer and often result in a range of physical symptoms. The anxiety created by a specific phobia is persistent and has been experienced for a period of longer than 6 months.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety is characterised by the feeling of uneasiness in normal social situations. We all experience social anxiety in mild forms, however when the symptoms of social anxiety become pronounced and frequent, there may be an underlying issue that requires therapy.
Those who experience extreme social anxiety will often have physical symptoms which will then compound the problem due to their fear of others noticing the physical symptoms of their anxiety.
Panic Disorder
This is usually a physical reaction to your psychological symptoms. If you experience an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, hot or cold flushes and/or excessive sweating, you may have a panic disorder.