Anxiety is a natural response to stress or uncertainty, but when it becomes persistent, overwhelming, and interferes with daily life, it can affect your mental health. If you find yourself constantly on edge, unable to relax, or caught in a cycle of worry, counselling can help you explore the root causes, understand your feelings, and develop effective coping strategies.
What Causes Anxiety?
Anxiety stems from our body’s fight or flight response, an automatic survival mechanism triggered when we perceive danger. When faced with a threat, our bodies release stress hormones like adrenaline to heighten alertness and prepare us to respond.
Normally, once the threat has passed, the body relaxes and restores balance. However, with chronic anxiety, this process becomes disrupted. We begin interpreting non-threatening situations as dangerous, causing our fight-or-flight response to activate unnecessarily.
Common triggers for anxiety include:
- Work stress, such as misinterpreting a colleague’s tone or body language
- Social situations and fear of judgment
- Relationship challenges or conflicts
- Health concerns and uncertainty about the future
- Past trauma or unresolved emotional experiences
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
We’ve all heard expressions like “butterflies in the stomach” or “jelly legs”, but anxiety can manifest in more intense physical and emotional ways.
Common symptoms of anxiety include:
- Racing heart or palpitations
- Muscle tension and restlessness
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Trouble sleeping or frequent nightmares
- Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
- Feeling a sense of dread or panic
- Avoiding situations that cause distress
While occasional anxiety is a normal part of life, persistent anxiety that disrupts daily activities can be distressing and exhausting.
How to Overcome Anxiety
The first step in managing anxiety is understanding what triggers it and learning ways to break free from unhelpful thought patterns. Here are some effective strategies:
- Challenge negative thoughts – Ask yourself if your fears are based on facts or assumptions. For example, did your boss truly give you a “funny look,” or is your mind interpreting it that way?
- Practice breathing exercises – Controlled breathing helps regulate your nervous system, reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety.
- Use mindfulness techniques – Meditation and grounding exercises can bring your focus back to the present and away from anxious thoughts.
- Gradual exposure – Facing fears in a safe, controlled way can help you reduce their power over time.
- Physical activity – Movement, even in small amounts, helps release tension and reduce stress.
How Counselling Can Help with Anxiety
Counselling provides a safe, supportive space to explore your anxiety and develop personalised strategies to manage it effectively.
A therapist can help by:
- Identifying underlying causes and triggers of anxiety
- Exploring unhelpful thinking patterns and reframing them
- Teaching techniques to manage physical symptoms, such as relaxation exercises
- Supporting you in finding coping strategies that work for your unique situation