Anxiety Therapy

About Anxiety

Anxiety is a natural response of the body to stressful events we encounter throughout life, helping us recognize when we are facing problems. However, for some people, this supposedly beneficial reaction becomes so persistent and/or intense that it causes issues with quality of life.

Anxiety disorders are common, affecting millions of people, and can be generalized or specific. They may manifest in physiological reactions, such as a racing heart, muscle tension, or shortness of breath, as well as psychological responses, such as excessive worry, intense fear, difficulty concentrating etc.

Understanding Anxiety and its Effects

Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand, a phenomenon known as comorbidity – learn more about anxiety here!

Living with anxiety means dealing with constant or disproportionate, and often irrational, worries about future events or daily circumstances. It is common due to the activation of the central nervous system for people to feel constantly on high alert as if searching for threats even when there is no real danger.

The state of alertness and excessive worries might also manifest as sleep disturbances, and difficulty relaxing, leading to exhaustion and irritability, which can strain interpersonal relationships. Additionally, avoidance behaviours may develop, resulting in missed personal, social, or professional opportunities.

Over time, these patterns can become rigid, making it difficult to break the cycle. Anxiety affects both emotional and interpersonal life and can range from mild forms to more severe cases, such as panic disorder. These manifestations significantly impact life, but you don’t have to face them alone – help is available.

How Can Behavioural Therapy Help

The therapeutic process begins with self-awareness. In therapy, we seek to understand some key aspects:

What is its function? Does it have a purpose, or is it occurring pathologically?
What are its triggers? Are there specific events that produce the symptoms?

Since anxiety can manifest in various forms, these questions can help us determine which of the following types is most relevant

Generalized Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety is a disorder in which the anxiety is so frequent that it appears to have no specific trigger. People with Generalized Anxiety feel as if they always have to do (or not do) something to avoid things going wrong.

Social Anxiety

This anxiety manifests as a disproportionate fear of social interactions. The person may feel as though they are constantly being judged for what they are doing or thinking, and they often experience discomfort in public spaces.

Performance Anxiety

Similar to Social Anxiety, Performance Anxiety is also related to discomfort over how others evaluate us. However, anxiety becomes more prominent concerning performance in an activity, which could be work, studies, sexual relationships, etc.

Other Types of Anxiety

Our emotions are predominantly learned. Our relationship with anxiety depends on our life history and how we interact with it. They can range from more complex cases, like Panic Disorder, to recurring worries about relationships or activities. Regardless of the context, if anxiety consumes a lot of energy or keeps you from doing the things you'd like to do, it becomes a problem, and it's worth facing it.

With that said, during therapy, we will work on the physical symptoms through scientifically proven techniques and develop a repertoire that allows you to face challenging situations without avoiding them. At the same time, we will work to identify environmental triggers and healthy ways to cope with them and reframe stressful situations.

Since anxiety is a natural reaction, the goal is not to eliminate it but to critically assess it, understanding its origins and the best ways to treat it.

Have you or someone close to you been struggling with anxiety? Get in touch, I’m available to chat! Or learn more about my psychotherapy approach here.

Behavioural

Therapy