Anxiety counselling

Anxiety manifests as a sense of discomfort and unease, such as worries or fears. While occasional stress can be a standard reaction to various everyday scenarios, if it is persistent or severe, you might have an anxiety disorder. 

Types of anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and separation anxiety disorder. It’s possible to suffer from more than one type of anxiety disorder at once.

The psychological effects of anxiety disrupt everyday life, are challenging to manage, are disproportionate to the actual threat, and may persist for a while. To prevent these experiences, you might steer clear of certain places or situations. 

Sound familiar? Anxiety can begin in childhood or adolescence and last into adulthood without intervention. With anxiety counselling, you can learn to tackle your symptoms and live freely again. Book an appointment to get started.

Many people mix up stress and anxiety disorders, yet they are distinct experiences. Above all, stress is temporary, whereas anxiety disorders tend to endure and often require therapy.

Stress is a natural reaction to challenging scenarios or events. It is the body’s response to various stressors, from financial concerns to relationship issues. Although stress is not a pleasant feeling, it sometimes serves as a constructive motivator to overcome obstacles. 

Nevertheless, if stress becomes continuous and chronic, it can result in a range of physical and mental health issues like headaches, exhaustion, and depression.

Conversely, anxiety encompasses a range of emotions marked by excessive fear and worry, even in the absence of a clear threat. In contrast to stress, anxiety doesn’t always correlate with a particular event or situation. 

Individuals with anxiety disorders often endure persistent feelings of discomfort, nervousness, or fear that get in the way of their everyday activities.

Anxiety is caused by a complex, bidirectional interplay of social, environmental and biological factors. 

For example, anxiety is technically the consequence of an overactive amygdala, which is the part of your brain that regulates emotions and responses to threatening stimuli. In the case of anxiety, it either fails to switch off despite no present threat or activates regardless of a threat. Additionally, research suggests that women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from anxiety than men*.

Moreover, social and environmental influences can play a role in both the emergence and persistence of anxiety, impacting your ability to engage effectively with those around you. Among these influences are experiences such as childhood trauma, social seclusion, adverse life occurrences, stress linked to work or educational environments, physical or mental health issues, and societal and social pressures*.

A build-up of stress may also lead to a heightened state of extreme arousal, known as a panic attack. While the physical symptoms of a panic attack often diminish within a few minutes, the accompanying worry and fear can take far more time to ease.

Psychotherapy is a widely accepted treatment in helping lessen the symptoms of anxiety for a better quality of life. An anxiety counselling therapist supports you to:

• Identify contributors to your worries and fears
• Identify, reframe and replace the thought patterns that trigger anxiety
• Adopt sustainable tools to manage its symptoms, ultimately reducing their intensity and frequency

With enhanced awareness and constructive coping mechanisms, you can learn to manage anxiety moving forward.

Yes. In Australia, appropriately trained Psychologists are qualified to diagnose and provide psychotherapy for mental health conditions like anxiety.

Please note that a Psychologist cannot prescribe medication. If medication is considered to be required as part of your recovery plan for anxiety, you should seek the advice of a Psychiatrist or General Practitioner (GP).

The duration of therapy for anxiety depends on personal circumstances, including the nature and degree of anxiety and your response and dedication to therapy. 

You might feel a noticeable improvement after a few sessions, or you may require ongoing professional support to keep your symptoms in check.

Your Psychologist will provide you with a more accurate estimate after your initial appointment. Get in touch with Chiropractic Plus to discover more.

While symptoms of anxiety may gradually subside over time, prolonged anxiety can adversely affect your mental well-being. Therefore, seeing a Psychologist for anxiety is a positive step towards a happier and healthier life.

Feel like yourself again sooner with anxiety counselling in Warners Bay near Newcastle. Book an appointment today.