Anxiety and Early Intervention
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Video explaining the different forms of anxiety
I am passionate about working with those struggling with anxiety and young adults who are experiencing these issues for the first time. I have seen people with social anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, phobias, emetophobia, panic disorder, health anxiety, and agoraphobia. I understand how scary and confusing these experiences may be and I enjoy guiding young adults through these moments so that they can overcome their struggles. For instance, I have guided young adults to understand; if their experiences are normal, if their symptoms may change or get better, how to manage worries that keep getting bigger, how to take care of themselves, how to enjoy their lives again, how to return to every-day tasks, and what things they can do to just get better. I believe that getting help early is one of the most important things in helping people recover and live more fulfilling lives.
Is my anxiety normal?
The thing is, it is very normal for us to experience some form of anxiety, stress, or worry. We are humans and we react to distressing events in this way. When we are anxious, we experience some form of worry and apprehension around the situation that is making us feel anxious. Our physical bodies may also experience; restlessness, difficulties concentrating, heart palpitations, trembling, feeling faint or dizzy, numbness, intense feelings of avoidance, and sweating. This response is often short lived and may even be useful in certain situations. For instance, this response can protect us in dangerous situations and may even enhance our performance. However, when this response occurs for long periods of time and the intense fear of worry associated with the anxiety is out of proportion to the dangers of the situation, it can be a problem. In some cases, it can impact on a person's day to day functioning or cause problems in their relationships. In these instances, it may be worthwhile to evaluate whether help is needed.
Keep in mind that anxiety can present in many different ways, depending on what the specific worries or fears are. Therefore, it is difficult to define anxiety in one way. Below, is a small summary of some of the more common forms of anxiety.
what is Social Anxiety
Social Anxiety, as the name suggests is fear and worry in social situations whereby there is possible evaluation and scrutiny by others. They may find social situations and performance like situations (i.e. work, study) to be very difficult and may often avoid these situations, or experience them with intense feelings of anxiety.
what is Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is often minimised and dismissed as a personality trait and something a person has always been known to do, which is worry. It is constant and excessive worrying over a variety of things for at least 6 months. The person may find it hard to control their worries and often feel quite distressed by their inability to stop worrying.
what is a Specific Phobia
This is fear and worry around specific objects or situation/s. There is a range of phobias that can occur and some of the most common ones are fear of buttons, heights, vomiting/nausea, spiders, and snakes. As you might expect, people with such fears will avoid such things.
what is Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder involves an intense surge of fear and anxiety which escalates within minutes and is accompanied by particular experiences such as; accelerated heart rate, trouble breathing, trembling, nausea/abdominal upset, chest pain or discomfort, dizziness or faintness, chills or heat sensations, numbness or tingling sensations, feeling detached or out of touch with reality, fear of losing control or going crazy, and a fear of dying. The person may worry a lot about having future panic attacks and would often avoid places where a panic attack would occur.
what is Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is fear and anxiety around particular situations such as; using public transport, being in open spaces, being in enclosed spaces, standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside of the home alone. The fear around these situations is related to not being able to escape or get help in the event of panic like symptoms or other embarrassing symptoms (i.e. falling, incontinence, nausea). As such, over time, a person may avoid going out or being in certain situations in order to avoid what they fear from occurring.
getting help for anxiety
The good news is, help is readily available! Most importantly, if you tackle it earlier, you are giving yourself a better chance at overcoming it. You'll be surprised to learn that some things as simple as understanding your anxiety and its cycle, uncovering and overcoming those worrisome and fearful thoughts, learning ways to relax and look after yourself, and facing your fears slowly can all help. I encourage all people who are becoming aware of how their anxiety is impacing their life, to seek help.
Get in Touch
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