What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an umbrella term to describe the experience of feeling nervous, worried, fearful or panicked. Experiencing anxiety is not always negative; at low to moderate levels, it can help us with motivation and performance, but for many people anxiety reactions can happen more frequently during day-to-day tasks or social interactions and this can become a serious obstacle.

When you live with anxiety on a daily basis, it’s often a frustrating, isolating and tiresome experience. Your level of stress may have become overwhelming, especially if you’re struggling to stay focused at work, feeling disconnected from loved ones or questioning if you’re doing everything right. Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), obsessive-compulsive disorder, and simple phobias (such as medical phobias or flying). Sometimes anxiety can also present as being perfectionistic and having unrealistically high expectations of yourself where nothing ever seems to be good enough.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling restless, irritable or on edge

• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

• Physiological symptoms as in panic attacks (e.g. chest pain, hyperventilation, increased heart rate)

• Sweating or trembling

• Feeling weak or tired

• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry

• Sleep disturbance, difficulty falling asleep, or restless sleep

• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems

• Having difficulty controlling worry

• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

“You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself inside your head…Be kind to yourself” – Unknown

Treating Anxiety

Whatever form of anxiety you have, treatment can help. Our experienced therapists can help you uncover, explore and deal with what both triggers and feeds your anxiety. You can develop strategies to let go of negative, worrisome and anxiety provoking thoughts, learning to be present and mindful in the moment. In therapy, you can develop healthy, effective tools to overcome your stress, while learning valuable techniques that can help you stay calm, balanced and grounded when overwhelming anxiety begins to set. With guidance and support, we can help you to learn to accept and manage your anxiety, experience more productivity in work and life, while deepening bonds with friends and family. You don’t have to suffer alone anymore – reach out today and we can help you overcome your anxiety.