Anxiety

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England [1],

1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England[2].

These figures are from long before the recent Coronavirus pandemic and although there is no official updated figure as yet, it’s safe to say that anxiety has risen considerably in the last few months.

Now a certain level of anxiety is normal, in fact essential to our lives. Without anxiety we would have been eaten up by Sabre-toothed tigers (or Polar Bears) millennia ago and our species survival would have rather short indeed. We still need this today, to get ourselves out of a life or death situation and also for the more normal, everyday things like turning up to work, college or school on time as we know that if we don’t, we’ll be in trouble!

So anxiety is necessary to certain levels but if it starts to disrupt our lives this is when anxiety can be problematic and can this can show up in many ways.

Anxiety is more than just feeling nervous, below is a list of both psychological and physical symptoms you may experience if you suffer with anxiety.

Rapid heart rate/palpitations
Nausea, Feeling dizzy/light headed
Excessive sweating
Tremors
Tense muscles (commonly back, neck and shoulders) and increased pain from old injuries.
Restlessness, irritability, feeling on edge – finding yourself snapping at others.
Difficulty focusing on tasks, may seem distant in conversation and lose their train of thought.
Negative thoughts, feeling “Fed Up” – a tendency to see the worst in every situation
Fatigue, anxiety consumes an awful lot of energy which can leave you both mentally and physically exhausted.
Loss of appetite/over eating – either can be a sign of anxiety
Overworking – people with anxiety will often throw themselves in to their work, being self critical and striving for perfection, taking longer than normal to complete tasks for a fear of it not being right. They will often claim to be too busy to take their breaks.
Disturbed Sleep – lying awake for hours on end unable to switch off the whirr of thoughts? Waking in the early hours and finding it difficult to get back to sleep? Sleeping heavily but still exhausted in the morning? All of these can be signs that you’re experiencing anxiety.

This list is not exhaustive and symptoms will vary from person to person. The purpose of this article is not to self diagnose but to give an understanding of the signs and symptoms that may prompt you or someone close to you to reach out for help.

If your symptoms are physical, it’s also vitally important to get them checked out by a medical professional to rule out any other health conditions.

If you’re suffering with anxiety, please do reach out. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is highly effective for anxiety disorders because our sessions focus on the positives and solutions. Clients often feel enlivened and optimistic about their future, looking forward to their sessions as they know they will not need to talk about all the things that have made them feel anxious or distressed in the past.

I offer a free, no obligation Initial Consultation which allows you to meet me, and find out how hypnotherapy can help you. I’ll be able to answer any questions you may have and give you an idea of how many sessions you may require.

If you’re ready to make positive changes in your life, contact me today, call or text 07960 149455 or by filling in the contact form on my website www.sarahwoodwardhypnotherapy.co.uk

References