Understanding anxiety and how counselling can help

This article explains what anxiety is, the impact it can have on our health and how counselling can help us to develop coping strategies and tools to manage anxiety.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is something we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid. This can be about things that could happen or when coping with stressful events that may have an impact on our lives. Anxiety is experienced through our thoughts and feelings and is a natural human response when we are stressed or feel under threat.

Anxiety can affect anyone at any age, and is something we all experience from time-to-time. In day-to-day living, it is quite natural to worry about future events such as paying bills, exams, interviews, life transitions, our health, or relationships, for example. It is a normal human response – one that is essential in a fight or flight situation to keep us focused and protect us from harm. Anxiety can help keep us safe, keep us looking forward, and even allow us to overcome issues.

Anxiety's impact

Anxiety impacts people in different ways, both emotionally and physically. Below are just some of the most recognised symptoms:

• a continuous state of unease
• imagining threats that are not factual
• a racing heart
• sweating
• trembling

In such circumstances, it is normal to struggle to concentrate, experience interrupted sleep patterns and want to isolate ourselves – all of which can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety.

Modern life has also brought its own type of anxiety as we often find ourselves rarely away from work or continuously checking our phones to keep up with information, which is often negative.

When does anxiety become a problem?

Anxiety becomes a problem when it is intense and persistent, when it does not switch off when there is no perceived threat, or when we avoid circumstances that we need to take part in, such as family events, work, or school. At times like this, it can become all-consuming as we continually keep returning to the thoughts that are contributing to anxiety.

The physical side effects of anxiety, such as dizziness, sweating and muscle tension, for example, can consequently cause us to avoid situations that we feel could trigger anxiety, not take part in social occasions, become distracted or disengage from people or situations altogether.

How can counselling help?

Counselling can help us to reframe some of the thoughts, feelings and beliefs that may be contributing to our anxiety. By working with someone who is trained and non-judgmental, we can begin examining both what is happening to us now and our history to identify the possible roots of anxiety.

By identifying the triggers of anxiety, we can begin to understand the irrational thoughts we may be having. This allows us to change the negative thinking patterns while also deepening our understanding of other emotions, such as joy and sadness, that can help manage anxiety.

By beginning to understand the triggers of our anxiety and unpick them, we can develop coping strategies to help us face difficult situations. One example of a coping strategy is graded exposure. The NHS describe graded exposure as breaking feared situations into smaller, less anxiety-provoking steps, which are faced gradually over time.

With the support of a counsellor, this may involve identifying situations that feel more manageable and less likely to trigger anxiety. Together, you can explore what works and what doesn’t, gradually building confidence before gently moving on to more challenging situations.

Other practical tools may include understanding the anxiety cycle and how our thoughts can escalate situations, alongside mindfulness, breathing techniques and relaxation to help calm the mind and reduce the impact of anxiety. Counselling can also support us in exploring lifestyle factors, such as alcohol or drug use, that may be affecting our anxiety levels.

By talking with someone, we can begin to recognise negative thinking patterns, such as “I should” or “I must” statements and other black-and-white thinking. These patterns can lead to catastrophising, and learning ways to challenge them can help us gradually return to activities that anxiety may have been holding us back from.

Finally, counselling can help by reversing the negative cycle of anxiety and the continuous loop this can cause. Together with a counsellor, you can learn to develop an understanding of your emotions that lead to negative black-and-white consequential thinking patterns that can stop you from living the life you want to lead.