Are you putting on a brave face behind your anxiety?

Are you constantly feeling nervous, uneasy, anxious? Are you suffering from persistent negative thoughts?

Anxiety can take many different shapes and forms. Symptoms can include tightening of the chest, panic attacks, feeling tense and restless. Many of us lead busy lives and at any point, things can feel like they are out of control. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems. Statistics show that one in five 18 to 34 year olds have cried due to anxiety in the past week (poll by Mind 2014/2015).

Numerous people go through life desperately trying to ‘feel normal’, as surveys revealed that showing emotions was seen as a weakness. If left untreated, anxiety can have a serious impact on the quality of daily life. Anxiety has been closely linked to depression as well as other physical symptoms, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It can also lead to a lower immune symptom and sleeping difficulties.

The hopeful news is anxiety can be treated. Being provided a safe and non-judgmental space for you to talk to someone outside your usual support system can help you understand what you are experiencing. Short-term therapy has been proven to calm these symptoms and long-term therapy can help provide insight into why you are feeling the way you are.

Finding a counsellor can feel overwhelming and scary. As counsellors, we have had years of experience being a client too, in our own personal therapy as part of the training. It is natural to have questions in your head about what counselling entails, especially with the feelings of anxiety. People seek counselling for many different reasons and it’s shocking to read that only half of the people in the survey mentioned above, stated that anxiety could be a mental health problem.

How you treat physical illness should have the same priority as with your mental well-being. Just because you can’t see the pain, doesn't mean it does not exist and does not mean you should ignore it.