Anxiety

Do you often find yourself worrying about what could go wrong instead of what will go right?  Anxiety is a feeling of unease or worry and is a natural reaction to keep us safe. It can prevent us from taking risks such as running across a busy road with fast oncoming traffic.

 

Stress and mild anxiety invoke similar symptoms and both are generally relieved once the task, problem or change has passed. Anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety, social anxiety or health anxiety are more severe and longer lasting. The ’fight or flight’ response is the body’s automatic reaction to perceived threats to help us fight or flee from danger. It involves the release of the hormones adrenalin and cortisol. Once the possible danger has passed, body systems will usually return to normal. Someone experiencing a greater level of anxiety will trigger the same body reactions and release of hormones when feeling fearful, worried or nervous about something they believe could possibly happen but because it does not happen, their body systems do not return to normal.  Over exposure to stress and cortisol release, genetics or childhood trauma can predispose someone to developing anxiety. When anxiety is severe the physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms can be extremely debilitating, cause great distress and impinge on our work and relationships. 

 

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