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Anxiety
Support

Anxiety can be described as being characterised by feelings of uneasiness and heightened worry. It can niggle at the edges of your mind, sometimes flooding in to overwhelm your senses with intense dread, fear or panic.

 

Whenever you’re being threatened – or feeling pressured or vulnerable – anxiety is a completely normal response to stress. Often your body and mind will respond automatically to a challenging situation – your heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and your sympathetic nervous system releases a surge of stress hormones.

 

Also known as the ‘fight, freeze or flight’ response, anxiety is a red flag that something is amiss. Once the stressful situation has passed, physical symptoms of anxiety usually subside.

Yet for many people, anxiety lingers on long past the time it’s needed. A prolonged bout of anxiety can seriously interfere with your ability to function in day-to-day life, and also take a toll on your relationships.

 

Some people describe anxiety as being held hostage by your mind, like a prisoner in your own body. Counselling can help you to regain control by harnessing your body-mind inner calm, and confidently start living on your own terms again.

Generalised anxiety and panic

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Anxiety can be a general response to feeling stressed, or it can be triggered by specific situations or events. Catastrophic thinking frequently occurs with anxiety, leaving you feeling like something awful may happen, or anticipating the worst-case scenario in any given situation. You may feel preoccupied with everyday matters such as finances, work or your relationships, and experience compulsive worry and tension.

 

Anxiety turns the emotional intensity dial up to 11, and is often accompanied by a body-based (somatic) panic response. A panic attack may occur without warning, though is often linked to an accumulation of stress. Panic is an extreme form of anxiety, when the body enters a sudden, intense, fearful hyper-arousal state. People experiencing panic may worry that they’re having a heart attack, have lost control of their bodily functions, or feel like they’re losing their grip on reality. Although the physical symptoms usually resolve after a few minutes, the apprehension and fear that accompanies a panic attack may take much longer to subside

Common physical symptoms of anxiety and panic/stress attacks:

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  •          Muscle tension

  •          Easily startled

  •          Restlessness

  •          Irritability

  •          Elevated breathing and heart rate

  •          Hot flushes and/or cold chills

  •          Trembling

  •          Feeling dizzy or faint

  •          Sleep difficulties

  •          Excessive sweating

  •          Chest and abdominal pains

 

Other symptoms of anxiety include:

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  •          Frequent feelings of tension and uneasiness

  •          Feeling overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings

  •          Worrying about feeling anxious (rumination)

  •          Catastrophising about ‘what if’s’

  •          Issues with memory and concentration

  •          Dread and unease

  •          Unwanted, intrusive thoughts and images

  •          Fear of losing control, passing out or dying

Generalised anxiety consistently interferes with your mood and stress levels, triggering dramatic emotional highs and lows. Although it is common to feel tense or fearful from time to time, anxiety can result in these feelings occurring intensely, and over a substantial period of time.

 

Sometimes it is difficult to explain the way you are feeling to others; anxiety often leads to social withdrawal and isolation if left untreated.

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Effective treatment for generalised anxiety

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There are a number of evidence-based counselling techniques that are highly effective in addressing the symptoms and causes of generalised anxiety, such as Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Narrative Therapy.

 

However, review of the effectiveness of different treatments for generalised anxiety suggests that Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment known for generalised anxiety, surpassing the efficacy of other treatments (e.g. medication, relaxation training) in both the short and long-term.

anxiety support counselling sydney

Appointments are on phone or Zoom for Anxiety
 
Don't hesitate to call now - 1300 373 150 for a free 15 min consultation. Fees are very minimal and payment can be arranged prior to the sessions.

 

Our email is - counsellingserviceforyou@gmail.com

Guidelines for Online Appointments
 
We can maximise our online experience if we both:

  • ensure that we have a private, quiet, dedicated place for our meeting.

  • make sure that we have all that we need at our fingertips, for example; notes, books, pad, pen and a drink.

  • remove distractions; ensure that the TV, radio, kids, work colleagues or other computer applications are turned off.

  • have had a few minutes to prepare ourselves before meeting, so that we are relaxed and 

  • focused, not rushed with scattered thoughts.

  • consider this a normal appointment, the same as if visiting a G.P, Dentist or other healthcare professional in their office. We wouldn’t wear our pyjamas to an appointment (though we might like to), so lets keep the space professional.


Cancellation Policy in Relation to COVID-19
 
Missed appointments and Terms of Payment Non Coronavirus related cancellation
 

  • 48 hours or More Notice Given - No Charge

  • Less than 48 hours Notice Given - 100% of Minimum Charge

 

What to do Next?

Please email - counsellserviceforyou@gmail.com or call me on 1300 373 150 if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment.
 
I expect disruptions to occur, but with your cooperation and good humour, I am sure we will manage this challenging time together.
 
Keep Safe & Well - Gaye Cameron 

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