Have you ever felt a sudden rush of fear, with your heart racing and your breath becoming shallow? Do you feel like you are not performing on your 100% because you feel anxious all the time? 

Anxiety is your natural reaction to stress. You feel a bit afraid of what’s about to come i.e. the first day of a new job, a speech in front of many people, or even going to a crowded place. Although it is a part of life, it becomes a disorder when it becomes the only part of your life.

Why do you get so anxious though? Why do you feel like curling up in a corner and never coming out? Why can’t you just be “normal”? What is the difference between normal anxiety and pathological anxiety? You will find all the answers when you read this blog.

Importance of Understanding Anxiety

It is actually a mix of emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms. Understanding these components can help you in recognising anxiety and finding appropriate support and treatment.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an emotion. It comes from your brain’s network of neural circuits and neurotransmitters that jump into action when you become afraid.

Anxiety disorders affect 3.3 million Australians, disrupting their daily lives and well-being. What do you think anxiety feels like? Perhaps you can describe it very well. Or you might just feel “a tight knot in your chest” all the time. 

Neuroscientifically: Your amygdala controls your anxious feelings. It is a small, almond-shaped structure in your brain that deals with emotions. It triggers your body’s fight, flight, or freeze response.

When faced with perceived threats, the amygdala signals the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic nervous system. This releases stress hormones i.e. adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare the body to respond to danger. Your heart rate increases, your airways dilate, and your blood rushes to your muscles.

If your sympathetic nervous system is always on the roll, your body can grow tired of staying on high alert. As a result, you may develop heart problems or a weak immune system.

Normal vs. Pathological Anxiety

Normal anxiety can alert you to danger and help us prepare for important events… in the moment for a short time only. 

However, pathological anxiety is excessive and uncontrollable. It develops avoidance behaviours and keeps you in distress always.

Why did you have to understand it? Because you can get rid of your anxiety faster if you know why it happens in the first place. You can decide that you need treatment asap.

Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders have many types. Each has its own set of symptoms:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): You cannot stop worrying about everything in your life; from health and work to social interactions.

Panic Disorder: You have frequent panic attacks—sudden periods of intense fear with palpitations, sweating, and feelings of a looming disaster.

Social Anxiety Disorder: Also called social phobia. This disorder makes you extremely afraid of social situations. You fear being judged or embarrassed in public.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): You think too much about something (obsessions) that you cannot think about anything else. Similarly, you might do something again and again (compulsions) because you think you won’t feel so anxious if you keep doing it.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): You can develop PTSD if you were in a traumatic situation. You may have flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety manifests in various ways, affecting your body, mind, and behaviour. Here are the indicators and symptoms of anxiety:

Physical Symptoms

Rapid heartbeat: Your heart races, feeling like it’s pounding out of your chest.

Sweating: Unexplained sweating, especially in non-stressful situations.

Trembling: Shaking hands or a quivering voice.

Shortness of breath: Feeling like you can’t get enough air.

Dizziness: A sensation of lightheadedness or faintness.

Psychological Symptoms

Excessive worry: Persistent and uncontrollable concerns.

Irritability: Feeling easily annoyed or agitated.

Difficulty concentrating: Trouble focusing on tasks.

Restlessness: An inability to relax or sit still.

Fear of losing control: Feeling like you might lose control of your mind.

Recognising these symptoms is the first step toward managing anxiety and seeking professional help.

When to Seek Professional Help?

When anxiety starts to interfere with the following critical areas of your life, it’s a clear sign that professional help is needed to help you manage and reduce your symptoms.

Severity and Duration of Symptoms

Anxiety symptoms can vary in intensity, but it’s essential to pay attention to their severity and how long they’ve persisted. If your anxiety symptoms are severe—meaning they are significantly distressing, you should seek help regardless of how long they have been present. 

Severe symptoms might include panic attacks, intense and irrational fears, or overwhelming worry that you can’t control.

Impact on Daily Functioning

Work: If anxiety makes it difficult to concentrate, meet deadlines, or engage in tasks you used to handle without much trouble, it’s affecting your professional life. You might call in sick more often or feel paralysed by the thought of going to work.

School: Anxiety can be particularly challenging for students. It might manifest as difficulties attending classes, concentrating on studies, or participating in school activities. This can lead to falling behind in coursework and poor academic performance.

Relationships: Anxiety strains your relationships with family, friends, and partners. You might find yourself avoiding social situations, cancelling plans, or feeling irritable and on edge around others. 

It can also lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, as those close to you might not fully understand what you’re going through.

Co-occurring Mental Health Issues

Anxiety often doesn’t exist in isolation; it can be accompanied by other mental health issues, which can complicate your situation further. A few common co-occurring conditions are:

Depression: Anxiety and depression frequently occur together. If you’re feeling persistently sad or hopeless or have lost interest in activities you once enjoyed alongside your anxiety symptoms, you might be dealing with both conditions. 

This combination can significantly impact your quality of life and requires a nuanced approach to treatment.

Substance Abuse: Some people with anxiety turn to alcohol or drugs as a way to cope with their symptoms. While this might provide temporary relief, it often exacerbates anxiety in the long run and can lead to addiction, creating an additional layer of complexity that needs professional intervention.

Other Mental Health Disorders: Conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders can also co-occur with anxiety. 

Each of these conditions requires specialised treatment approaches, and addressing them together with anxiety can lead to better overall outcomes.

By understanding these indicators—severity and duration of symptoms, impact on daily functioning, and co-occurring mental health issues—you can better determine when it’s time to seek professional help. 

Remember, reaching out to a mental health professional is a positive step toward managing your anxiety and improving your quality of life. The highly effective and result-oriented treatment option to deal with anxiety is hypnotherapy.

Why Choosing Hypnotherapy for Anxiety?

Hypnotherapy has a 93% Success Rate and works differently from regular/talk therapy. It taps into your subconscious to deal with deep emotions and habits that regular therapy might not reach. That’s why it’s an excellent choice for easing anxiety.

Hypnotherapy helps you relax and reduce your stress levels. It allows you to push away your fears, self-doubts, worries, and negative behaviours. You can control your anxiety-related self-doubt to build a healthier self-image. You can manage anxiety on your own and regain control over your life through hypnotherapy.

In a Nutshell

Anxiety is a psychologically painful disorder that can take over your life. Recognising the signs and symptoms of anxiety, understanding its various forms, and knowing when to seek professional help are vital steps toward managing and overcoming it.

We work with your subconscious mind to help you handle anxiety. We use guided relaxation and focused attention to make you more self-aware. This helps you manage anxiety by finding out the hidden root causes and developing healthier thoughts.

If you find that anxiety is affecting your daily life, Book a Free Consultation and take a step towards better mental well-being.