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Anxiety Therapy and Counselling Services in Cambridge.
Anxiety is one of, if not the most common mental health related struggle in the world and an increasing number of people are diagnosed with it on a daily basis. It is estimated that 264 million adults around the globe have experienced some form of anxiety (WHO 2017). Please know that you are not alone in this struggle and potential suffering, and that there is hope in treating your anxiety in ways that make living life a pleasure once again.
What is Anxiety?
Firstly, it is extremely important to know that anxiety is normal and we as humans experience it as a natural part of living. From an evolutionary standpoint, we have needed it to keep us safe and to survive. Anxiety is our body’s response to worry and fear as it relates to literal or perceived threat and danger. The difficulty with anxiety lies with how deeply it affects people and to what extent it interferes with their everyday functioning and quality of life.
Risk Factors For Anxiety
Continual research is showing us that genetic and environmental factors contribute to the risk of developing anxiety related difficulties or “disorders”. Below you will find a list of such potential risk factors.
- Life stress in general has a tendency to increase our levels of experiencing anxiety, as well as exposure to stressful and negative life or environmental events in early childhood or adulthood
- Children and adults experiencing traumatic events can be at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety
- Genetics can also play a factor in experiencing the discomfort of anxiety – A history of anxiety or other mental illnesses in biological relatives
- Other mental health related challenges such as depression can co-occur with anxiety
- Substance use – including drug or alcohol use, can increase or worsen anxiety.
- Some physical health conditions can be a factor in anxiety – thyroid difficulties or heart arrhythmias, or caffeine or other substances/medications, can lead to greater production or aggravate anxiety and it’s associated symptomology
Different Types of Anxiety
It is vital to understand the importance of determining which, or sometimes a combination of anxiety related difficulties you are experiencing in order to receive the most appropriate and beneficial treatment/help to your challenges relating to anxiety. Growth Counselling Services will help you with this important step and assessment. Below are the different types of anxiety that individuals experience:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social Anxiety
- Phobias
- Panic
- Post Traumatic Stress Response
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,
- Agoraphobia
- Separation anxiety
Most Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Generally, below are the most typical and common symptoms relating to anxiety related challenges:
- Feeling an out of control and out of body experience that is hard to describe
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling/feeling shaky
- Feeling weak or tiredTrouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Treatment
As everyone is uniquely different, as will be their anxiety, as well as their treatment approach, Growth Counselling Services therapists are trained in assessing you and your experiences with anxiety as the client on an individual basis. This can be a process and one that is essential to helping you through your struggles. Typically, anxiety is treated with psychotherapy as the first line of treatment, and as therapy moves forward, there is always the possibility of considering medication in combination with Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy or “talk therapy” can assist people with anxiety related challenges. As briefly mentioned previously, in order for it to be effective, psychotherapy must be directed at the client’s specific anxieties and tailored to the individual needs of the client.
Schedule a Consultation.
We will face this journey together in hopes of discovering the change process that leads to a more full and values directed life.
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