Dealing with anxiety/Panic attacks

At Enlighten Counselling Services I can help you when dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety is a normal fearful reaction to a threat or dangerous situation. It is however possible to feel a heightened sense of anxiety when the surrounding situation is not as dangerous, even though in your mind it feels that it is. This might leave you feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope.

Anxiety however can be a helpful in a time of crisis or danger as it prepares us to be ready to jump into action. It becomes unhelpful when the periods of anxiety are so overwhelming that they impact our everyday day life when there is not any danger present.

We often feel more anxious when we are experiencing periods that are more stressful in our lives such as losses, relationship breakdowns, illness, work and academic pressures and many more.

We sometimes describe an extreme feeling of fear as a ‘panic attack’, a fear response is triggered by a threat that is not necessarily as fearful as we feel or even exists. 

Some of the symptoms may include increased breathing, sweating, feeling dizzy/faint, chest pain, numbness/tingling, heart palpitations and can seem extremely overwhelming at times.

Through the supportive experience of counselling you can explore your potential triggers. Once you are familiar with your triggers this will help you to learn how to cope with anxiety. I can help you to find different coping strategies to support you in dealing with anxiety and help reduce the frequency and periods of time when you are experiencing anxiety and panic attacks.

Other issues related to anxiety

Obsessive compulsive disorder – OCD is a condition where obsessive thoughts or images that can repeatedly occur and create anxiety and can be very obtrusive. As a result of the obsessive thoughts an individual develops compulsive behaviours to alleviate the feelings brought on by the obsessive thoughts.

For more information on anxiety disorders, visit the following NHS page