What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry and fear. A feeling that something bad (specific or general) is about to happen. Some people describe it as a feeling of dread or impending doom. Many people with Anxiety issues feel this way most of the time. When Anxiety is heightened, a physical reaction typically referred to as the fight or flight response is activated. The physical sensations commonly associated with this include things like, shortness of breath, lump in the throat, memory concentration issues, feelings of agitation, sweating, rapid heart rate, feeling as though you may faint, nausea, upset stomach, tingling sensations and many more. Although these symptoms are not dangerous, they might feel like they are and it can be very hard to believe that they are just manifestations of Anxiety. The symptoms experienced differ with the individual. Some people experience many of them and some experience only a few. Levels of anxiety may also change depending on the time of day.
Most people who suffer from Anxiety do not have an Anxiety Disorder. Regardless, if Anxiety is negatively affecting your quality of life, you may benefit greatly from counselling. Anxiety can be brought on by any number of things including divorce/separation, job loss, relationship challenges, loneliness, self-esteem issues, socioeconomic issues, ageing, medical issues and many more.