Anxiety and panic often bring tension, sweating, and avoidant behaviour. Unless treated, both anxiety and panic attacks can result in wider difficulties in relationships, at work and in negative mood. Anxiety Counselling at Reflexions can help as we will explore the cause of your panic attacks and anxiety and the behaviour and thoughts that maintain them.
One in 75 people worldwide experience panic attacks at one point in their lives.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to a stress factor. It helps you to deal with situations at work, to study harder for an exam, or to get “psyched up” for a big event. In general, a helpful, totally normal bodily reaction, it can transform into a problem or anxiety disorder when it becomes excessive, or irrational. You can feel anything from mild discomfort -- being “stressed out”- to sudden, overwhelming sensations of fear that appear for no apparent reason. This is commonly termed a panic attack .
Anxiety symptoms
The symptoms of panic attacks are intense feelings of terror, chest or abdominal pains or distress, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. During the attacks, people can often feel out of control, but may also feel detached, whilst others feel nauseas. Panic attacks, although they can be very restricting or debilitating to individuals, are not in themselves dangerous. They are usually at their height after 10 minutes, then subsiding. However, some last longer or one can join onto the next making it difficult to identify when one ends and the other starts.
Anxiety Management
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”Henry Ford
It is important to get treatment as the sooner the treatment commences the quicker the symptoms decrease or stop. However, even long-term, symptoms improve with treatment. Anxiety and panic can be treated through pharmacology (drugs), and/or anxiety counselling. Research indicates that counselling or psychotherapy is very effective, particularly when incorporating CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) techniques.
How can Anxiety Therapy Help?
Anxiety is one of the most frequent reasons for choosing to see a counsellor or a psychotherapist. Your therapist or anxiety counsellor will work with you to develop ways of doing and thinking, which you can employ to react differently to situations. We will help you to:
- Identify trigger points and/or situations making you stressed.
- Use strategies to combat you anxious feelings.
- Explore your feelings, thoughts and behaviours which contribute to your high anxiety.
- Learn the techniques to combat you anxious emotions that will help you now and in the future.
Some thoughts:
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”Eleanor Roosevelt
It is important to contact your GP to rule out other medical issues as panic attacks can co-exist with other medical conditions. Group sessions
What is the Next Step?
At Reflexions Counselling and Psychotherapy we will work with you to help you to manage your anxiety, panic attacks or social anxiety. Group counselling sessions for social anxiety are available when group size permits. Please enquire. Contact us and we will take it from there. Its very straight forward, just give us a call or email.
Book Online
Or email:
counsellor@counselling-newcastle.co.uk
Or phone: 0191 5805080
Resources
Self-help -- we have added a GAD 7GAD 7 assessment questionnaire in our help section which you may find useful. It is a quick multi-choice test which provides an indication of severity of symptoms.Kennedy,
H., Overcoming anxiety -- a self help guide, Robinson
Trickett, S., Coping successfully with panic attacks, Sheldon Press
Anxiety UK
UK Charity which provides support for those with anxiety
Tel: 03444 775 774 (Mon -- Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
No Panic
Charitable organisation for sufferers of panic attacks and OCD. Helpline. Course available to help your phobia/OCD.
Tel: 0844 967 4848 (10am to 10pm)
OCD Action
Information for OCD -- online resources and information
Tel: 0845 390 6232 (Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5pm)
OCD UK
Charitable organisation run by and for people with OCD. Factual information, news and treatment
Tel: 0845 120 3778 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)
