What is anxiety?
01What are the symptoms of anxiety?
02What causes anxiety and panic attacks?
03How can counselling help with anxiety?
04Popular anxiety FAQs
05Getting Support
06Anxiety is felt when we are particularly worried, afraid, stressed, or scared. These feelings might occur if you are especially worried about something that is about to happen, or something that might happen to you in the future.
It’s normal to feel anxious, and anxiety can actually be helpful when we need to prepare for an upcoming challenge or take extra caution in tense situations. Our body can take over in what is often known as the ‘fight or flight’ response; an automatic physical response where our body releases hormones like adrenaline in situations where we feel threatened. These hormones allow us to act fast and stay alert, helping to protect us from danger. Once the threat has passed, more hormones are released to allow us to relax.
However, anxiety can become a mental health issue if these feelings occur too often or begin to get in the way of everyday life.
Anxiety may cause you to avoid situations that make you feel anxious, or stop you from doing the things you enjoy. You might also feel unable to control your worries, or your worries might spiral out of proportion to the situation. Some people can experience feelings of anxiety for a long period of time, or at such an intensity that it becomes particularly upsetting.
Some people with anxiety may also experience panic attacks. This is a type of fear response, where our ‘fight or flight’ goes into overdrive and causes a physical and emotional reaction that can be distressing. Panic attacks can occur at any time of day and may last up to half an hour, and are usually triggered by a particular place or situation.
Read more about what it’s like to experience a panic attack below.
There are many different ways you can experience anxiety, and some specific combinations of symptoms are categorised into recognised anxiety disorders. Some of these include: generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and health anxiety.
The effects of anxiety can be experienced by anyone from any background. In 2013, the Mental Health Foundation found that 8.2 million cases of anxiety had been diagnosed with the UK. In England, women are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder as men.
Anxiety can be an exhausting, all-consuming mental health condition. Living with worry and fear takes up a lot of energy, and can affect all areas of your life. It is therefore important to seek professional help for your anxiety if it begins to negatively impact your health and wellbeing.
The symptoms of anxiety can feel different for everyone, and it’s important to remember that not everyone who experiences anxiety will have the same symptoms.
Symptoms of anxiety can be both mental and physical. These can include:
Mental
• Feeling nervous, tense, or unable to relax
• Feeling a sense of panic or dread
• Feeling irritable
• Feeling tearful
• Feeling detached from reality
• Feeling like your thoughts are racing
• Feeling like you can’t stop worrying, including worrying about anxiety
• Feeling like people are looking at you or that they know that you’re worried
• Feeling like you need lots of reassurance from other people
• Thinking about past experiences or bad memories over and over
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty sleeping
Physical
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Feeling restless and unable to sit still
• Feeling a churning sensation in your stomach
• Feeling hot or sweating more
• Feeling sick
• Faster breathing
• A fast or irregular heartbeat
• Aches and pains in your chest, head, stomach, or back
• Having panic attacks
What does a panic attack feel like?
A panic attack can bring on sudden feelings of intense anxiety. People who experience them often describe feeling like they are having a heart attack, or feeling like they may die. This can be a frightening and distressing experience but it is not dangerous.
The signs of a panic attack can be both physical and mental, and may occur in quick succession as a panic attack progresses. These include:
Physical
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Feeling very hot or very cold
• Feeling sweaty or clammy
• Feeling shaky or off-balance
• Feeling sick
• Feeling unable to breathe or breathing very quickly
• A racing or irregular heartbeat
• A tingling sensation in your hands, feet, or face
• Pains in your chest or abdomen
Mental
• Feeling disconnected from your surroundings or body
• Feeling like you are losing control of your mind or body
• Feeling angry or irritable
Some people with anxiety never experience a panic attack, while others have them more often. Individuals who experience panic attacks can also experience agoraphobia, a recognised phobia relating to a fear of places or situations that might cause anxiety.
If you find yourself having panic attacks on a regular basis - particularly at unpredictable times with no obvious trigger - there is a possibility that this is linked to panic disorder. Speaking to a professional can help with a diagnosis and treatment for this.
Multiple factors are thought to contribute to problems with anxiety and panic attacks, and these can vary from person to person. Both past and present circumstances may play a role.
A current situation in your life may be a source of anxiety. This can include challenges such as: stress in the workplace, financial issues, a bereavement, bullying or abuse, relationship difficulties, housing issues, loneliness, or caring responsibilities. Significant life events like having a baby, moving house, or starting at a new school or university can also contribute to anxiety.
However, anxiety can also be related to our past experiences. It’s common for problems with anxiety to take root during childhood and adolescence, where any stress or trauma can have a bigger impact on your wellbeing. This might include situations like being bullied, being abused, being neglected, or the death of an adult. The way we have been treated by our parents or caregivers in childhood can also be a factor for anxiety, particularly if your parents were overprotective or emotionally distant.
In some cases, our physical and mental health can be linked too. Receiving a life changing health diagnosis, or living with a chronic or life-limiting physical health condition can bring out feelings of anxiety. Certain medications and recreation drugs may also include anxiety as a side effect. Anxiety can also develop out of an existing mental health issue, such as depression or an addiction.
Counselling provides a safe, confidential space to talk about your anxiety and panic attacks with a professional therapist. A therapist can help you to better understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
The counselling experience is free from judgement, and your therapist will work with you to identify factors that might be contributing to your anxiety. They can also guide you to positive coping mechanisms and healthy changes that can be applied to your everyday life to relieve the effects of anxious thoughts.
Anxiety and panic attacks can be treated using talking therapies, with the most popular being Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This form of therapy highlights how thoughts and feelings can affect behaviour, and offers practical skills to help make anxiety-inducing situations more manageable by breaking them down into smaller steps.
Discover more about the benefits of counselling here.
If you are experiencing an urgent mental health crisis, seeking assistance from an emergency mental health service may be more beneficial than counselling. Visit the Samaritans website for more information on what to do if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis. In urgent circumstances, contact the emergency services by dialing 999.
What is the difference between anxiety and panic attacks?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, tension, or fear that is typically triggered when we are anticipating a stressful event that will occur, or may occur, in the future. Panic attacks, on the other hand, are a sudden physical and emotional reaction of distressing fear that can occur out of the blue. Panic attacks are less predictable and felt more severely than anxiety, with physical symptoms that are more intense.
What is high functioning anxiety?
High functioning anxiety occurs when the symptoms of anxiety are well hidden. Someone with high functioning anxiety may appear fine on the surface, but in reality they are dealing with the exhaustion of worrying on a long-term basis. Friends, family, and colleagues may not be able to spot signs of anxiety, with some individuals unable to spot symptoms even within themselves. This can lead to anxiety occurring for months or years without diagnosis or treatment. Read more about high functioning anxiety on our blog for further information and advice.
How can I manage a panic attack?
During a panic attack, it’s important to take slow and steady breaths if possible to regulate your breathing. Try counting each breath as it moves in and out to help with this. Use your five senses to focus on your surroundings and regain some control, such as identifying the sounds and smells around you. After a panic attack, soothe yourself through self care: have something to eat or drink, lie down in a quiet room, or enjoy a relaxing activity. Talk to someone you trust about your panic attack if you feel comfortable sharing.