Whilst we all need a small amount of ‘normal’ stress and tension in our daily lives to give us some ‘get up and go’, what we don’t need is to live with ongoing emotionally demanding situations.
Many anxiety sufferers feel undervalued and as though they can’t cope in certain situations, often finding they are unable to remove themselves, consequently having to endure the stress that results from this.
These feelings may also be combined with a sense of being powerless in having the ability to change a situation for the better.
It has been medically proven that intense stress reduces the areas of the brain responsible for self-control. As self -control is lost, so is the ability to cope with stress, with the potential consequence of creating serious physical and emotional damage to a person’s long-term health and wellbeing.
Due to being caught up in the fast pace of life, we very often don’t leave enough time to take a breath to allow our bodies or minds to catch up with each other. Meaning a lot of people experience a variety of anxiety symptoms and other stress related problems.
Anxiety encompasses a whole range of symptoms and the list below can all be considered both direct and indirect symptoms of anxiety.
- Feeling restless
- Feeling irritated
- Nail biting
- Hair pulling, eyelash and eyebrow plucking
- IBS and other digestive problems
- Panic attacks
- Sleep disorders
- Obsessions or phobias
- Depression
- Low self-confidence or low self-esteem
- Food addiction
- Weight problems such as obesity, bulimia or anorexia
- Unexplained anger
- Self-harming
- Behaving out of character
- Being sexually inappropriate or promiscuous
- Chronic Fatigue and M.E. and other stress related illnesses
- Skin disorders, such as psoriasis or cold sores – can be stress related
- Migraines and Headaches
- Work related anxiety – this affects more than five million people in the UK today
- Chest pains/palpitations
- Hot flush/suddenly feeling unwell
- Lack of libido
- Erectile dysfunction
Anxiety and the underlying stress it causes can become unmanageable, often leaving you with the inability to cope and as though your life is out of control.
Scientific research shows that negative emotions caused by long-term anxiety and stress, lower immunity and cause metabolic changes, which have a negative effect on our nervous system and body as a whole.
- The sympathetic nervous system- situated in the right hemisphere of the brain, is where negative thoughts and emotions occur
- The parasympathetic nervous system- situated in the left hemisphere of the brain, is where positive thoughts occur
- Therefore any long-term anxiety or stressor may cause disruption to the sympathetic nervous system
Counselling and Psychotherapy works by supporting you in the understanding of your situation, bringing the parasympathetic nervous system into play. This in turn aids in your emotional and physical healing process and the long-term wellbeing of your mind and body;
Please check with your doctor that the cause of your symptoms aren’t due to physical illness, before you embark on a course of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Depression
Depression can affect each and every one of us at any time in our lives. Should events take a turn for the worse and your coping strategies stop working efficiently, this can lead you to feeling fed up, ‘depressed’, anxious and or lethargic.
There is a difference between types of depression.
- Reactive depression- is feeling depressed, because something bad has happened
- Clinical depression is an on going and all
consuming, deep routed feeling that cannot be shaken off
Clinical depression like other psychological problems, tends to have a root cause, with sufferers withdrawing from their lives, ending up feeling helpless and isolated. This type of depression and subsequent isolation can lead to suicidal thoughts or self-harm. If this resonates with you, then please seek medical advice.
There could be a single, or cumulative events from your past that now have an influence over your present mental state. Feelings of being powerless, feelings of low self esteem, having a lack of confidence, having a general negative outlook, or even experiencing feelings of anxiety related to social interactions (Social Anxiety), can all aggravate the depressed state.
Counselling for depression can help towards improving and in some cases resolving negative emotions. It may also assist you in re-establishing your self-confidence.
If you have a history of depression, then don’t suffer in silence – working together, we can help you to use your minds own therapeutic ability to resolve the emotions that are causing your depression.