What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural response to perceived threats that primes us for the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. Its physical symptoms and psychological worry are crucial for facing immediate challenges. However, when these reactions become a response to daily experiences, it can have a big impact on your life. This is when it can become an anxiety disorder.
These disorders pose significant challenges. You might find it hard to control your worries and start to avoid certain situations. Your body regularly prepares for action as it thinks it’s facing a threat, which can be physically and mentally tiring. Sudden panic attacks can catch you off guard, and identifying triggers takes time.
In the UK, over 8 million people grapple with anxiety disorders, with fewer than half seeking help for generalised anxiety. Women report higher anxiety (37.1%) than men (29.9%), and younger people often endure even more.
Anxiety often intertwines with depression and conditions like post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which complicates matters. Combined with physical illnesses, the symptoms of anxiety can intensify. Conditions like adult ADHD, autism and chronic pain can further complicate anxiety disorders.
It’s important to find the right treatment for recovery and embrace your unique journey. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable and most sufferers can reduce or eliminate symptoms through proper treatment.
5.9% of adults experience generalised anxiety disorder within a given week
Women are more than twice as likely than men to experience an anxiety disorder
The median age of onset for anxiety disorders is 11 years
1 in 3 employees in the UK suffer from moderate to severe depression or severe anxiety
What causes anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are caused by a blend of different factors. These often come from life experiences, such as long-term health conditions, traumatic events like abuse, or dealing with high levels of stress at work or in personal relationships.
Everyday challenges like loneliness, financial stress or difficult family situations also play a role. Housing difficulties and experiences of discrimination can also contribute to anxiety.
For some people, the use of substances like alcohol or drugs can worsen anxiety symptoms. There’s also sometimes a genetic component, although this is usually just one piece of the overall picture.
Anxiety is complex, and each person’s experience with an anxiety disorder is different. A personalised and empathetic approach is needed to address it.
Anxiety has a diverse range of symptoms. It can lead to racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating and mood swings, often accompanied by a sense of dread. Physically, anxiety may result in sweating, rapid breathing and muscle tension. People with anxiety can experience a combination of some of these symptoms, which might vary in intensity for different people.
It’s important to recognise that everyone feels anxious at some point. It’s normal to feel anxious around difficult life events or during changes, especially when you can’t control them. Anxiety becomes a problem when it starts to affect your daily life and limits you from doing things in the way you would like.
Your anxiety could become a problem if your feelings are an exaggerated response to a situation, regularly last a long time, or your concerns are very distressing. You might find it hard to enjoy parts of your life and actively avoid situations in case they make you anxious. The impact of anxiety can be profound, affecting your daily life, relationships and work.
Managing anxiety varies from person to person: what works for one may not work for another. It’s perfectly okay to try different approaches and seek help when needed. You’re not alone in your journey, and there’s support available in the UK to make it easier. Living with anxiety can be challenging, but there are ways to make it more manageable.
Speak to a doctor
If anxiety is affecting your daily life, feels uncontrollable or is linked to physical concerns, consulting a doctor should be your first step. You can discuss remedies, therapy or medications that can help to effectively manage your anxiety and prevent worsening symptoms. Immediate attention is essential for suicidal thoughts – get help now.
Talk to Someone
Share your worries with someone you trust. Sometimes, just talking through what you’re experiencing can make you feel better. If that’s difficult and you think you would feel more comfortable speaking to someone else, there are helplines you can call for support including Anxiety UK, No Panic, and MIND.
Find Community Support
Connecting with people who’ve had similar experiences can help you to open up and feel less alone in your anxiety struggles. You can reach out to specialist organisations or online communities in the UK, like MIND’s Side By Side.
Manage Your Worries
Anxiety often leads to excessive worrying. Try setting aside specific times to think about your concerns so you don’t feel like you have to worry all the time. Writing down your worries in a notebook or on paper can also be helpful.
Mindfulness and Deep Breathing
Focus on the present moment through mindfulness practices. Many people find this helpful for certain anxiety problems. You can also try simple breathing exercises to calm down and regain control when anxiety strikes.
Prioritise Sleep, Diet and Staying Active
Adequate sleep is crucial for dealing with tough emotions. Getting enough rest will ensure you have the energy to handle your anxiety. Eating regular meals and stabilising your blood sugar can also affect your mood and energy, so pay attention to your diet. Try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine as physical activity can boost your mental wellbeing and help with anxiety.
Celebrate Achievements
Don’t forget to praise yourself for small successes, even when anxiety is present. Keeping track of your little victories will help to build your confidence and resilience.
Explore Alternatives
Some people find relief in practices like yoga, meditation or massage. These can help you to become more relaxed, offering a stress-free environment. You can also explore herbal treatments and similar remedies from health shops.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety disorders is effective and supports personal growth. It offers a long-term solution by addressing the underlying causes of your anxiety. It teaches you relaxation and thought management.
We’ll help you to understand why your brain responds in certain ways, enabling you to shift your perspective towards life’s positive aspects. We use hypnosis for anxiety so you can enter a trance state for relaxation and positive change.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety combines relaxation techniques with positive visualisation. Our solution focused techniques concentrate on the present and future rather than the past. This approach promotes positive thinking, significantly reducing anxiety.
By uncovering the root causes of your anxiety, we help you to reframe negative thoughts or beliefs. Hypnotherapy for anxiety disorders involves using the power of suggestion to reshape your reactions to anxiety triggers.
Our hypnotherapy for anxiety sessions are uplifting, emphasising positive communication. The number of sessions varies, though we typically recommend 6-8 sessions for anxiety and stress-related issues.
Our Anxiety Specialists
Benn Baker-Pollard
Sittingbourne
Carmen Harrington
Market Harborough
Caroline Prout
Thrapston
Chris Johannes
Spalding
Claire Noyelle
Maidstone East
Dawn Ibbetson
Chelmsford
Emma Bancroft
Rainham, Kent
Emma Treby
North Devon
Gary Johannes
Peterborough
Jill Whitehouse
Newcastle upon Tyne
Keeley Smith
Southend-on-Sea
Kerry Seymour
Weston-super-Mare
Peter Ely
Islington
Victoria Anderson
Sunderland
Why Choose Inspired To Change
Our solution focused hypnotherapists empower you to better understand your brain, helping to guide you towards solutions and achieve the outcomes you want. We have a team of fully trained hypnotherapists, giving you the choice of who to work with and how you want to work with them. Solution focused hypnotherapy is just as effective in-person or online in the comfort of your own home, so you can find the ideal therapist to help you reach your goals.
Every one of our hypnotherapists is recognised by governing bodies like the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association. They have all trained with Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training, one of the leading hypnotherapy schools in the UK.
