Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviour like pacing, somatic complaints, and rumination. It typically involves feelings of apprehension about future events, marked by “what-if” worries. While it can present with physical symptoms such as muscle tension, heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, and shortness of breath, and emotional symptoms like restlessness or a sense of impending doom, anxiety is a natural and essential human experience. It serves a vital function by helping us to look ahead, organise ourselves, and gather the energy needed to get things done.
The main strategies for helping to relieve anxiety often involve changing one’s relationship with it rather than trying to eliminate it completely:
There are two main pathways in the brain that can generate anxiety: the cortex pathway and the amygdala pathway. Both pathways can cause the amygdala to create an anxiety response, but they operate differently and can be targeted with different techniques. The Cortex Pathway: This pathway involves the thinking part of the brain and is… Read More »The two distinct pathways in the brain that generate anxiety
The amygdala is a crucial component of the brain’s anxiety response system. It quickly detects threats, initiates the fight-or-flight response, forms emotional memories, and influences other brain regions. The amygdala’s influence is particularly evident when anxiety feels out of proportion to the situation, or when anxiety arises with no clear trigger.
Seeking support for anxiety through talking therapies can be a useful method to help reduce distress, understand the roots of anxiety and develop healthier coping mechanisms. These therapies work by allowing people to talk with a professional who has experience in understanding and resolving these types of issues. Other techniques like mindfulness, acceptance and boundary setting can help with managing anxiety. Medication can also help to relieve symptoms, but doesn’t address the root causes of anxiety. The most important factor in managing anxiety is a person’s own willingness to engage with therapy or other helpful techniques.
While traditional counselling can provide a base for managing anxiety, more modern approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and mindfulness-based approaches, offer different perspectives, practical tools and a new approach to managing and reducing anxiety. These methods focus on accepting difficult thoughts and feelings, living in alignment with one’s values and using specific techniques to make new changes and choices. These approaches are often chosen for their focus on present and future experiences, an emphasis on personal values and their empowering, practical tools.
Trauma significantly affects anxiety, altering brain function and leading to avoidant behaviours and heightened emotional reactivity. Addressing past traumas can lead to reduced anxiety and a richer more meaningful life. Self-help techniques like mindfulness, acceptance and conscious breathing can help, and there are several effective approaches that can be used by a professional. Choosing the right approach is a very personal journey that is best explored with the support of a qualified professional, and it is important to pay attention to key indicators when it’s time to seek that support. The aim is not to erase difficult feelings or thoughts but to transform one’s relationship to them.
When uncertainty starts to feel overwhelming, it’s important to act before it develops into anxiety. By using techniques such as focusing on your breath, being mindful of the present, accepting your feelings, taking action towards your values, evaluating your thoughts, and diverting your attention to positive things you can reduce the likelihood of that uncomfortable feeling turning into something more difficult to manage.
Traditional counselling for anxiety tends to focus on past problems and reducing negative emotions, often viewing the client as a patient in need of fixing. Newer approaches like solution-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and coaching offer a different path. They emphasize client empowerment, personal strengths, a positive outlook and a focus on building a valued life rather than simply reducing symptoms. These methods encourage a client-led approach, emphasising action and psychological flexibility. These approaches are more future-oriented and encourage clients to create their own solutions, with an emphasis on what is working and what they would like to achieve, rather than dwelling on difficulties.
A life coach assists clients to manage anxiety by helping them to focus on future solutions, enabling them to identify and achieve goals aligned with their personal values. A coach takes a client-led approach focusing on the client’s own resources and strengths. Coaching is an action-orientated process which encourages the client to create positive change by moving towards the life they want. This approach focuses on what clients want to have instead of their problems, and works to create a more lighthearted process.
Choosing private therapy for anxiety may be driven by the desire for a more personalised, accessible, and flexible approach to treatment. It offers the opportunity to work with a specialised and experienced therapist who can offer an integrated and holistic approach. The increased confidentiality, client autonomy and focus on empowerment are often key factors in the decision making process. Ultimately, the choice depends on individual preferences, needs, and the desire for a more tailored therapeutic experience.
Workplaces are increasingly acknowledging the importance of mental health, and now provide anxiety support to staff as a result. This support not only benefits employees by reducing their anxiety, improving their performance, and enhancing their overall well-being, but it also benefits the organisation with increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and a more positive work environment. Anxiety support can take many forms, from stress management coaching, mindfulness programs and assertiveness training to EAPs, self-help resources and workplace adjustments. The overall aim is to create a culture of support where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.
Havening practitioners bring a unique set of skills to their clients by combining touch-based techniques for trauma resolution with a range of other supportive approaches. They are committed to helping their clients rapidly and gently release the pain of the past, while building resilience and empowerment. They use a wide range of tools, techniques and approaches, adapting them to the particular needs and preferences of their clients, with an emphasis on achieving tangible results. The core of their practice involves providing a safe space for clients to heal and transform, often without needing to disclose the intimate details of traumatic experiences.
Havening is a psychosensory technique that uses touch, attention, and imagination to modify how the brain processes and stores emotionally charged memories. By activating the amygdala and applying gentle touch with distraction, Havening is believed to trigger a process called depotentiation, which disrupts the neural pathways associated with distress, and provides a sense of safety and calm. As a result, Havening offers numerous benefits for anxiety, including rapid relief, lasting results, and improved emotional regulation. It’s a versatile method that can be self-applied and integrated with other therapies to enhance overall well-being and help to build resilience.
Anxiety coaches can make a real difference in the workplace. By offering targeted techniques, coaches help employees manage their anxiety, increase their well-being and build important skills. The emphasis is on improving performance and enhancing employee’s strengths, while providing practical solutions. The work of a coach is adaptable to the individual needs of employees and helps to create a more supportive and effective work environment. By focusing on the positive and teaching adaptive responses to anxiety, coaches can help employees to thrive in their roles and achieve better job satisfaction.
Mental freedom is about being able to respond with intention and authenticity to your thoughts and feelings rather than being controlled by them. This is achieved through practices like mindfulness, defusion, acceptance, values clarification and self-compassion, allowing for greater flexibility, resilience, and a more meaningful and fulfilling life. When you are more aware of your inner processes and can respond rather than react, you become more capable of directing your life in the ways that matter most to you.
Psychological flexibility is about being open to your experiences, acting in accordance with your values, and adapting to situations as they arise. By focusing on acceptance, defusion, presence, self-as-context, values, and committed action, you can develop your ability to respond to life with greater flexibility and resilience, and live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.