Do you have a child or young person who seems overwhelmed by school and education? Or, are you that person? Do you struggle with work or social events?

Anxiety and worry can affect us all at different stages of our lives.

Whether you are a teenager discovering who you are or who you want to be can feel exhausting. Or as a professional getting up and going to work each day and dealing with stresses and challenges can be over whelming. Or being a new parent and trying to get everything right whilst lacking sleep. These and many more transition stages can present challenges to us.

Our lives are just a series of developmental stages and as we reach each of these we change and adapt to the new situations and environmental factors. Sometimes we are more than ready for change and embrace the challenges. But for many, and I do mean many, these transitions in life are hard and when we feel unsettled that thing called anxiety can grow!

There is a massive misconception that anxiety is bad but actually, in my opinion, a little anxiety is good. Its like an early warning system to alert us to stresses and in many respects is trying to keep us safe. By noticing uncomfortable feelings and unease can allow us to alter our routines to slow down, or take more care of ourselves while we navigate whatever the change may be.

However, when we don’t know to listen to these early warning signals or are unable to control them, this is when anxiety can tip the balance and affect one’s wellbeing.

Anxiety can present in many ways.

It isn’t just worry and stress but can include cognitive, emotional and behavioural symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating and making decisions, excessive worry, fear, panic, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, avoidance of situations or activities, restlessness and difficulty relaxing, changes in sleep or appetite and in some incidences an impending sense of something bad happening.

Counselling and hypnotherapy can address these symptoms.

By talking through life choices, negative thought patterns and routines, new awareness and behaviours can be encouraged. Imagine a ladder with calm at the top rung and complete panic and shut down at the bottom. Using counselling and/or hypnotherapy at Rushcliffe-Counselling, I can help support you to step up each of the rungs on this ‘ladder’, addressing the issues you find overwhelming whilst at the same time learning and trying new routines and thought processes to control, manage and change your relationship with anxiety and worry.

What is anxiety and worry?