Anxiety
Fear and Anxiety
Everyone has experienced anxiety in their lives. It is very normal to feel anxious before a big event such as an exam or going into a new situation. It’s that nervous feeling often in your stomach or a dry throat which can feel uncomfortable. There is a difference between fear and anxiety. Fear triggers your fight or flight response. It is a primitive response designed to help you in times of real or perceived danger, to stay and fight or to run away to secure your safety.
Anxiety is a feeling of unease. Everybody gets anxious when faced with a stressful situation, for example before an exam or an interview, or during a worrying time such as illness. It’s normal to feel anxious when you face something difficult or dangerous, and mild anxiety can be a positive and useful experience.
However, for one in 10 people in the UK, anxiety interferes with normal life. Excessive anxiety is often associated with other mental health problems, such as depression. Anxiety is only considered to be a mental health problem when it’s long lasting, severe and is interfering with every day activities.
There are many symptoms associated with anxiety:
Psychological
- sleeping difficulties (insomnia)
- feeling worried or uneasy all the time
- feeling tired
- being irritable or quick to get angry
- being unable to concentrate
- a fear that you’re ‘going mad’
- feeling not in control of your actions, or detached from your surroundings (derealisation)
Physical
- discomfort in your abdomen (tummy)
- diarrhoea
- dry mouth
- rapid heartbeat or palpitations
- tightness or pain in your chest
- shortness of breath
- dizziness
- needing to urinate more often than usual
- difficulty swallowing
- shaking
If left untreated, anxiety can lead to Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic attacks and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Both Pure Hypnoanalysis and Suggestion Therapy can be a very effective treatment for anxiety and its related conditions.