Anxiety rarely listens to logic. Whether it shows up as sudden, overwhelming physical panic, a general sense of impending disaster, or unrelenting thoughts about what could happen in the future, it can be incredibly exhausting. You may be attempting to keep calm and continue with life as normal, while inside an alarm keeps signalling that something is wrong. Sometimes trying to keep these feelings in check may lead you to avoid activities that used to form part of your daily life, causing your world to shrink.
When anxiety is getting in the way, a natural reaction is to want to switch it off. Yet for many people, pushing anxiety away or arguing with it can actually make it feel louder. You might even find that as soon as one concern is reasoned away, your mind latches onto another. This doesn’t mean that the anxiety is inescapable, just that something deeper needs to be heard.
Rather than trying to forcefully silence your anxiety, we work together in therapy to understand what it needs to say. This may mean that we focus on the anxiety itself, and how it appears in your mind and body. Sometimes anxiety protects you from feelings that have felt unsafe or overwhelming to face. Gently looking at what is underneath that protection can help the anxiety to soften.
I offer counselling and psychotherapy for anxiety in Richmond, Chiswick, and online. You can look at further information about therapy with me or contact me for more information or to arrange an initial conversation.