Understanding Anxiety: More Than Just Panic Attacks
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues for which people seek support. Frequently misunderstood, it is often spoken about as though it were simply a matter of worrying too much or having occasional panic attacks. In reality, however, anxiety is far more complex. It is our body’s natural alarm system. It alerts us to danger and helps us prepare to respond. But when this system becomes over-sensitive, it can start sounding even when there’s no real threat, and what was once a protective response can lead to overwhelming emotions, exhaustion, and disruption to daily routine. It presents differently for everyone, manifesting in a variety of ways:
Physical Signs: racing heart, muscle tension, headaches, stomach upset, or difficulty sleeping.
Thought Patterns: constant worry, overthinking, imagining worst case scenarios, or struggling to concentrate.
Emotional Experience: feeling restless, irritable, or a prevailing sense that something bad is about to happen.
Behavioural Impact: avoiding certain situations, withdrawing from others, and unhelpful coping strategies like excessive indulgence in food, alcohol, or sex, for example.
Though panic attacks can occur with anxiety, and can feel very frightening, they are not always present. Many people experience intense anxiety without ever having a full-blown panic episode. For some, anxiety is a constant, low level hum, while for others, it’s triggered in certain situations without necessarily leading to panic. It becomes a problem when it interferes with everyday life. It might mean avoiding social gatherings, struggling to focus at work, or finding even small tasks overwhelming. Over time, anxiety can leave people feeling trapped in a cycle of fear, worry, and exhaustion.
Working through anxiety is not about eliminating it entirely, anxiety will always be part of being human. But therapy can help more helpful ways to cope including:
Understanding how your anxiety works and what triggers it.
Developing new, practical coping strategies to calm the body and mind.
Building resilience to respond rather than react to stressful moments.
Reclaiming a sense of choice and freedom in everyday life.
Though it may be a common experience, that doesn’t make anxiety easy. And if you’re living with it, it is often difficult to see beyond your current fears. But therapy can provide a safe space to explore what anxiety looks like for you as an individual, how it impacts your life, and how you can move toward a calmer, steadier way of being.
Mind yourself.
Alan.