Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. You may also be experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety such as muscular aches and pains, palpitations, headaches, dizziness, stomach ache or nausea, insomnia, pins and needles, diarrhoea or constipation, tiredness or shortness of breath. If anxiety is affecting your ability to live your life the way you would like to it is worth thinking about ways to help yourself and what kinds of treatment are available including hypnotherapy.
Some people suffer from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD can interfere with daily life as sufferers worry about a wide range of situations and issues such as family, money and health.
Sufferers often feel that there is no respite from the anxiety. As soon as one anxious thought is resolved, another may appear about a different issue.
Some people feel anxious about a specific situation or event such as:
- Taking a driving test
- Public speaking
- Sitting exams
- Making a presentation
- Best mans speech
- Job interview
- Meeting new people (social anxiety or shyness)
Anxiety is one of the ways that our mind tries to keep us safe. Anxiety is a normal human experience but sometimes we lose the ability to put the real danger of a situation into perspective. Our mind reacts as though everything is dangerous whether or not it actually is.
Anxiety can be experienced at different levels, but severe anxiety can be physically and emotionally exhausting and disrupt an individual’s day to day life. It may lead an individual to avoid certain situations because they fear it may be a trigger, or it can cause an individual to miss out on many social, personal and business opportunities.
At this point anxiety is a problem and often causes physical symptoms which can be unpleasant and scary. If your feelings of anxiety are very strong or last for a long time it can be overwhelming.