Subscribe Now

Every month Clayfield Counselling Services produces an email newsletter covering topics of interest to our clients and associates. To subscribe, fill in your email address below.


Newsletter Archive

October 2005

What is anxiety and how do we recognise it?

Everyone experiences anxiety during various stages of their life; before exams and job interviews, before they speak in front of a crowd or perform on stage, when a relationship breaks up and so on. It’s perfectly normal to worry about various issues now and then but when anxiety becomes debilitating and prevents someone from living a full and happy life, it’s no longer normal and it needs to be managed.

Some indicators that might suggest you have a tendency towards anxiety or that you might suffer from an anxiety disorder are:

  • Feeling tense
  • Worrying unnecessarily
  • Having difficulty relaxing
  • Panic attacks
  • Avoidance of particular situations or places due to fear
  • Experiencing awful thoughts you can’t control
  • Feeling a need to do something over and over again
  • Other people notice you are anxious and this affects your relationship with them

There are six different anxiety disorders;

  • Agoraphobia/Panic Disorder (PD)
    “I’m scared of being alone”

    People suffering from PD tend to be prone to panic attacks when they are away from a safe place or person.

  • Specific Phobia
    “I’m scared of snakes”

    There are many specific phobias which can cause a person to experience panic when presented with the situation or object they are frightened of. Fear of spiders, vomiting, medical procedures, heights and enclosed spaces are all common specific phobias.

  • Social Phobia
    “I’m scared of being embarrassed in front of other people”

    Social phobics are often more comfortable on their own and may be frightened of being asked to speak publicly or they may have a more general shyness which limits their ability to have normal relationships with other people.

  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
    “I worry all the time”

    A person suffering from GAD lives in a constant state of anxiety but usually doesn’t experience panic attacks, doesn’t have a specific phobia and isn’t obsessive or compulsive.

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
    “My thoughts are the problem”

    Obsessive thoughts are the problem here. A person suffering from OCD experiences persistent unwanted thoughts but the more they try to ignore the thoughts, the more intrusive they become. Often, in order to control their thoughts, a person with OCD develops a compulsion such as washing their hands or moving a certain way.

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD)
    “An event has traumatised me and now I’m anxious”

    People with PSTD have usually experienced an event which they found traumatic and extremely stressful such as rape, war, a natural disaster or an accident. Not every person who experiences these kinds of stressful situations will develop PSTD but the ones who do experience “flashbacks” of the incident which feel as though the person is reliving the incident all over again. Although it’s normal to relive a traumatic incident over the next few weeks or months which follow it, a person with PSTD experiences severe flashbacks months and years afterwards which can cause great distress and disruption in their life.

What to do if you think you might have an anxiety disorder or you know someone who might?

If you have an anxiety disorder you can’t just get over it as some people would suggest. People with intense anxiety can’t just decide to stop worrying or get over their fear. The issue is more complicated than that. If you know of someone who is struggling with anxiety, support them. Accept that what they are feeling is real to them, even if you can’t understand what they’re so worried about. Encourage them to seek help.

The best thing to do is to phone Clayfield Counselling Services to see a counsellor that specialises in treating anxiety. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Anxiety disorders and phobias are quite common and counsellors have a much greater understanding than they did even 20 years ago, when people suffering from anxiety were called “the worried well”. We have tools and techniques available now that can help a person suffering from anxiety to understand their disorder and gain control of the situation.

Office hours are from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. After hours and Saturday appointments are available on request.

Until next time then…

” Life’s a box of chocolates Forrest, you never know what you’re gonna get.” - Mrs Gump