Everyone has experienced fear, at one time or another, with symptoms such as a pounding heart, fearful thoughts, sweating etc. Fear is an essential emotion to have. It’s important to have that physiological state or gut feeling that tells us something isn’t quite right or that warns us of a potential danger.
Sometimes we experience fear that doesn’t go away or fear of something that is not potentially harmful or dangerous. That’s when the fear becomes anxiety.
Many people who experience anxiety feel embarrassed or ashamed. Anxiety is however really quite common. It is nothing to be ashamed of and it can be treated. When anxiety starts to affect your life or wellbeing, it’s time to get help.
Common coping strategies that people often turn to, to help with anxiety will quite often intensify the feelings that the situation is causing and not help at all. So what are the coping strategies that a lot of people turn to, but do not actually help one bit? Five of them are rounded up below.
The propensity to avoid situations that cause anxiety only makes the fear of feeling that way intensify. One tried and true anxiety treatment is learning to overcome situations despite the anxious feelings. Conquering such situations lays down a solid idea that it is possible to do what you’re supposed to even if you experience all the sensations of anxiety. In the future, you’ll actually feel much braver because you know that something you did before worked.
Just because you say you don’t feel it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Over time, it will come out and you may just end up scaring the people around you. Denying it will prevent you from getting the help you need.
Anxiety is not really something to apologise for; it’s the problem of other people if they do not understand how debilitating it is. Don’t apologise for it because that’s just going to make you feel worse. Anxiety is something that’s hard to control; that’s why a lot of people turn to professional help. Instead, come into terms with it, and find out the true effective ways to outwork it.
Thinking of all the potential reasons why you’re feeling the way you do and connecting every situation to these reasons will just make you prone to cognitive distortions, which will increase your worry and anxiety. When you find yourself indulging in exaggerated thoughts, take a step back and chill, and then very casually put your thoughts on trial to challenge their accuracy. If you can’t come up with any accurate answer, it only means one thing: You have to stop because only the future can reveal the answers, not you.
Some people say they do this to be prepared, but basically all they do is scare themselves even more. As such, they avoid all sorts of situations. Doing this can make your world so much smaller—you’re allowing anxiety to rule your life.
Although it shouldn’t, anxiety can quite often make us feel ashamed of what we are going through. Something as small as talking out loud expressing the full extent of what you are going through can be a massive relief.
A counsellor will not judge you or make you feel silly for being anxious. They will take your anxiety seriously and better help you manage it. They know exactly what you are talking about.
A counsellor is trained to help and guide you through your experiences to understand how anxiety has developed as a coping mechanism. We can dive into exactly what is triggering these feelings.
Anxiety is uncomfortable, counselling will help you find ways to manage your anxieties that can lead you to feeling better about yourself.
Depression does not discriminate. It can happen to anyone at any age at any time. It’s a condition that affects over a million Australians. At times daily struggles can begin to accumulate and take their toll. You can often find yourself feeling numb, disconnected or even questioning your sense of purpose. When these feelings take over it is important to find a way to move forward. We can help.
There are many causes of depression, it could be the result or combination of these underlying factors. Sometimes Depression runs in the family or can be caused by a chemical imbalance. Some personality traits such as worrying or perfectionism can also increase the risk of depression. Situation Depression is often linked to current situations such as being diagnosed with an illness, work stress or even a relationship breakup. Having said all of the above, feeling depressed for no reason at all is just as common and often can be harder to talk about.
Depression can affect the way you think, feel and behave. It can cause adverse affects on both your personal life and professional life. If you’ve been feeling down, stressed, disconnected or overwhelmed for a while you may be experiencing depression.
Some symptoms may include
Depression is common, and it is treatable. Although symptoms may vary person to person all forms of depression can be treated. We can help you by targeting the underlying causes of depression. We can tech you strategies to help regulate your moods and the most effective way to manage stress. We can help your mind work with you not against you.
If you are unsure that what you’re experiencing is in fact depression, talking with our counsellors can help clarify what is happening.
