Anxiety

🌿 Understanding Anxiety: What It Is, How It Shows Up, and When Support Can Help

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people seek counselling, yet it can feel incredibly personal and isolating when you’re living with it. Many people describe anxiety as a constant sense of worry, tension, or unease — but it can also show up in the body, in relationships, and in the way we move through the world.

If you’ve read my blog on depression, you’ll notice that anxiety and depression often overlap. They are different experiences, but they can influence each other in powerful ways. Understanding anxiety on its own terms can help you recognise what you’re feeling and what kind of support might be helpful.

🌱 What Anxiety Actually Is

Anxiety is a natural human response. It’s part of our survival system — the part that alerts us to danger, helps us prepare, and keeps us safe. But when anxiety becomes overwhelming, constant, or disproportionate to what’s happening around us, it can start to affect daily life.

People often experience anxiety in one or more of these ways:

• Persistent worry or fear

• Feeling on edge or unable to relax

• Racing thoughts

• Difficulty concentrating

• Physical symptoms such as a tight chest, nausea, shaking, or a fast heartbeat

• Trouble sleeping

• Feeling overwhelmed by everyday tasks

Anxiety can be triggered by stress, life changes, past experiences, or sometimes no clear reason at all. None of this means you’re “overreacting” — it means your nervous system is working overtime.

🌤️ How Anxiety and Depression Can Interact

Although anxiety and depression are distinct, they often appear together. Many people find that:

• Anxiety can lead to exhaustion, which can then feel like low mood

• Depression can make everyday tasks harder, which can increase anxiety

• Both can affect sleep, motivation, and self‑confidence

• Both can create a sense of being stuck

If you’ve read the depression blog, you’ll recognise themes of heaviness, withdrawal, and emotional fatigue. Anxiety often brings the opposite energy — restlessness, tension, and hyper‑alertness — yet both can leave you feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from yourself.

Understanding the relationship between the two can help you make sense of your experience with more compassion and less self‑judgement.

🧠 Why Anxiety Feels So Physical

Anxiety isn’t “just in your head”. It’s a full‑body experience.

When your brain perceives a threat — real or imagined — your body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This can lead to:

• A racing heart

• Shallow breathing

• Sweating

• Digestive discomfort

• Muscle tension

• Feeling shaky or dizzy

These sensations can be frightening, especially if they seem to come out of nowhere. Counselling can help you understand these responses and learn ways to regulate your nervous system.

🌼 Common Triggers for Anxiety

Everyone’s experience is unique, but some common triggers include:

• Work‑related stress or burnout

• Relationship difficulties

• Health concerns

• Financial pressure

• Past trauma

• Social situations

• Major life changes

• Feeling out of control or overwhelmed

Sometimes the trigger is clear. Sometimes it isn’t. Both are valid.

🌾 When Anxiety Becomes Hard to Manage

You might consider seeking support if:

• Anxiety is affecting your sleep, appetite, or daily routine

• You’re avoiding situations because of fear or worry

• You feel constantly on edge

• Your thoughts feel overwhelming or intrusive

• You’re finding it hard to switch off

• Anxiety is impacting your relationships or work

• You feel stuck in a cycle of worry

Just like with depression, you don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable before reaching out. Counselling can be helpful at any stage — whether you’re struggling, curious, or simply wanting space to understand yourself better.

🛋️ How Counselling Can Help with Anxiety

Counselling offers a calm, confidential space to explore what you’re experiencing. Together, we might:

• Identify patterns or triggers

• Explore the roots of your anxiety

• Understand how your body responds to stress

• Develop grounding and regulation strategies

• Build self‑compassion

• Strengthen your sense of safety and control

The aim isn’t to eliminate anxiety entirely — anxiety is part of being human. Instead, counselling helps you relate to your anxiety differently, so it feels less overwhelming and more manageable.

🌙 Anxiety, Depression, and Self‑Compassion

If you’ve read the depression blog, you’ll know that self‑criticism often plays a role in low mood. The same is true for anxiety. Many people judge themselves for worrying “too much” or not being able to “just relax”.

But anxiety isn’t a personal failing. It’s a nervous system doing its best to protect you.

Counselling can help you move from self‑blame to self‑understanding — a shift that can be deeply healing for both anxiety and depression.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety

Is anxiety normal?
Yes. Everyone experiences anxiety at times. It becomes a concern when it starts to interfere with daily life.

Can anxiety and depression happen together?
Absolutely. Many people experience both, and they can influence each other. You can read more about depression in my related blog.

What if I don’t know why I’m anxious?
That’s very common. Counselling can help you explore this gently and at your own pace.

Will counselling make my anxiety worse at first?
Talking about difficult feelings can bring up emotions, but you’re always in control of the pace. Many people feel relief simply from being heard.

🗺️ Taking the Next Step

If you’re noticing signs of anxiety — or if you’re unsure whether what you’re feeling is anxiety, depression, or a mix of both — you’re welcome to reach out. An initial conversation can help you get a sense of whether counselling feels right for you.

You may also find it helpful to read my blog on depression, especially if you’re experiencing both low mood and anxiety. Understanding the connection between the two can be an important part of your healing.

For more information about Empathy in Therapy see here