HOW TO MANAGE OVERWHELMING ANXIETY SUCCESSFULLY
How To Manage Overwhelming Anxiety Successfully
Fight-or-Flight Response
When you feel anxious, your body's fight-or-flight response is activated. This is an automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats that has evolved to help us survive danger. It includes:
Increased Heart Rate: Your heart rate increases to pump more blood to your muscles, preparing you to either fight or flee.
Rapid Breathing: Your breathing becomes faster and shallower to take in more oxygen.
Tensed Muscles: Your muscles tense up, ready for action.
Sweating: Your body sweats to cool down, anticipating physical exertion.
These physical changes can feel overwhelming and out of control, adding to the anxiety.
Cognitive Overload
Anxiety often involves racing thoughts and excessive worry. This can lead to cognitive overload where:
Intrusive Thoughts: Repeated, unwanted thoughts can dominate your mind, making it hard to concentrate on anything else.
Catastrophic Thinking: Anxiety can cause you to imagine the worst-case scenarios, amplifying your fears.
Decision Paralysis: Overthinking every possible outcome can make it difficult to make decisions, leading to feeling stuck or helpless.
Emotional Intensity
Anxiety can heighten your emotional responses, making everything feel more intense:
Fear and Dread: You may experience strong feelings of fear or dread about the future or specific situations.
Helplessness: Anxiety can create a sense of helplessness or lack of control over your circumstances or emotions.
Embarrassment: Social anxiety, in particular, can cause feelings of embarrassment or fear of judgment, intensifying the emotional impact.
Physiological Symptoms
Anxiety can manifest in various physical symptoms that can be distressing and hard to manage:
Dizziness or Lightheadedness: These symptoms can make you feel unsteady and vulnerable.
Stomach Issues: Nausea, upset stomach, or diarrhea are common, adding to the discomfort.
Social Factors
Anxiety can be exacerbated by social situations and pressures:
Fear of Judgment: Worrying about how others perceive you can be a significant source of anxiety.
Isolation: Anxiety can lead to withdrawing from social interactions, which can create a cycle of loneliness and increased anxiety.
Chronic Stress
Prolonged exposure to stress can wear down your body's ability to cope, making anxiety more persistent and overwhelming:
Burnout: Chronic stress can lead to burnout, where you feel physically and emotionally exhausted.
Reduced Resilience: Ongoing stress can reduce your ability to bounce back from challenges, making anxiety feel more overwhelming.
Genetic and Biological Factors
Some people are more prone to anxiety due to genetic predispositions or imbalances in brain chemistry:
Genetics: A family history of anxiety or other mental health conditions can increase your risk.
Neurotransmitters: Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine can contribute to anxiety.
Lack of Coping Mechanisms
Without effective coping strategies, anxiety can feel unmanageable:
Avoidance: Avoiding situations that cause anxiety can provide short-term relief but often makes the anxiety worse in the long term.
Ineffective Strategies: Coping mechanisms like substance abuse or denial can exacerbate anxiety.
Managing Anxiety
There are many different techniques and strategies that can prove to be effective in managing anxiety:
Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
Practices like deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help calm the body's stress response. I help clients practice and master different breathing techniques, including diaphragmatic breathing, that help calm your mind and body in situations that trigger your anxiety.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy can help manage anxiety by using relaxation techniques and focussed attention to help you absorb positive suggestions that can change negative thought patterns and behaviours contributing to anxiety. I do a lot of work with guided imagery and positive affirmations that aim to reduce stress and anxiety levels in clients, promoting a sense of calmness and enhancing coping mechanisms. This therapeutic approach can help individuals to gain a better control over their anxiety by addressing subconscious triggers and reinforcing more positive responses.
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps reframe negative thoughts and develop healthier thinking patterns.
Healthy Lifestyle
Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep can improve overall well-being and reduce anxiety.
If you're feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, get in touch with me today and we can start the process of building an effective treatment strategy for you.
Mark Spalek
Clinical Hypnotherapist, Therapeutic Coach, NLP Practitioner
GHR (reg), Dip. Hyp, Dip. NLP, GQHP, MSc, BSc, PGCE