Anxiety
Officially anxiety is the activation of our fight-or-flight response, which is our body’s reaction to all stressful events. Should we encounter a bear in the woods this type of response could actually save our lives however, when we are sitting in our living room when this happens the response can feel overwhelmingly scary.
If you are experiencing anxiety (or having a panic attack) you may:
• Have trouble catching your breath
• Feel as though your heart is racing
• Experience pain or numbness in your arm
• Your thoughts may feel uncontrollable
• Your legs can feel shaky and weak and you may experience an overwhelming desire to leave wherever you are.
These reactions are all considered normal for anxiety, but if you are experiencing them you may feel completely overwhelmed. You may have started to avoid social settings and perhaps even leaving your house has become difficult.
If you are experiencing anxiety you may feel that it has become “bigger than you”, oftentimes clients come into therapy feeling distrustful of the possibility of controlling their anxiety…however anxiety is very treatable.
During therapy you can learn how to control, manage and be free of anxiety and panic attacks.
