Before we get down into how we can help with anxiety, it’s good to highlight that some stress and fear can be healthy and adaptive.

A certain level of stress can increase the amount of adrenaline in the system which then helps the person, be it a homemaker, professional, worker, student, etc., to get going on completing an assignment or task.

That’s why some people seem to live from deadline to deadline, which become the driving “task master” — the closer to the deadline, the higher the adrenaline levels and the more intensely the system works to complete the task.

Too much stress, however, can be detrimental. It can also cause the person to be in a chronic state of tension where the nerves remain frayed, the muscles tensed, the heart racing. One remains agitated and irritable. There can be difficulty focusing and trouble sleeping. Somewhere down the line, there can also be increasing amounts of fear and worry. Too much of all that, and one feels paralysed instead.

There is a range of possible signs and behaviours, and each person’s symptoms are unique to him/her.  

A person often starts seeking help when the anxiety overtakes daily living, causing an inability to function at work, school and in society.

The fear and the anxiety may seem overwhelming, but the good news is that there is hope.

What if I tell you that the anxiety is a part of you that is trying to help you in its own way? It seeks your good by bringing on the symptoms of anxiety to achieve any number of things: to stop you from getting ridiculed, to prevent you from saying the wrong things, to get you to do your best, and so on.

We can appreciate it and help it and other parts it could be protecting. Best of all, we do it through your own Self. Imagine being able to lead and bring balance to your own parts, where every part is valued and they are existing in harmony. That will open up the possibilities and choices for you.

Reach out to Hope and Heart Counselling to find out more.