As an emotion, anxiety isn’t normally useful, as it makes us less resourceful and drains our energy. We all know how hard it is to get much done when feeling anxious. Once it takes hold, anxiety can be incredibly difficult to shake off. I explain why below, but breaking free of anxiety is the aim of my therapy.
Anxiety is an activation of the nervous system that’s unnecessary or inappropriate for the situation you’re in. Visiting the shops or making a phone call, for instance. Anxiety makes itself felt in the mind and the body. That could be a sense of panic accompanied by a faster breathing pattern. If you recognise what is happening while experiencing anxiety, you can take control and change it. That’s because you’ll then be able to choose the right tools to loosen anxiety’s grip. During therapy with me, we’ll look at, and try out, different tools to help you.
So long as you’re alive, change is possible and, indeed, inevitable. But understanding the processes at work in your mind and body can be difficult. The best approach is to be open to challenging your current way of thinking about what is happening to you, as this will allow the amazing process of neuroplasticity to begin. Neuroplasticity is your brain physically rewiring itself as you begin to change.
A common type of anxiety is mental anxiety, where your mind is overactive. An overactive mind will often endlessly replay events, further feeding the anxiety. Perhaps dwelling on conversations and what you did or didn’t say, or how you behaved. This replaying can be over something that has happened in the past, or it may be in anticipation of something happening in the future. Either way, it takes up a lot of energy and your brain soon becomes trapped in a pattern of overthinking.
Once that’s happened, it’s hard to free yourself from anxious thoughts. This is when being able to focus on your body is an effective way to move out of an anxious state. Why? Because bringing attention into the body takes it away from the mind. And where your attention goes, your energy will follow. The tools you can use to transfer focus to your body are many, including breathing, movement, and Emotional Freedom Technique. Some people will suit one technique more than others, depending on the anxiety, how it manifests itself and what triggers it. I explore all of this in-depth during therapy with me so that I can tailor the treatment to your needs.
What is the-mind-and-body-connection? You will find that calming your body will calm your mind and relieve anxiety. This will bring you closer to managing your anxiety in the long term.
As The Mind & Body Guide, my aim is to explore these connections to help you gain insight and awareness. This could look at present problems or those that are more deeply seated: events that have affected you in the past. Things that you have been told and experienced which have shaped who you are now.
My approach to therapy is to help you understand yourself mentally and physically. Then you can start moving forward at a pace which respects the whole of you.
Why not book a fee introductory call to see how working with me could help
