Anxiety is defined as feelings of fear, worry, and unease. It is used to incorporate both physical as well as emotional responses and sensations experienced when feeling threatened. Anxiety is heavily reliant on the fight or flight responses. It is natural for us to feel anxious at times; feeling tense and unsure about a stressful or potentially stressful situation is human-like before an exam, changing home, or a new job. Although it is a normal reaction, some people are more affected by anxiety than others. If these feelings are long-lasting and very strong, it can be overwhelming, calling for an anxiety counselling psychologist in Chennai, India.
Whether you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or are just going through a stressful period, everybody requires a little motivation now and then in life. Since early times, authors, thinkers and even everyday individuals have produced encouraging expressions and tidbits of knowledge to help relax the mind, banish negative thoughts and put life in perspective. This is where counselling therapy for anxiety can help.
This fact sheet will help you to understand the distinction between normal anxiety and anxiety as a mental health problem. With this, you will know when to seek help. We will walk you through the common anxiety disorders and the various treatments available, like counselling for anxiety.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety can make you feel or imagine that things are much worse than they are. The stress can become so overwhelming that it hinders typical day to day activities. While anxiety comes and goes in the case of most humans, for some, it can affect a person severely even when the cause is unclear, and it calls for a psychologist in Chennai.
Under stress, fight or flight responses get activated. This is like an alarm system of the body that is designed to protect us from internal and external threats in the wild. You can recognize this feeling as “butterflies in the stomach” when you feel nervous. A person suffering from anxiety, however, this response is activated at inappropriate moments. This takes place under usual non-threatening conditioners.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Feeling anxious is exceptionally natural, but suffering from long term and long-lasting anxiety can be extremely stressful. While the symptoms of anxiety are different for different individuals, you may consider the common symptoms before visiting the best psychologist in India:
- Fast breathing
- Nausea
- Rapid and/or irregular heartbeats.
- Trouble sleeping
- Dizziness
- Lack of concentration
- Feeling irritable
- Panic attacks.
Anxiety, as described by “Anxiety UK” as a bucket of water
It fills up over time until the bucket overflows if we keep pouring stressors into a bucket (even small ones, like going to school or college). This is an extremely comprehensive way of looking at anxiety as it explains how it seems to come out even without a significant trigger.
While some people are aware of what causes anxiety to them, for example, after experiencing a traumatic event, others fail to understand the reason. Not identifying the reason for feeling anxious can make some people feel more stressed- if they don’t know what causes anxiety, how will they overcome it?
Common Anxiety Disorders
While there are several anxiety disorders, some of the most common ones are listed below for more specific information on each visit to a professional anxiety counselling psychologist in Chennai or other major Indian cities.
Anxiety Counselling for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
If you often feel anxious or fearful but do not have a solid identifiable reason for contacting anxiety, you may be diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. While these feelings are generally related to everyday tasks like stress at home or school, you may not know what makes you anxious.
Anxiety Counselling for Panic Disorder
If you often experience panic attacks that are seemingly unpredictable and cannot identify a trigger for so, you may be diagnosed with panic disorder. Symptoms include feeling faint, shortness of breath, and trembling, leading to such diagnosis by a counselling psychologist in Chennai. “My vision went black and blue like I was on a high-speed roller coaster. My heart was thumping out of my chest, and I dropped to my knees.” – The first experience of a panic attack as described by a client.
Anxiety Counselling for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
After having witnessed or experienced a traumatizing event and having flashbacks and nightmares of it, you may be diagnosed with PTSD. Such experiences make you feel like you are reliving the traumatic event over and over again.
Anxiety Counselling for Phobias
A phobia is an intense and paralyzing fear of something, regardless of threatening it really is. Coming in close contact with the feared object can cause extreme anxiety. At times even the mention of such objective events can cause stress.
Social anxiety is one of the examples of a phobia. Some people recognize this feeling like butterflies in the stomach in a social situation. However, for others, it may be a crippling fear of even leaving the house. If these symptoms persist, you should consult a counselling psychologist in Chennai or other cities in India.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD generally consists of obsessional thoughts followed by compulsive activities. The options are usually recording thoughts, images, or urges that can cause anxiety. Compulsions are generally thoughts and actions that you feel the need to do for repeat over and over again. Compulsions are generally activities performed to ease the anxiety felt through an obsession.
Health anxiety is another condition that is linked to OCD and phobia. People affected with health anxiety often have obsessional preoccupation that they are currently or will be affected by a physical disorder.
It is actually prevalent to experience anxiety in conjunction with other distress or disorders. For example, a person may be diagnosed with depression and anxiety at the same time. Psychologists in Chennai, India, give a mixed diagnosis in such cases.
Eco Anxiety
Eco anxiety is a relatively new branch of anxiety related to intense fear or worry about climate change. The future thought about our planet occupies a lot of headspace for some people causing severe anxiety and depression. A survey conducted by Recycling Partnership documented that 96% of the respondents were worried about climate change, while one out of four people reported that it was their biggest fear.
If you think you have anxiety, you may find it useful to take therapies from a top psychologist in India, specifically cognitive behavioural therapy. Such treatment will also help you find positive ways to make lifestyle changes to reduce your impact on the planet. Such solutions may include reducing meat intake or stop using plastic.
Anxiety in Children
Just like adults, children also have worries and anxieties. Some children are more prone to anxiety than others, and only you know what normal behaviour your child is.
For more information on anxiety in children and how you can support your child if he or she is more prone to anxiety, you must check out the following factsheets:
- Separation anxiety.
- Depression and anxiety in children.
When should you seek Anxiety Counselling?
Anxiety is a severe problem that can become worse if the stressors keep increasing. Some people may feel ashamed, while others think that their problem is not of significant worry about covering up their feelings and dealing with them alone. It is, however, essential to know that you deserve support and care, and no matter how isolated you feel, people do care.
If you are not comfortable talking to friends and family, many other platforms are available, like talking to a clinical psychologist in Chennai. You can also seek the help of online support groups to cope with your problem.
How to Treat Anxiety
If you have been feeling anxious, you must contact a doctor. They can not only access your feeling and diagnose your condition but also provide you with treatment options. Anxiety treatments work towards reducing your symptoms and providing you solutions for successful coping, so you can manage your feelings before they become too much to handle.
There are many treatment options that you may find useful. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence prescribe that you go to talk therapy before consuming medicines.
Anxiety Counselling
Counselling for anxiety is one of the most common treatments. Talking to a psychotherapist in Chennai can help you in several ways, like finding out the origin of anxiety and figuring out coping mechanisms. While there are many types of talking therapies available, the most common is cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy tries to help manage your condition by helping you to recognize your thoughts and how such thoughts affect your behaviour and feelings. CBT analyses not only your routine but also your thought process. With the help of this, you will be able to break down complicated emotions like anxiety into smaller and manageable tasks.
Mindfulness Counselling for Anxiety
Many mindfulness exercises taught by famous psychotherapists in Chennai can also help you manage anxiety. Mindfulness therapy aims to develop your awareness about the present moment. It can help you to become more self-compassionate, appreciative, and nonjudgmental. Mindfulness therapy can help you understand the current situation better and hence identify what triggers your anxiety and the successful management of symptoms.
“It’s been an uphill struggle, and I’ve still a long way to go. But, one thing I do find that helps is writing”
– A true account of how writing poetry can help in managing anxiety.
Useful Tips for Managing Anxiety
One of the primary goals of self-care is to look after your mental health. Learning skills and techniques to manage your anxiety can go a long way. With the help of some self-care methods, you will be able to cope with stress and not let the fear and apprehensions of anxiety rule your life.
1. Focus on Your Breathing
When starting to feel anxious at the beginning of a panic attack, it is easy to forget normal breathing. However, if you take a moment to focus on your breathing, it can help you manage your symptoms. Breathe in with your nose for four seconds, and breathe out with your mouth for another 4 seconds; keep your shoulder relaxed. Continue this exercise until the feeling passes.
2. Talking to Someone
Another method famous psychotherapists swear by is talking to someone you trust. This can help to release the pressure and help you feel lighter. While it is easy to keep things to yourself, talking to a trusted friend or family member or even mental health professionals can help you big time. Whether you receive advice from the other end or they listen to you talking to them is a great relief in itself because it provides you with a sense of belongingness.
3. Join a Support Group
According to the best psychotherapist, support groups, whether online or face to face, can help you interact with others and talk about your problems. Talking to them and sharing our feelings provides an opportunity to feel United.
4. Keep a Diary
Keeping a record of your feelings every time you feel anxious can help you analyze what your triggers are, recording every aspect of an anxiety attack and help you cope with the situation better the next time it happens. You must record successful experiences with anxiety as well.
5. Stay Active and Eat Healthily
Alcohol, coffee, and cigarettes are stimulants that may lead you to feel even when anxious. Stay away from these harmful substances, and make sure to incorporate exercises into your daily routine. Such practices can help you deal better, according to the top counselling psychologist in Chennai.
6. Use Complementary Anxiety Counselling Therapies
Complementary therapies include yoga, massage, meditation, and aromatherapy. Such methods will help you to relax and find an outlet for your anxiety. Counselling psychologists in Chennai swear by these methods for relaxation.
Things to Consider When Going For Anxiety Counselling
Currently, no laws specify what qualifications of training you must look for in a “counsellor for anxiety issues”, except he or she can be registered with the RCI. Also, look at the educational qualifications and relevant experiences.
Most Important – Never rush to conclusions on the efficacy of a therapist. Be persistent for some time. However, please choose to work with someone with whom you are comfortable.
Anxiety Counselling with Praveen Saanker
Counselling services provided by Mr Praveen Saanker are part of our “not-for-profit” activities. We do not charge a consulting fee for these support initiatives since they aim to provide aid and relief for truly deserving individuals who otherwise may not have been able to afford these services.
Mr Praveen Saanker has set aside 12 hours of his professional time every week to provide coaching and counselling services. We provide appointments basis on the unique needs and circumstances of each individual. Please note that we do not have robust CRM platforms or customer support teams to provide instant answers to your queries or replies to your mails. Hence please bear with us for the time we take to get back to you.
What do we expect from you?
When you decide to get associated with us, we expect you to contribute to society in whatever capacity you can. This may mean you are undertaking voluntary work in your domain of expertise and provide empowerment and support to the needy. This can also mean you are giving help and assistance to people who desperately look forward to your aid when they have no one else who can help them. All we want you to do is give back to the universe and your fellow humans in whichever capacity you can.
We are not a registered charitable organisation, and hence we do not accept financial donations or support items in any form. You can get associated with anyone and choose the path you would like to follow in empowering your fellow human beings. But we would like to hear from you on how you intend to contribute back to society shortly when you choose to avail of our services.
How can you avail of our support?
If you believe you require Mr Praveen Saanker’s support and assistance, you can write to us at praveen@vedicology.com. Please be rest assured, we shall get back to you and be with you during your testing times in whatever capacity we can.
Mr Praveen, the founder of ‘Vedicology,’ is an internationally renowned scholar on Sanatana Dharma recognised for his knowledge and application of Indian Psychology and Spirituality. Praveen is an expert on combining various Indian and Western psychology traits, Vedic Scriptures, Indian Rites, Rituals, Customs & Traditions, Astrology, Vastu Shastra & Numerology. Aiming to be of the utmost help, Mr Praveen Saanker looks to understand your motivations and aspirations and then provide a solution accordingly. Praveen successfully integrates the principles of Vedas with modern Psychology and Business Management. Mr Praveen Saanker works with family business entrepreneurs and next-generation leaders, advising them on the family constitution and finding a subtle balance between family and business priorities.
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