Anxiety, stress and panic
Understanding stress and anxiety
Anxiety, stress and panic attacks represent a hyper-aroused state of your nervous system. This occurs when the brain's internal alarm system gets stuck in a "fight, flight, or freeze" response, treating uncertainties, workplace pressures or social interactions as immediate threats to your survival.
Stress is the response to excessive environmental demands, anxiety is the prolonged anticipation of future threats and panic is an acute peak of that survival mechanism.
This area of wellbeing represents the single most common reason people seek psychological support worldwide. In the UK, approximately 1 in 6 adults are formally diagnosed with anxiety, with many more we anticipate that don’t seek help.
How you may be experiencing it
Symptoms that are routinely experienced by people include catastrophic overthinking ("what-if" scenarios) and rumination (continuous thinking, overthinking and dwelling), irritability, muscle tension, jaw clenching and digestive issues.
A panic attack can strike suddenly, presenting physical symptoms like a racing heart, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness and sweating. It is understanding that some people feel that they may be having a heart attack or losing their mind.
Over time, elevated, stress, anxiety and panic can impact on sleep, your physical health, experience of pain and a weakening of your immune system. You may have noticed that you avoid certain situations or life opportunities, or that it impacts on your relationships and working life.
Empowered by how your brain, body and nervous system works
Raising awareness about emotions, how we experience them and can manage them is fundamental to lifting anxiety, stress and panic. When the amygdala (which processes sensory information like a ‘security guard’) perceives danger, it shuts down rational, logical thinking in the prefrontal cortex. This can build up over time when essential needs, such as safety, control, competence, or privacy, are compromised or not met in a meaningful balance.
Bolstered by psychoeducation to understand what is happening in your brain, body and nervous system, we can build techniques that work for you to help you to feel more relaxed and in control. This includes breathwork as well as other activities related to your physical and emotional needs. The work is both proactive and responsive. Understanding your brain design can be important, as well, because what we focus on may be different if you have a neurodivergent and/or neurotypical brain design.
As with all issues you may experience, our approach seeks to be grounded, not over-medicalised or over-pathologised, but rooted in psychology, biology and neuroscience. Focused on what a life in balance is for you.