Anxiety

Anxiety is the experience of feeling nervous, tense or fearful. Sometimes it may be accompanied by the experience of repetitive worrying thoughts. Experiencing a degree of anxiety is not only normal, but has been necessary for our survival. However, chronic anxiety can be very debilitating, and can get in the way of the things that really matter.
‘Anxiety’ can be used as an umbrella term for slightly different issues, and sometimes it is helpful to identify more specific subtypes of anxiety such as:
In other circumstances, the nature of the anxiety may be very nonspecific, and the term ‘generalised anxiety’ would be most appropriate. In working with generalised anxiety, I believe that a combination of CBT and mindfulness-based therapy is most beneficial. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps us to recognise some of the patterns that underly our tendency towards anxious thinking styles, and provides a framework to disrupt the behavioural habits that sustain anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that helps us to get better at training our attention so that we do not become so preoccupied with particular worries or apprehensions. Evidence suggests that mindfulness practice is associated with a reduction in the size of the amygdala (the brain's 'fear centre'[1]).
[1] Hölzel et al., 2009
‘Anxiety’ can be used as an umbrella term for slightly different issues, and sometimes it is helpful to identify more specific subtypes of anxiety such as:
- Panic disorder/agoraphobia
- Specific phobias
- Social Anxiety
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Reactions to severe stress (such as PTSD or adjustment disorder)
In other circumstances, the nature of the anxiety may be very nonspecific, and the term ‘generalised anxiety’ would be most appropriate. In working with generalised anxiety, I believe that a combination of CBT and mindfulness-based therapy is most beneficial. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps us to recognise some of the patterns that underly our tendency towards anxious thinking styles, and provides a framework to disrupt the behavioural habits that sustain anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that helps us to get better at training our attention so that we do not become so preoccupied with particular worries or apprehensions. Evidence suggests that mindfulness practice is associated with a reduction in the size of the amygdala (the brain's 'fear centre'[1]).
[1] Hölzel et al., 2009