Often, feeling anxious can be a completely natural response – such as feeling fearful or tense before an exam or competitive sport or doing something for the first time. It may feel like your heart is pounding, you may feel sweaty and your stomach may be churning.
Sometimes, however, our anxiety can take over and feel out of control. You may feel unpleasant physical symptoms such as feeling absolutely exhausted, shaking or feeling sick. You may experience symptoms long after the stressful situation has passed. When we feel anxious we can find it harder to switch off our thoughts and worries and this can affect our sleep and our eating habits. We may feel on edge all the time or we may find ourselves avoiding situations.
If your anxiety seems to be affecting you more than is usual for you, then it might help to explore this in counselling. Understanding your anxiety can help you to manage your anxiety and to begin to regain control of your life.