Anxiety is a very present day issue, which we are encountering more and more frequently in the mental health and medical professions. Lifestyles wherein greater demands are placed on the individual to perform, combined with shorter time frames within which to make said accomplishments, have become the norm. It’s an instant society we now inhabit and keeping up is the expectation of the day.

For the highly sensitive person, this can prove problematic, resulting in the manifestation of anxiety or panic disorder symptoms, both psychological and physical. The most common of these are: a sense of life being out of control, irrational fears and phobias, sleep disorders, the development of food and scent sensitivities, confusion, fatigue and exhaustion, forgetfulness, feelings of apprehension or dread, increased heart rate, breaking out in a sweat, muscle tension and soreness, digestive issues, nausea, diarrhea, avoidance of social activities, difficulty concentrating, feelings of tension or irritability, fears of losing control or making a disastrous mistakes, and restlessness.

Unfortunately, the combination of life’s pressures and the fear of judgment often prevent individuals from seeking the help they need, in order to learn management skills, which will enable them to get their present anxiety under control. There is, typically, an additional fear factor at play, which can exacerbate this, as well, increasing the anxiety, furthering the cycle. This is the fear that, if addressed, the anxiety will completely take over.

Most individuals, struggling with anxiety symptoms, develop a belief that if given attention the anxieties will become more powerful, impossible to control, destroying everything. On paper, this seems completely irrational, but that’s the point. Once the brain has been flooded with panic, reason is pushed aside, overcome by instinctive fight or flight emotion. This is precisely where the work lies, equipping the individual with cognitive and behavioral skills to bring reason back into the picture.

Now, worries, doubts and fears are a normal part of everyday life. It’s when they become predominant and persistent, taking over joy, relaxation and reasonable expectations of function, that they become an issue. Often, by this point, the individual is having difficulty making decisions, another symptom which gets in the way of seeking treatment.

Is this you?

- Your anxious thoughts serious disrupt your ability to do your job, everyday activities or social life?
- Once worry has started, do you have a hard time “turning it off”?
- When something has sparked anxiety, do you often find yourself going to worst case scenario imaginings?
- You find yourself worrying about things that don’t seem to bother others around you?
- Others in your life are frequently encouraging you to relax
- Are you plagued by fearful thoughts that you know are irrational, but you just can’t seem to let them go?
- Do you often have the sense that if you “screw this up” a disaster will ensue?
- Do you find yourself avoiding people or activities, because you feel overwhelmed?
- Do you ever feel like your heart is going to leap out of your chest, you can’t breathe or your drenched in sweat and there is no medical reason for this?

If any of the above seems familiar to you, you could be suffering from anxiety. This isn’t something to be ashamed of (as I’ve already explained, above, it’s more common that you might think) and treatment can equip you with tools to overcome and thrive. Just because this has been your experience, up till now, you don’t have to live in fear and worry for the rest of your life.