All of us feel nervous and stressed at times and this is a healthy and normal response to managing challenges in life and in fact assists us to be able to take action and cope when we need to. When we are no longer in a stressful situation these feelings normally leave us and we become calm again.

Anxiety is a different experience in that the feelings of nervousness are ongoing and interfere with our ability to function well in life. Anxiety can present in a number of different ways including ongoing thoughts and worries, physical symptoms such as a racing heart, muscle tightness or nausea and behaviour change most commonly feeling unable to do particular things. It is a hugely unpleasant experience that affects our daily functioning and usually our sleep, our relationships and more.

Anxiety is not something people can see and so the person is often left feeling very alone with and overwhelmed in knowing how to manage it.

Anxiety may be a long term experience or an experience of episodes and then recovery and then episodes again.  Both long term and/or recurrence of symptoms can be assisted with counselling.