Anxiety
When your body cannot switch off
Anxiety and fear are natural responses of the nervous system. They are designed to protect us when we are in danger by preparing us to fight, flee, freeze or sometimes fawn. These responses are not a sign that something is wrong with you. They are part of being human.
The difficulty comes when your nervous system has learnt through trauma, abuse or ongoing stressful experiences that the world is not a safe place. Even when life is no longer threatening, your body can continue to respond as though it is.
You may feel anxious much of the time: constantly alert, worrying about things that others seem to cope with, feeling irritable, overwhelmed or unable to relax. Your mind may tell you to stop worrying, but your body has learnt something different. This is not something you can simply think your way out of.
When anxiety has been there for a long time
Living with anxiety over a long period of time can affect every part of your life. Sleep can become difficult because your body struggles to switch off. You may feel exhausted yet unable to rest. You may hold tension in your body, find it hard to make decisions, or feel as though you always need to be prepared for what might happen next.
For many people, anxiety is connected to experiences from the past. When we have not felt safe, supported or able to express what we felt, the body can learn to stay on guard. Feelings of fear, shame, sadness or anger may be held back in order to survive.
You may understand why you feel anxious, yet still find yourself reacting in familiar ways. This does not mean you have failed. It may mean that another part of your experience needs attention.
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When anxiety affects your work and relationships
For people working in health care or mental health, anxiety can become especially difficult when you are already carrying the needs and distress of others. You may feel triggered by work, overwhelmed by the trauma you witness, or unable to stop thinking about what has happened during the day.
Perhaps you are constantly alert at work and then find you cannot settle when you get home. You may feel tired, irritable or emotionally distant with the people close to you. Relationships can become harder when you are always anticipating what might happen next or reacting from a place of fear rather than feeling safe and connected.
Having spent more than 40 years working in health care as a nurse, I understand how demanding this work can be, and how difficult it can be to continue caring for others when your own nervous system is under strain.
A gentle way to work with anxiety
My counselling and psychotherapy practice offers space to understand what your anxiety may be trying to communicate, without judgement or pressure to simply manage it better. We work at a pace that respects your experience and your sense of safety.
Body-based Breathwork may support you to become more aware of the relationship between your breath, body and emotions. It can offer a gentle way to notice the patterns of tension, fear or overwhelm that arise, and to develop a different relationship with what you are feeling. Perhaps the anxiety in your body is telling you that you're holding too much, too much from others or your own suppressed feelings.
To learn more about this approach, visit my Breathwork page.