Anxiety Therapy

The signs and symptoms of anxiety can be hard to identify, particularly if you have been experiencing them for a long time. Anxiety presents in many ways physically, psychologically, and behaviourally.  

The physical symptoms of anxiety include fast breathing, increased heart rate, nausea, butterflies in stomach, feeling hot and cold, sweating and shaking. They may also include difficulty falling or staying asleep, reduced appetite or feeling constantly keyed up or on edge. 

Psychologically, anxiety can appear as racing, obsessive or ‘what if’ thoughts. These are often subject to catastrophising or the tendency to overestimate negative consequences of actions. Difficulty concentrating or extreme discomfort with uncertainty are also often associated with anxiety. 

Avoidance is the behaviour most commonly associated with anxiety. This can be avoidance of stressful situations, avoiding thoughts relating to stressful situations and procrastinating important tasks. Specific types of anxiety are also marked by hypervigilance or over-preparing for worst case scenarios.  

Feeling these signs and symptoms does not mean you definitively have an anxiety disorder, however, if you are experiencing them regularly and they cause you distress, it might be time to seek help.  

Anxiety disorders typically fall into one of the following categories, however it is common for people to experience more than one at any given time. 

Generalised anxiety disorder 

Excessive worry experienced most of the time with no apparent stressor. Worry is directed toward many different life domains such as work, study, family, health, finances, relationships etc.  

Social anxiety disorder 

Fear of negative judgement from others in social interactions. Performance anxiety sits within this sub-category. 

Panic disorder 

Recurrent panic/anxiety attacks paired with worry of having more panic attacks.   

Specific phobia 

Fear, anxiety and/or avoidance of a particular object or situation that is disproportionate to the threat posed. Common phobias include fear of animals, heights, closed spaces and flying. 

Panic attacks are brief periods of intense fear characterised by extreme physical symptoms. These include a racing heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, trembling and shortness of breath. Many sufferers describe the feeling of a panic attack being similar to a heart attack. They can occur without warning and even occur during moments of relaxation.

Despite how unpleasant they are, panic attacks are quite common, with around 35% of people experiencing one in their lifetime (source: Betterhealth VIC GOV). 

Simply having panic attacks does not give you panic disorder or another anxiety-related disorder. Indeed, only 12.8% of people who experience panic attacks also experience panic disorder. However, if fear of having a panic attack is limiting your lifestyle or causing you severe distress, it might be time to speak with an anxiety psychologist about techniques for management. 

In moments of acute physical anxiety, focus on calming your nervous system by taking slow, deliberate breaths and scanning your body muscle by muscle, relaxing them as you go. Not only do these practices ease the acute symptoms, they also draw your focus into the present moment, providing relief from racing thoughts. Engaging in regular mindfulness and meditation practices can allow you to ‘drop into’ your physical body more readily, strengthening this anxiety management technique. Improving your sleep, eating and exercise habits have also been found to reduce anxiety symptoms. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders addressing both the thought and behavioural patterns that are resulting in distress. The anxiety psychologists at My Mirror are experienced practitioners of CBT and can help you develop a personalised plan of management specific to your needs so that you can regain control over your anxiety. 

At My Mirror we believe everyone in need should have access to therapy. 

You can book a session with a licensed anxiety psychologist within 24 hours via our online portal. Select your psychologist based on their bio or use our automated matching system to find the practitioner best suited to help you. We offer different pricing structures to help reduce your out-of-pocket costs, including medicare rebates with a mental health care plan. See more details in our pricing page.