Anxiety

Anxiety increases our awareness and helps us get ready to escape or freeze — which was very handy when we lived alongside reptiles and wild animals. These days our anxiety is more likely to be triggered by a bill we cannot pay, an exam, or going into a situation with other people. Anxiety itself is understandable, but our response to it — to escape or freeze — is not always useful.

Panic Attacks

We can also have anxiety responses for apparently no reason at all — often called panic attacks. There are always triggers; we just do not always know what they are. Because people like to make sense of things, they sometimes blame their panic on the first thing that seems to fit. For example, if you have a sudden awareness of feeling anxious in a busy place like a supermarket, you may blame the supermarket — and then start avoiding it.

So anxiety is perfectly normal — and so is trying to avoid things you think are threatening. However, if you are avoiding things that are not really the source of the anxiety, the avoidance causes further problems. The problem is not anxiety itself, but your response to it.

Things You Can Do to Help Yourself

1. Understand what anxiety is

Your response is psychological — avoidance — and psychological therapy can help you change it. However, there is a great deal you can do to help yourself that does not involve therapy.

• Reading — Your library and GP practice should have leaflets and books available.
• Use the internet — YouTube and the NHS website have good videos and information.
• Talk to family and friends — It is very common; you may be surprised how many people have struggled with anxiety at some point, including psychologists.

2. Use practical steps to stop avoiding

• Change your thinking and your behaviour — One well-known approach is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).
• Free NHS therapy — Available across Norfolk and Suffolk. These services offer telephone support, workshops, and one-to-one support from a trained worker. If you live in Norfolk or Suffolk, contact your local IAPT service or ask your GP for a referral.

Is It a Disorder?

Anxiety is a normal feeling — much like anger, sadness, or any other emotion — with an underlying physiological basis. However, some conditions can make you more prone to anxiety: hormonal changes, poor sleep, too much caffeine, or significant life stressors can all tip the balance.

If you are in doubt about the cause of your symptoms, have a chat with your GP. Usually the pattern of when you experience them — for example, always in the supermarket — helps rule out any underlying medical condition.

Life experiences can also play a significant role. Adverse childhood experiences, stress, bereavement, job loss, illness — sometimes one big thing, sometimes a lot of small things — can deplete your confidence and increase your vulnerability to anxiety.