Anxiety is often described as feelings of unease, fear and worry. We all experience anxiety during our lifetime, when faced with heavy decisions, before sitting an exam or going for an interview. In these types of situations feelings of anxiety are completely understandable, as it is a natural human experience. It is easy to associate anxiety with the darker aspects of human emotion, but it is important to remember that anxiety can actually keep us safe at times as it can act as an internal warning system against situations that may cause us harm.

However, as anxiety is such a natural experience it can be difficult to distinguish when it is actually becoming a problem for someone.

Anxiety usually becomes a concern if an individual experiences it for long periods of time.

An individual may find themselves worrying constantly about things, they then become concerned about the amount of time they spend worrying. This feeling can become quite debilitating and can make navigating around everyday life quite difficult. During extended periods of anxiety it is common to experience fluxes of emotions such as sadness, anger and irritation which can often leave result in emotional fatigue.

There are steps which can be taken to help reduce anxiety, for example:

• To research and understand more about anxiety.
• Learning how to challenge your unhelpful thoughts and perceive these thoughts in a more realistic manner.
• Exploring techniques that may help you feel more physically and mentally relaxed.
• To find help to talk through the parts of life which are rarely covered.

Here at Rafan House, we understand that managing and understanding anxiety can be challenging. Our team of highly experienced clinicians specialise in anxiety and are on hand to help those who experience anxiety understand its root cause and find a pathway to help manage it.