Anxiety vs an anxiety disorder

Anxiety is a normal, healthy emotion we all experience from time to time. It has an evolutionary value in that it alerts us to danger or threat. However, for some people, their anxiety becomes disproportionate to what’s happening and they can find themselves feeling anxious without there being any clear trigger. This is when anxiety moves from a healthy response to stress to an anxiety disorder.


If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, you might find yourself unable to stop worrying, living in a state of heightened stress. This can become an all-consuming experience that feels as though it has taken over your life.

What are the different types of anxiety?

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – If you suffer from GAD, you’re likely to feel anxious about most things rather than have a specific focus for your worries. This could have an effect on your concentration, sleep and appetite, and make it difficult to live life the way you’d like to.

 

Panic disorder – If you suffer from panic disorder, you might find yourself experiencing intense panic. This could be triggered by specific situations or be more generalised. Over time, people who suffer from panic attacks become anxious about experiencing another panic attack so the focus of the anxiety becomes the anticipation of anxiety. Panic disorder often involves physical symptoms of anxiety such as palpitations, dizziness, sweating and more.

 

Other forms of anxiety are health anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

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Types of treatment for anxiety

In the short term, anxiety can be regulated through medication. If this is something we think you could benefit from, we will set up an assessment for a psychiatric review.

 

However, in the long term, the most effective treatment for anxiety is therapy. The focus of your therapy will be on your thinking and how this influences your anxiety. You will also explore the different behaviours that maintain your anxiety and learn more effective coping mechanisms for dealing with anxious episodes.

 

Different approaches benefit different people. Following your initial assessment, we will recommend the approach we believe will most benefit you according to your symptoms and what’s at the root of your anxiety.

Frequently asked questions

If your anxiety has begun to interfere in your everyday life and relationships and it’s leaving you feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to seek professional help.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are generally the most effective treatments for anxiety.

By default, anxiety is characterised by a feeling of vulnerability in the world. When external events increase this feeling of threat, you may find that your anxiety symptoms get worse.

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Athena Lazaridou

Athena is a Pilates instructor with 8 years’ experience in the field. After completing a Power Pilates Mat Certification in Athens, she went on to complete the Full Comprehensive Classical Pilates Certification with Equinox in Kensington.  She has been teaching Pilates at Equinox for the past 6 years in addition to her own private clients who she trains both face to face and virtually.

Athena has a passion for helping people get stronger and fitter as well as helping those recovering from injury regain their strength and mobility.  Over the years, she has worked with athletes to incorporate Pilates into their training and improve performance. Athena has also worked with prenatal and postnatal women who may be experiencing depression or other mental health difficulties and used Pilates to facilitate a positive impact on their mental health.

Athena is very passionate about improving physical and mental well-being and has recently incorporated Sound Healing into her work, as she believes it to be one of the best ways of ‘letting go’ and releasing stale energy whilst increasing greater self-awareness.