When the pressure exceeds your ability to cope and the stress gets too much, it may be a time to seek some professional support.
Many physical health problems are a direct result of high stress and anxiety levels, but often medical professionals are unable to explain or treat the problem. The physical symptoms are varied but frequently manifest as:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Constant headaches
- Migraine
- Tightness of the chest and palpitations
- Generalised pain
- Sleep disturbance or over sleeping
- Always feeling tired and many other symptoms
Most medical professionals treat stress and anxiety medically with anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping tablets. Or clients themselves trying to self-medicate through drink, social drugs and natural remedies. Usually, they find it’s not enough.
Other ways of self treating stress and anxieties are through over-eating, cravings for sweet foods, shopping, drinking, overdoing it at the gym, playing computer games and many other unhealthy ways many people find ways to cope with their symptoms.
My treatment starts with understanding why your anxiety and stress is happening. Recognising what sets off your stress and anxieties, and why they are affecting you like this. We then look at the solutions that you need to overcome your stress.
I work with you to identify your patterns of thoughts, feelings and physical problems that impact on you as an individual.
If you’re self-medicating or on prescribed drugs, you’ll be expected to work with your medical practitioner to reduce and phase out your medication during therapy. This process is by balancing the chemical needs of your body with the neuro-logical pathways of your brain. This is achieved by increasing the natural endorphin and serotonin levels to balance your perceived thoughts and feelings.
There is protective reasoning behind your feelings and thoughts that creates your stress and anxiety. Once we discover where your current thinking and behavioural patterns are rooted from, you’ll learn new skills and strategies to enable you to change.
This process is often challenging as it opens your mind and emotions to both levels of your conscious and unconscious beliefs.
Finally, you’ll practice and refine your new strategies so you can take control and be free of your negative stress and anxiety in your life. And, you’ll overcome any physical health problems you may have associated with it.
“Came to see Vanessa about my anxiety related to exams, came to work on dealing with / eliminating symptoms. Unable to sleep, loss of appetite, general fear of failing, not being good enough, body chills, nausea – achieved general calmness, elimination of all my symptoms after three sessions. Helped me to relax and allow me to apply this to different situations. Didn’t think it would take effect so quickly. Really helpful, Vanessa was approachable and easy to talk to!” – SG, Student, Cambridge
It’s never too late to get the right help, but the sooner the better in regards to your health. Don’t keep putting it off and burn yourself out, or suffer from long term health problems.