The fear we experience in the face of a looming work deadline or upcoming exam is in part what helps us to know that it’s time to get busy!

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However, fear and anxiety can be unhelpful when it occurs more often than is warranted, occurs at a disproportionately large level or leaves us paralysed when action is required.

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Almost one third of people will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. If you experience a number of the following, then it’s possible you may have an anxiety disorder:

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• Feeling tense or wound-up

• Difficulty concentrating

• Poor sleep

• Nightmares or unwanted intrusive thoughts

• Irritability

• Muscle Pain

• Intense bouts of panic

• Fear that others are judging you

• Phobias around germs or sickness or fears of flying, heights,

       injections, particular animals (eg: snakes, spiders, dogs) etc.

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Often in an effort to avoid anxiety people may begin to avoid other people, places, thoughts or feelings which remind them of past traumatic events. In response to anxiety triggers, people often find themselves using alcohol or other substances to manage.

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At times people can also feel so anxious that a sense of numbness kicks in leaving people questioning their sense of themselves or their reality.

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Because anxiety can take on many different forms, it's important to see a psychologist who can undertake a thorough assessment, make an accurate diagnosis and provide personalised tools to help manage your anxiety.

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If you're finding that your work or social life has suffered because of anxiety then it's time to seek help.

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Fortunately there are a number of readily available treatment options to help people overcome their anxiety.

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Regardless of how long you have experienced anxiety, it is likely that there is a treatment option that can help you to recover and live the life you want to live, free from fear.

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