Beyond Everyday Worry: Recognising and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Melbourne

Feeling worried or stressed is a regular part of life, especially when navigating the pressures of a vibrant city like Melbourne. But when worry becomes persistent and overwhelming, it starts interfering with your daily life – affecting your work, relationships, or enjoyment – and it might be more than just stress. It could be an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in Australia, but thankfully, they are also very treatable. Understanding the signs and knowing where to turn for effective support is the first step towards finding relief and regaining control.

From the tangled chaos of worry to the calm of understanding. Therapy supports straightening out anxious thoughts and finding a more peaceful, hopeful direction.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

While everyday anxiety is usually temporary and linked to specific stressors, an anxiety disorder involves excessive fear, worry, or panic that is difficult to manage and significantly impacts your functioning. There are several common types:

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Persistent and excessive worry about various things (health, work, finances) often accompanied by physical symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, or difficulty concentrating.

• Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia): An intense fear of social situations where you might be judged or scrutinised by others, leading to avoidance of social events, public speaking, or even casual interactions.

• Panic Disorder: Characterised by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks – sudden episodes of intense fear that trigger severe physical reactions (like a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fear of dying) – and often involves persistent worry about having more attacks.

• Specific Phobias: An intense, irrational fear of a specific object or situation (e.g., spiders, heights, flying, needles) that leads to avoidance and significant distress.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety can manifest in various ways:

• Physical: Racing heart, shortness of breath, trembling, sweating, nausea, dizziness, muscle tension, headaches, fatigue, sleep problems.

• Cognitive (Thoughts): Excessive worrying, catastrophic thinking (imagining the worst), difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, fear of losing control, irritability.

• Behavioural: Avoiding feared situations or places, withdrawing socially, procrastinating, seeking constant reassurance, and having difficulty relaxing.

If these symptoms feel familiar and are impacting your life in Melbourne, seeking professional help from a Clinical Psychologist is a positive and effective step.

An Example:

Amelia, a project manager in Melbourne, found herself in a constant state of worry. She would lie awake at night, her mind racing through 'what if' scenarios about work deadlines, her parents' health, and her financial security. During the day, she felt perpetually tense, with a constant knot in her stomach and sore shoulders. She started avoiding after-work social events, worried she wouldn't have anything interesting to say. Her GP noted how exhausted she seemed. Amelia's experience reflects how Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can permeate many areas of life, turning everyday concerns into a source of chronic, exhausting distress.

(Please note: This is a fictional vignette created for illustrative purposes only.)

A Skill to Find Your Ground: "Dropping Anchor"

When you feel hooked by worry or a wave of anxiety, you can use a skill from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) called "Dropping Anchor" to ground yourself. Remember the acronym A.C.E:

1. Acknowledge: Silently and gently acknowledge what you are feeling inside. ("Here is anxiety," or "I'm having the thought that this will be a disaster.")

2. Come back into your body: Feel your feet flat on the floor. Notice the pressure of the chair supporting you. Gently press your fingertips together. Wiggle your toes. These sensations are happening right now.

3. Engage with the world: Notice five things you can see around you. Notice four things you can hear. Notice one thing you can smell.

The goal isn't to make the anxiety disappear, but to "unhook" from it so it doesn't drag you away.

Evidence-Based Anxiety Treatments at Shaw Psychology

At Shaw Psychology, our experienced clinical psychologists in Melbourne utilise effective, research-backed therapies to help clients manage and overcome anxiety disorders. We work collaboratively to find the best approach for you, often integrating techniques from:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Often considered the gold standard for anxiety, CBT helps you identify, challenge, and change unhelpful anxious thought patterns and beliefs. It also involves behavioural strategies to gradually face feared situations, reducing avoidance and building confidence.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT takes a different approach, focusing on accepting anxious thoughts and feelings without struggling against them. It helps you clarify what's truly important to you (your values) and commit to taking actions aligned with those values, even when anxiety is present. Mindfulness skills are central to ACT.

• Schema Therapy: For some individuals, deep-seated life patterns (schemas), often originating from earlier life experiences, can drive persistent anxiety. Schema Therapy can help identify and address these underlying vulnerabilities.

• EMDR: If anxiety or panic is directly linked to specific past distressing or traumatic events, EMDR can be a powerful tool to process these underlying memories.

Take Control of Anxiety with Shaw Psychology

Living with an anxiety disorder can feel exhausting and limiting, but you don't have to face it alone. Effective treatment can help you understand your anxiety, develop powerful coping strategies, and get back to living a fuller, more valued life in Melbourne.

Our clinical psychologists are experienced in providing evidence-based therapy for a wide range of anxiety disorders. We offer a compassionate, confidential, and supportive environment to help you tackle anxiety head-on.

Contact us today on (03) 9969 2190, visit our website at www.shawpsychology.com to learn more, or book an initial consultation directly online here: https://bit.ly/bookshawpsychology.