Understanding Anxiety
3 million Australians are living with anxiety or depression
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. On average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life.
In a 12-month period, over two million Australians experience anxiety.
Anxiety is common, but the sooner people with anxiety get support, the more likely they are to recover.
Generalised Anxiety in Adults
You are More than you think you are!
Childhood Anxiety
Types of Anxiety
Generalised
Anxiety
Feeling Anxious about a variety of things on most days.
Social Phobias
Intense fear of Criticism, Humiliation and Embarrassment in every day situations
Panic Disorders
Frequent Attacks of Intense Anxiety, that seem like they can't be brought under control
Social Anxiety
Fear of meeting new people, socialising and going out.
Feeling like you are in the spotlight overly shy.
OCD
On going unwanted intrusive thoughts and fears that cause Anxieties, Leading to a need to carry out certain rituals to feel less anxious
Phobias
Fearful feelings about a specific thing or situation
PTSD
Bursts of Anxiety that can happen at anytime after a traumatic event.
Separation Anxiety
Fear of leaving others or being alone.
Symptoms
Panic attacks, Sweating, hot and cold flushes, racing heart, tightening of the chest, quick breathing, dizzy, restlessness, or feeling tense, wound up and edgy, overwhelmed.
Physical Signs
Overly worried, fear,
expecting something bad to happen. catastrophizing, or obsessive thinking and rumination, feeling doom, feeling like you can't trust people, Thinking about how the world should be, feeling out of control or your life, Black and white thinking. Jumping to conclusions. Ruling out the positives.
Psychological Signs
You may avoidance of situations or people that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life.
You may feel a sense of injustice and be angry.
You may be a perfectionist.
You may have OCD.
You may try to control your environment.
Behavioural Signs
What does Anxiety feel like?
" Like a voice in the back of my mind telling me to watch out"
"It feels like my world is getting smaller"
"It takes the fun out of the things I once loved to do"
