When to See a Psychologist for Your Anxiety

Anxiety, it seems everyone is talking about it these days, and that’s not a bad thing. In any one year, it is estimated that over 2 million Australians will suffer from anxiety and keeping this mental health condition at the forefront of conversation helps reduce the stigma that prevents many people from seeking treatment and support. For many people it can be difficult to tell if the level of anxiety experienced on a daily basis is normal, or if they’re actually experiencing some level of anxiety that could benefit from seeing a professional.

Some Level of Anxiety is Normal

Figuring out how serious the anxiety you experience is can be difficult because anxiety is a normal part of being a human. Anxiety is the body’s physical response to fear and the symptoms might include a racing heart, rapid breathing, sweaty palms and stomach butterflies to name a few. Everyone will feel anxious at times, and a certain level of anxiety is both normal and even helpful in some situations, like when there is a real threat of danger present.

When to Seek Help

If you suffer from anxiety, you may feel the way you do when in a dangerous situation even when there’s no real danger present. Instead of being helpful, this reaction can impact your everyday life, be distracting or even debilitating. When anxious thoughts start to interfere with your life, health, sleep, work or relationships it’s a sign that you should seek advice and treatment from a mental health professional. Signs of problem anxiety may include:

• Anxiety that is not limited to stressful situations – strong feelings of worry, unease and fear in everyday situations
• It stops you doing things – going out of your way to avoid things, people, events or places that make you anxious
• Worrying about things that aren’t likely to cause problems
• Inability to sleep or interrupted sleep due to worrying about the next day
• Anger and irritability – having a short fuse or being always on edge
• Physical issues such as gastrointestinal problems or irritable bowel syndrome

Visiting a Psychologist

Deciding to get help is a huge step but a visit to a psychologist in itself my cause anxiety. Knowing what to expect at your first session and beyond may make the experience less daunting and minimise the stress.

Your psychologist will:

• Talk with you about your concerns. You will likely be asked a lot of questions and it’s important to be open and honest with your answers. It is your psychologist’s ultimate goal to learn what troubles you’re having so that they can create a plan to help you build the skills you need to address your anxiety.
• Work out a management and treatment plan for your anxiety. Your psychologist will figure out which kind of therapy best suits your needs. Like all medical treatments, different forms and approaches work for different people. It may be that all you need is a few sessions, or you may need weekly visits for months or years based on your goals. Your psychologist might also decide if medication would help you live your healthiest, happiest life.
• Diagnose and treat any other mental health issues, including depression or alcohol and drug use.
• Keep track of any medication side effects and your physical health.
• Speak with family and loved ones about your anxiety, if you wish.
• Provide referrals to other health professionals, if required.

At Psylegal, our mental health professionals are highly trained to help and treat people with all kinds of mental health conditions. Whether you’re going through a tough situation or feel like you may be suffering from anxiety, call us today on 1300 79 22 09 for more information on our anxiety treatment options.