Anxiety

In order to cope, you may have found ways to block out the memory, or you may avoid going to certain places or being around certain people. You can feel as though this anxiety is taking over your whole life.

Types of anxiety

Social Anxiety

Many people suffer from what’s known as “social anxiety” or “social phobia” which is an irrational fear of social situations. Some degree of social phobia is normal. Small degrees of shyness in public places, or discomfort while public speaking, are natural in most people and do not imply an anxiety problem.

But if that fear disrupts your life, you may be suffering from social anxiety. This is when the shyness is so intense that just the idea of socialising or doing any public speaking can cause feelings of panic. Sometimes talking to strangers, authority figures, or possibly even your friends can cause you noticeable stress and fear.

People with social anxiety view public situations as being potentially painful and distressing. Often they live with a constant fear of being judged, observed, remarked upon, or avoided. Those with social phobia also often have an irrational fear of doing something stupid or embarrassing. What makes this more than just shyness is when these anxieties cause you to avoid social situations altogether.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the fear of going out in public, either the fear of being trapped or the fear of being in unfamiliar places.

Many people with agoraphobia struggle to leave their home or do anything they can to avoid travelling anywhere, other than their home and office. Some people can go to the supermarket or other familiar places but otherwise experience intense, nearly debilitating fear anywhere else.

Many people that have agoraphobic behaviours also have panic disorder. That’s because, for many, agoraphobia is often caused by panic attacks. People experience panic attacks in public places, so they start to avoid more and more places in order to avoid panic attacks, until they are afraid to go outside. Some people experience agoraphobia after traumatic events as well.

Phobias

A phobia is a particular fear of something or a situation and is born out of your own experience, or someone close to you having the phobia. An example of this is a child witnessing their mother screaming and racing around the lounge when a spider has been spotted. You can have a phobia of many different things or situations.

Hypnotherapy works particularly well with anxiety and together we can find what triggers you to feel anxious, and find the quickest and safest way of getting rid of those feelings and sensations to make you feel in control and able to face every situation and everything with logic, calmness and normality.