Anxiety
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal response, and sometimes even beneficial in crises- it can help you pay attention and become aware of danger. It is designed to save you. However, when these normal feelings of worry become excessive and constant fear, it can become dysfunctional. Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorders and with the right treatment, you can lead a productive and healthy life! Anxiety refers to a feeling of apprehension about the future and is characterized by avoidance behaviour and muscle tension. Fear, another concept important to understand anxiety disorders, is an emotional response to an immediate threat, whereas anxiety is a response to a future or anticipatory threat. Anxiety disorders are a group of disorders characterized by, you guessed it, excessive anxiety and fear, which may cause you to avoid the situation or trigger. This can affect your performance at work or school, interpersonal relationships, and emotional distress.For a person to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety or fear must:
- Hinder your ability to function normally
- It must be out of proportion to the situation or trigger
There are different types of anxiety disorders:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):
- This involves a persistent and excessive worry that hinders the person from their daily functioning. The constant tension may lead to physical symptoms like restlessness, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, feeling on edge or very fatigued, and muscle tension.
- The anxiety can be related to minor matters like daily chores, and also to job responsibilities, family health, etc.
Phobias:
- Though we may use the word colloquially, a phobia is an excessive and consistent fear of a particular object, activity, or situation.
- The fear is irrational and severe, and usually, people with phobias know that, but find it tough to overcome.
- The fear causes distress, which leads to people going to great lengths to avoid what they are scared of.
Panic disorder:
- The primary symptom is recurrent panic attacks, which causes extreme psychological and physical distress.
Some common symptoms of panic attacks are:
- Palpitations
- Feeling of choking
- Trembling or shaking
- Chest pain
- Dizziness/feeling lightheaded
- Numbness or tingling
- Chills or hot flashes
- Nausea/stomach pain
- Fear of dying
- Feeling a loss of control
- Feeling detached
Social Anxiety Disorder:
- This is when a person feels uncomfortable and anxious in social interactions as they are fearful of embarrassing or humiliating themselves.
- This might hinder your daily functioning
- Lasts at least 6 months
Separation Anxiety Disorder:
- A person with this disorder feels distressed and fearful when they are separated from those they are attached to.
- This feeling is more than what is appropriate for the situation or person’s age.
- Persists at least 4 weeks in children and 6 months in adults.
- The person may experience fear of losing who they are attached to, they may refuse to go anywhere without that person, or even refuse to eat and sleep without that person.
During Therapy for Anxiety:
Anxiety, like Depression, can be completely cured through the process of therapy. While medication may provide relief from certain physical symptoms, it is not the cure. CBT and REBT have proved to be very effective as it involves working on cognitive distortions, that is, certain unhealthy thought patterns that are unhelpful and cause anxiety in the individual. CBT can help you change the way you think, feel, and behave to make you feel less anxious by providing you with tools to cope, and remind you that there are certain aspects in your control.Benefits:
- CBT gives you the ability to identify automatic negative thoughts (ANT’s) which are usually the cause of anxiety and distress
- Once you have identified these disturbing thought patterns, you can identify your triggers
- It gives you the ability to expand (and have faith in) your coping abilities as an individual
- It provides you with tools to tolerate and heal from triggering or distressing situations that cause anxiety
- It makes you capable of converting
- Physical symptoms and panic attacks can also be dealt with through this process
- For dealing with phobias- CBT counters the automatic negative thoughts which enables the fear and avoidance behaviour caused by that fear
- It is a step-by-step process- for example, if someone has a phobia of cats, an initial step would be to make the person read about a cat, then maybe watch a film, and so on.
- The process of therapy is always a layered (and not a linear) one. When it comes to anxiety, CBT can help you help yourself by changing your dysfunctional thought pattern to become a healthier individual.


Client Testimonials
I am a 31-year-old female based out of Switzerland. I have been visiting Tanu for around 4 months and the sessions are helping already! The initial sessions covered a personality test to identify any specific areas to work upon, followed by free ranging sessions to discuss anything on my mind. Tanu focused not just on the root cause analysis of the issue but a significant part of the sessions is also focused on actually developing the essential life skills to deal with stressors. We discuss my weekly and long-term goals and she helps me remain accountable to them. Additionally, over the course of our sessions, Tanu has helped me identify or think through a few underlying issues and move towards acceptance for the same, while learning to be aware of them and managing them. Tanu is friendly, approachable, non-judgmental and over-all a delight to have as a therapist. Strongly recommend!I am a 36-year-old male. I consulted Tanu as I was trying to address a long-entrenched anxiety issue. I was also processing the end of my marriage and some family issues. I have found that Tanu strikes a good balance between being objective and professional on one hand, but also deeply interested, caring and empathetic on the other. She creates a safe space where I feel very comfortable sharing my thoughts and concerns. I have found her insights to be logical, actionable and useful in managing my issues resulting in an improved quality of life. Over a few months I feel I have made meaningful progress and I intend to continue working with her going forward. I would strongly recommend her to anyone who is going through psychological issues, or simply striving to have a better relationship with oneself and with others.
I have been speaking to Tanu since over a month now regarding my anxiety and it has helped me tremendously. She is a genuine person and is extremely understanding and supportive especially during tough times. Her knowledge of psychiatry is extensive and her methods are very down to earth. Being an anxious personality, I was anxious about speaking with her my very first time, however, after the first 5 minutes it was like I was speaking to an old friend. I can definitely say that my sessions with Tanu have eased my anxiety and I have been able to able to tackle issues faced by myself with more confidence and assurance. I would definitely recommend speaking with Tanu if you face similar issues and need someone to hear your troubles. Thanks for everything!
Tanu is an incredible therapist for chronic anxiety and depression. I have struggled with anxiety from the age of 12 (I am 30 now) and even after therapy had come to the conclusion that it would never resolve. But after talking to Tanu, I finally feel like this is something I can work on and get better at. She is extremely friendly and comforting; making it very easy to talk to her and confide in her. But at the same time is very professional with her time and approach. My favourite thing about Tanu is that she does not lecture you on the problems or the solutions. Through discussions and conversations, she helps you realise the problem and a feasible solution for yourself. A session with her feels like chatting with a friend but you come out of it with so much realisation, motivation and hope. If anyone is dealing with chronic anxiety, please call Tanu. It will be the best decision you have made towards your recovery.
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