How Counselling Helps Anxiety
Anxiety is the companion that walks in when the world feels uncertain, when our sense of control slips through our fingers. For some, it announces itself as a tight chest when the phone rings. For others, it creeps in during the silence of night, filling the dark with racing thoughts. It can be a quiet hum beneath the surface or a roar that drowns out everything else.
Anxiety is exhausting, not only because of its intensity, but because it can make us feel like we are always preparing for something that may never happen. You cancel the plan, avoid the place, postpone the decision, not because you don’t want to live, but because you want to feel safe doing so.
But anxiety is not simply a malfunction. It is a response often disproportionate, but rooted in something deeply human. It is the body’s way of asking: Am I okay? Am I safe? Can I trust this moment? Sometimes, those questions come from past experiences. Sometimes, they are shaped by cultural or familial narratives of survival, perfectionism, or hypervigilance. Anxiety may live in your body, but it was rarely born there.
Too often, we are taught to pathologise anxiety, to silence it, to “manage” it, to be shut down, rather than being understood.
Therapy invites us into conversation with our anxiety, not to banish it, but to listen to what it may be protecting. With the support of an experienced therapist, you can begin to explore: What is this anxiety trying to prevent? What fear lies underneath? Whose voice does this echo? We don’t treat the symptom in isolation, but we attend to the context, the relationship to self and others, the story.
In this blog, we’ll look at how anxiety manifests in the body, in the mind, in your relationships and how different therapeutic approaches can help you move from reaction to reflection. From survival to connection. Because healing isn’t about eliminating anxiety. It is about learning how to live with it, instead of under it.
What is Anxiety? Understanding the Fight or Flight Response
Anxiety is often spoken of as a mental health issue, yet it is equally, and perhaps more fundamentally, a biological response and a reflection of how our body interprets the environment through the lens of our perceptions.
At the heart of anxiety lies the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, designed to keep us alive in the presence of perceived threats. When we sense danger, real or imagined, our brain sends messages to our body to prepare for immediate action. Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol flood the system, increasing heart rate, tightening muscles, and sharpening our senses. It’s a survival mechanism hardwired into our physiology.
If you were truly in danger, running from a bear in the woods, this system would serve you perfectly. The surge of stress hormones would propel your body into motion, increasing your speed, agility, and reflexes.
Today, many of our “threats” are not physical. They are mental, emotional, or social: an upcoming meeting, a delayed text, a critical remark, a fear-based projection into the future. Our perception, shaped by past experiences, beliefs, and environmental conditioning, tells our body we are in danger. So the biology reacts as if the bear is still there, even when the threat is psychological.
Over time, this repeated stress response, activated by our perceptions, can create a chronic state of hypervigilance. The nervous system becomes dysregulated. The body remains on high alert, even when it’s no longer necessary. This is what we often see in what is called generalised anxiety disorder, where the fight-or-flight system struggles to turn off.
Even more challenging, in panic attacks, a person may begin to fear the feelings of anxiety themselves, the racing heart, the tight chest. This “fear of fear” creates a feedback loop, intensifying the experience and leading to avoidance behaviours and panic attacks.
However, here’s the empowering insight Bruce Lipton brings:
“If perception drives biology, then shifting perception can alter the biological response.”
Through practices that support self-awareness, belief work, mindfulness, and therapeutic reprogramming of subconscious patterns, we can begin to change the way we perceive and respond to stressors. Over time, this can help calm the fight-or-flight system, regulate the nervous system, and shift the body from a state of survival to one of safety.
If you suffer from anxiety, you are not broken. Your body is responding perfectly to the signals it’s receiving. The work is in changing the signals, and with support, that is entirely possible.
What are the Signs of Anxiety?
Anxiety looks and feels different for everyone, but there are common signs. These can show up in the body, the mind, or both:
- A racing heart or palpitations
- Shortness of breath or chest tightness
- Fidgeting and feeling restless
- Excessive worry and overthinking
- Tingling in fingers or hands
- Sweating or trembling
- Sudden changes in body temperature
- Muscle tension, clenched jaw, or aching shoulders
- Feeling unable to relax
- Difficulty sleeping, often with racing thoughts
- A sense of dread, doom, or constant fear
- Struggling to concentrate or feeling easily distracted
Different Types of Anxiety
Anxiety doesn’t always look the same. Understanding the different ways it can show up can make it easier to recognise what you or someone you care about may be experiencing.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
The NHS describes GAD as “a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event.” People with GAD often describe it as a constant background hum of worry; difficult to switch off and exhausting to live with.
High Functioning Anxiety
Although not a clinical diagnosis, “high functioning anxiety” is a term often used to describe people who seem capable and organised on the outside, yet feel restless, overworked, or constantly on edge inside. This way of coping can mask the difficulty, sometimes leading to burnout or depression over time.
Panic Attacks
Panic attacks involves sudden, intense episodes of fear, often without warning. Panic attacks may bring dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, chest pain, or a feeling of losing control. Though they usually last only minutes, the fear of having another can become a powerful cycle of its own.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PSTD is a state of constant anxiety that is caused by traumatic experiences. Those experiencing PTSD relive traumatic experiences through flashbacks, nightmares, or heightened alertness.
Social Anxiety Disorder
An overwhelming fear of social situations that may prevent people from engaging in daily life.
Phobias
Phobias are intense fears of specific objects, places, or situations, such as animals, heights, or flying. For example, agoraphobia is when a person fears and avoids places that might cause them to feel trapped, such as being in crowds, using public transport, or even leaving home. The fear is usually linked to the worry that escape may be difficult or that help might not be available during a panic attack.
Counselling and Therapeutic Approaches for Anxiety
Unlike short-term strategies that only manage and fix symptoms, therapy creates a safe space to explore both the immediate distress and the deeper patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety. It allows you to slow down, understand what’s happening in your mind and body, and begin to build new ways of responding to stress.
There are various therapeutic approaches available, and your counsellor will work with you to find what helps you best, whether that involves practical ways to manage day-to-day anxiety, or deeper work to address underlying fears, past experiences, or thought patterns. The goal is not just to cope, but to move toward lasting change and a greater sense of inner calm.
Integrative Therapeutic Approach
Integrative therapy helps with anxiety by bringing together different approaches to address the mind, body, and emotions as a whole. Rather than simply managing symptoms, it explores the roots of anxiety, past experiences, thought patterns, and emotional blocks, while teaching practical tools for calm and self-regulation. Through this balanced and compassionate process, anxiety becomes less of a threat and more of an opportunity for awareness, resilience, and personal growth.
EMDR for Anxiety: Reprocessing Traumatic Memories
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is particularly effective when anxiety is linked to past trauma, such as with PTSD. Through techniques rooted in science, you can safely reprocess difficult memories so they feel less overwhelming in the present.
You can read more about EMDR here.
Exposure Therapy: Conquering Avoidance
Avoidance often makes anxiety stronger. Exposure therapyExposure Therapy Exposure therapy is an important component of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), designed to help individuals confront and manage... More about this therapy works by gently and gradually facing the situations you fear, helping you build tolerance and reduce the power of those triggers over time.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety
CBT is an effective approach to help clients recognise unhelpful patterns of thinking and reduce feelings of anxiety by replacing them with more balanced, realistic thoughts. Over time, this shift in perspective can have very positive effects and can reduce the intensity of anxious feelings, helping you respond more calmly to situations.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Finding Calm in the Present
Mindfulness therapy helps you bring your focus to the present moment with kindness and without judgement. Through practices such as breathing techniques and grounding exercises, mindfulness can reduce rumination and bring a sense of calm to the body and mind.
Therapy for Anxiety at Leone Centre
Anxiety can make the world feel heavy and uncertain, but you don’t have to face it alone.
With the support of counselling, you can begin to understand your anxiety differently, ease its grip, and find new ways of moving forward. Change takes time, but with patience and the right support, it is absolutely possible.
If you’re ready to take the first step, we’re here to walk alongside you towards greater calm, balance, and wellbeing.
In-Person Appointments
For some people, being in the same room as their counsellor feels most supportive. In-person sessions allow for a deeper connection and a dedicated space away from the demands of daily life. We offer in-person appointments in London in the following locations:
Fulham
Kensington
Wimbledon
Belgravia
Online Appointments via Zoom
We also offer online counselling via Zoom, for those who find it easier or more comfortable to access support from home. Online sessions offer the same level of care, confidentiality, and therapeutic depth as in-person appointments, but with added flexibility.
Online therapy can be especially helpful if you:
- Prefer the comfort and privacy of your own home
- Live outside London or travel frequently
- Have mobility or health challenges
- Wish to reduce time spent commuting
For many people, online counselling feels just as effective as face-to-face sessions, making therapy more accessible and manageable.
How to Book Your Appointment
Taking the first step towards counselling can feel daunting, but the process is simple.
You can book your initial consultation with your chosen therapist online, by phone, or by email. Our team will guide you towards the counsellor and approach that best meets your needs, whether that’s talking therapy, EMDR, or another method of support.
During your initial consultation, you’ll have the chance to share what you’ve been experiencing, ask questions, and get an understanding of the next steps.
Meet our team of therapists.
- About the Author
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Co-founder and director of Leone Centre, 20+ years of experience supporting people, and offering valuable knowledge through Couples Counselling and Individual Counselling. Before becoming a therapist, I worked in the financial sector.