Written by Luisa Kos
Table of contents
Understanding anxiety and how it impacts your overall mental health
Anxiety is a natural response to stress, but when it becomes persistent or overwhelming, it can begin to affect your overall mental health. You may feel anxious without a clear reason, or find that everyday situations trigger a heightened sense of unease. Over time, this can develop into one of several mental health conditions that impact how you think, feel, and respond to the world around you.
When anxiety becomes more intense, it can move beyond occasional worry and develop into excessive anxiety or even severe anxiety. This can affect your ability to focus, make decisions, and feel in control. At The Therapist Finder, we understand that anxiety is more than just worry. It is a mental illness that can affect your confidence, relationships, and sense of wellbeing, especially when left unsupported.
Symptoms of anxiety
Anxiety can present in different ways, and your experience may not look the same as someone else’s. While the main symptom is often a persistent sense of worry, anxiety also includes a range of psychological symptoms and physical symptoms that can affect both your mind and body. Common symptoms include:
- Feeling tense or constantly on edge
- A rapid heartbeat or pounding heart
- A churning feeling in your stomach
- Feeling sick or experiencing digestive discomfort
- Trouble concentrating or feeling mentally overwhelmed
- Difficulty with sleeping habits
- Experiencing panic attacks that can last just a few minutes
- Avoiding social situations due to fear or discomfort
- Feeling trapped or unable to relax
- Persistent worry about everyday life or future events
If you recognise these other symptoms, it may indicate that anxiety is beginning to take a stronger hold. With the right support from a mental health provider, you can start to understand what is happening and take steps to reduce anxiety.
How anxiety symptoms can impact day-to-day life
Anxiety can affect your daily life in ways that feel subtle at first, but over time can become more disruptive. You may find it harder to complete routine tasks, manage responsibilities, or feel present in your everyday life. Even simple decisions can begin to feel overwhelming.
It can also affect your relationships. You might withdraw from social situations, struggle to communicate how you feel, or avoid interactions altogether. Conditions such as social phobia can make it difficult to engage with others, leading to isolation and reduced confidence.
In more severe cases, anxiety can worsen over time and can begin to impact your ability to work, maintain routines, or enjoy activities you once valued. Without support, anxiety can begin to shape your choices and limit your freedom, making it harder to feel in control of your life.
How can I benefit from therapy?
Therapy offers you a safe and structured space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours without judgement. Through talking therapies, you can begin to understand what may be contributing to your anxiety and how it is affecting your mental health. This process helps you gain clarity and build awareness around your experiences.
Working with a therapist through The Therapist Finder allows you to develop a personalised treatment plan that supports your needs. Therapy can help you manage overwhelming fear, improve coping strategies, and regain confidence in your ability to navigate life’s challenges. With the right guidance, you can experience anxiety in a more manageable way and start to feel more in control.
Therapeutic approaches for supporting your anxiety disorder
There are a range of effective treatments available for anxiety, and the right approach will depend on your individual needs. At The Therapist Finder, you can connect with professionals who use a variety of evidence-based treatment options to support your mental health.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. It helps you understand how your thoughts influence your feelings and actions, providing practical tools to reduce anxiety and manage triggers.
Psychodynamic Therapy
This approach explores past experiences and unconscious patterns that may contribute to anxiety. It is particularly helpful if your anxiety connects to stressful or traumatic experiences or a traumatic event in your life.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness helps you stay grounded in the present moment. It can support you in managing racing thoughts, improving awareness, and reducing the intensity of anxiety symptoms.
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
CFT helps you develop a kinder relationship with yourself. If you struggle with self-criticism or low self-worth, this approach supports emotional resilience and self-acceptance.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between mind and body. It can help address physical conditions linked to anxiety, such as muscle tension, fatigue, and other physical symptoms.
Integrative Approach
Many therapists use an integrative approach, combining different methods to suit your needs. This allows your therapy to adapt as you progress and ensures your support remains personalised.
What to expect in therapy
If you’re new to therapy, it’s natural to feel uncertain about what to expect. Here’s how the process typically unfolds:
- Initial session: This is an opportunity to explore your concerns, challenges, and goals in a safe and confidential space.
- Understanding your patterns: Together, we will identify patterns of thinking and behaviour that may be contributing to your anxiety.
- Developing strategies: You will learn practical tools and coping techniques tailored to your specific needs.
- Building emotional resilience: Over time, therapy will help you develop a healthier relationship with your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
- Sustained progress: The goal is not just symptom relief but lasting personal growth and well-being.
Therapy is a journey, and change takes time. However, even small shifts in mindset and behaviour can lead to significant improvements in your quality of life.
Anxiety can also impact your overall physical health
Anxiety does not only affect your thoughts and emotions. It can also have a direct impact on your physical health. Many people experience symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, fatigue, or tension that can feel like a physical health problem.
When anxiety continues over time, it can contribute to physical conditions such as headaches, digestive issues, and disrupted sleep. These symptoms can make it harder to maintain your wellbeing and can increase stress levels further.
If left untreated, anxiety may begin to affect your immune system, energy levels, and overall health. At The Therapist Finder, we recognise the importance of addressing both the emotional and physical impact of anxiety to support your recovery.
Most common types of anxiety disorder
Anxiety can take many forms, and understanding the different mental disorders can help you recognise what you may be experiencing.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
GAD involves persistent and excessive worry about a range of everyday situations. You may feel worried most of the time without a clear cause.
Panic disorder
Panic disorder involves recurring panic attacks, often accompanied by intense physical symptoms. These episodes can feel sudden and overwhelming.
Social anxiety disorder
This condition, often referred to as social phobia, involves fear of social situations where you may feel judged or embarrassed. It can lead to avoidance and isolation.
Phobias
Phobias include specific phobias, where you experience strong fear of particular objects or situations. These fears can interfere with daily activities.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia involves fear of being in places where escape may feel difficult. You may avoid environments that feel unsafe or unpredictable.
Separation anxiety disorder
This involves intense fear of being separated from people you feel close to. It can affect both adults and children.
Understanding these conditions can help you identify your experience and explore suitable treatment options with support from The Therapist Finder.
What causes anxiety?
Anxiety can develop for many different reasons, and often a combination of factors plays a role. Some of the more common ways for anxiety to develop include:
- Genetics and family history of mental health conditions
- Stressful or traumatic experiences, including domestic violence or child abuse
- A significant traumatic event or ongoing life stress
- Environmental factors and lifestyle pressures
- Physical conditions or underlying health concerns
- Other mental health conditions such as depression
- Exposure to dangerous situations or prolonged stress
Understanding what may trigger anxiety disorders is an important step towards managing them. With the right support, you can begin to make sense of your experiences and move forward with confidence.
Take the first step with The Therapist Finder
If anxiety is making life feel overwhelming, you don’t have to face it alone. Therapy can help you break free from unhelpful patterns, build emotional strength, and move towards a life with greater peace, clarity, and connection.
Finding the right therapist for you
Not every therapist is the right fit for everyone. Here are some things to consider when choosing a therapist:
- Experience & specialisms: Do they have experience working with anxiety or related concerns such as trauma, depression or burnout?
- Therapeutic style: Do they take a structured, practical approach or a more exploratory, reflective one?
- Comfort & connection: Do you feel safe, understood, and comfortable sharing with them?
- Evidence-based approaches: Do they use scientifically supported methods like CBT, mindfulness, or psychodynamic therapy?
A good therapist will support you without judgment and help you gain insight, confidence, and tools to manage life’s challenges more effectively.
Find a specialist
Finding the right therapist for anxiety is a crucial step towards healing and personal growth. A good therapist should provide a safe, non-judgmental space where you feel understood and supported. Look for someone with experience in treating anxiety, ideally using evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, or Mindfulness-Based techniques. Consider their therapeutic style – whether you prefer a structured, goal-oriented approach or a more open, exploratory process. It’s also important to feel a genuine connection with your therapist, as trust and rapport play a key role in effective therapy. Many therapists offer an initial consultation, which can help you determine if their approach aligns with your needs. The right therapist will not only help you manage symptoms but also empower you to develop healthier coping strategies and create lasting change.
Geraldine Wachholz
am an experienced counsellor working with adults and young people across a range of emotional and relationship difficulties. Alongside my professional training and continued development, I bring personal experience of cancer and other health conditions, which informs my understanding of illness, uncertainty and loss. I offer a calm, confidential and non-judgmental space where you can speak openly about anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement, relationship issues, low self-worth, boundaries, burnout and the impact of abuse. Our work moves at your pace, with a focus on careful listening and meaningful change.
Sue Wilson
My approaches are Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Integrative, Attachment-Based. BSc Psychology & Counselling from the University of Roehampton. Level Four Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. Holds a certificate in Counselling for Depression through the NHS IAPT service. Works with adults and elders, in-person and online. Available most weekday evenings and some mornings.
Claudia Varosio
I am a trained transpersonal psychotherapist grounded in Psychosynthesis, integrating somatic therapy, attachment theory and neuroscience. I work ethically and relationally with adults facing trauma, relationship difficulties and life transitions. Using embodiment practices, parts work and mindful awareness, I support clients to understand long-standing patterns, regulate the nervous system and create meaningful, lasting change.
Tuesday Anne Benfield
I am a qualified counsellor specialising in ADHD (diagnosed or undiagnosed), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and trauma. I work with people who feel overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, low self-esteem or patterns in relationships that are difficult to change. My approach is supportive, practical and grounded in experience, helping clients better understand themselves, challenge unhelpful beliefs and develop healthier ways of coping. I have particular experience supporting people with OCD, including intrusive thoughts and relationship OCD, as well as those who have experienced trauma such as childhood difficulties, loss, abandonment and abuse. My aim is to provide a safe and steady space where clients can process their experiences and regain a sense of control and confidence in their lives.
Richard Mann
I have experience working in both the NHS and private practice, supporting clients with anxiety, depression and trauma. I specialise in addiction, relationship difficulties, including infidelity, intimacy and compulsive sexual behaviour, and offer LGBTQIA+ affirming and neurodiverse-affirming therapy for autistic and ADHD clients. My approach is collaborative and tailored to you, creating a safe, confidential space where you can speak openly without judgement. I work both short and long term, drawing on an integrative range of approaches, including creative techniques, mindfulness and an understanding of neuroscience, to help you make sense of your experiences and find ways to manage them.
Julia Osborne
I am a qualified integrative counsellor, trained in relational, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches, alongside attachment theory and intercultural perspectives. My work is also informed by trauma and mindfulness-based practices. I work with adults experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, trauma, and life transitions. I offer a collaborative, non-judgemental space, tailoring my approach to each individual’s needs.
Jackie Van Roosmalen
I started my professional journey as a creative arts therapist and I worked in community settings including residential homes, schools and mental health centres. I then worked for several years as a health care assistant in an in-patient adolescent hospital before starting my clinical training. Whilst training I worked in Brent CAMHS for 6 years and post qualification I worked as a Highly Specialist Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist in Sutton CAMHS for 7 years. I set up an Independent Practice in 2014 and this is where I currently work.
James Angel
I am an attachment-based psychotherapist trained at The Bowlby Centre, where I now also teach, and I have previously worked within the NHS. My approach is grounded in the belief that therapy can help get to the root of distress by understanding how past relationships shape present experience, while also supporting a more curious and mindful way of relating to thoughts, emotions and the body. Having experienced therapy myself, I value the depth of the process and aim to offer a safe, thoughtful and confidential space where meaningful change can take place.
Mark Ryan
I hold a BA (Hons) in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy and am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), where I hold Accredited Relationship Therapist status. My integrative training draws on humanistic, psychodynamic, and relational approaches. I have undertaken further professional development in Imago Relationship Therapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Systemic and Attachment-Based models, and working with Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD) including ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, and LGBTQ+ relationships. Prior to private practice I worked within community and clinical settings supporting couples and individuals facing communication breakdown, infidelity, intimacy and desire challenges, family conflict, and the impact of stress and trauma on relationships. I now work exclusively in person with couples and people in diverse relationship structures from rooms in Pimlico, Kensington, and Angel providing a confidential, collaborative space for reflection, repair, and growth.
Siobhan Maguire-Swartz
Whatever your reasons for seeking therapy, I am here to listen and support you. I will focus on you with care, compassion, empathy and a non-shaming approach. I work in an integrated way combining different techniques and approaches from a range of styles to best suit clients as we get to know each other. I tailor my approach to best suit your hopes and goals and (most importantly) to stay alongside you in your process. Counselling and Therapy is an organic, evolving, mutual, process where client and therapist collaborate in relationship to support growth. I adapt my style as the work progresses to help achieve your aims. Therapy can be difficult, it’s not a quick fix and it can be painful to look back at traumatic experiences, memories, or current difficulties. That is why I will go at your pace, paying close attention to your needs, staying in constant dialogue, pausing or slowing down when needed. It is important you feel secure within the confidential setting, to explore your issues, so that the work can help to safely heal and transform. I trained in the Humanistic style, meaning I integrate a range of psychotherapeutic theories including: Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred Therapy and Relational techniques. Having worked with my body as a dance artist for nearly 20 years, I am able to offer a more embodied, somatic-based approach if requested.
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