Understanding Anxiety

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot “I’m so anxious,” “This is giving me anxiety.” But what does it actually mean? And why do we feel it?

Anxiety is part of the human condition. It’s our body’s way of saying, “Hey, something might need your attention.” At its core, anxiety is a survival mechanism – a blend of thoughts, body sensations, and emotional states designed to alert us to potential danger. It becomes an issue when it doesn’t switch off, or when it starts interfering with daily life.

There are many types of anxiety: generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias. Each presents differently but they share common threads – overthinking, tension, fear of losing control, hyper-awareness of what could go wrong. Sound familiar?

What does anxiety feel like?

At Jonathan Feld Therapy, I often work with people who don’t always realise they’re experiencing anxiety. It can show up as:

Difficulty concentrating
Racing thoughts
Tight chest or shallow breath
Irritability
Avoiding situations or people

Anxiety isn’t just in your head, it often lives in the body too. For some, it’s a racing heart, tightness in the chest, or digestive issues. For others, it shows up as constant worry or the need to plan for every possible outcome.

A common question I hear is: “Is this anxiety or something else?” When anxiety manifests physically – heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea, it can feel like something far more serious. Therapy can help untangle these sensations, offering space to identify what’s emotional, what’s physical, and where they overlap.

Panic & anxiety

Panic attacks can feel overwhelming like a wave crashing over you with no warning. Together we explore the emotional terrain leading up to panic, as well as grounding techniques to bring you back into your body and the present moment.

Anxiety can also be shaped by your early environment, life experiences, and inherited traits. You may have grown up in a household where high alertness was necessary or experienced trauma that altered your nervous system’s baseline. Understanding this context helps depersonalise the experience anxiety isn’t your fault, and you’re not broken.

Anxiety & depression overlap

It is common to experience anxiety and depression at the same time. You might feel constantly on edge and flat or hopeless. The mix can be confusing – how can you feel too much and too little at the same time? Therapy can help clarify and distinguish these experiences, giving each the attention it deserves. Understanding this duality is often a breakthrough moment.

When anxiety feels like a heart attack

Many people end up in A&E thinking they’re having a cardiac event – only to learn it was anxiety. The racing heart, dizziness, tingling hands, shortness of breath – these are real physiological responses. A therapist can help you learn to interpret these signals differently and bring them into manageable awareness.

The good news is that anxiety is treatable. With the right therapeutic approach – often a blend of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), mindfulness, somatic techniques, and psycho-education – anxiety becomes something we can learn to observe and respond to, rather than something that runs the show.

5 simple techniques to help manage anxiety

Here are five practical tools to begin managing anxiety in everyday life:

Name it

Saying, “I’m feeling anxious,” out loud can take the edge off. Labelling emotions helps the brain regulate them (Lieberman et al., 2007).

Breathe

Deep, slow breaths signal the body that it’s safe. Try breathing in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6. Repeat. This calms the sympathetic nervous system and re-engages the parasympathetic system.

Get curious

What’s the thought behind the feeling? Is it true? Is it helpful? Notice whether you’re catastrophising or fortune-telling.

Move

Physical activity shifts stagnant energy. Walk, stretch, shake out your hands. Even small movements can release tension held in the body.

Connect

Talking to someone – a therapist, a friend, a partner, or a support group, can normalise the experience and remind you you’re not alone. Connection is an antidote to anxiety’s isolating grip.

How therapy can help you manage anxiety

Therapy provides a space where your anxiety can be heard, understood, held, and not judged. Together we explore what your anxiety is trying to protect you from and how to listen without letting it take over. Rather than avoiding what feels uncomfortable, we build the capacity to be with it, gently and safely.

Therapy might also support you in:

Mapping your anxiety triggers
Understanding family or relational patterns that shaped how you deal with stress
Building a toolkit of coping strategies tailored to your life
Reconnecting with calm, play, and joy

If you’d like support with anxiety or want to explore your patterns more deeply, you’re welcome to reach out. You can book a free 30-minute intro session at jonathanfeldtherapy.com. I’m Jonathan Feld, and I’d be glad to hear from you.

References

Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.
Hofmann, S. G., et al. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 427–440.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2020). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. www.nice.org.uk
Barlow, D. H. (2002). Anxiety and Its Disorders: The Nature and Treatment of Anxiety and Panic. Guilford Press.
Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2010). Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: Science and Practice. Guilford Press.
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin.
Siegel, D. J. (2010). The Mindful Therapist. Norton.