The London Therapist

Many people struggle with anxious thoughts – why can it be so hard to find relief from them?

It’s related to the very nature of anxiety – read on to find out more.

Anxiety and fear are very related. We have a fear response to a danger that is very clearly present – for example, if there is a car coming towards us too fast – we have a fear response, which tells our body to take action to protect us from this very obvious danger (e.g. we move out of the way).

Anxiety is very similar to fear – anxiety also warns the body about something threatening. However, while with fear it is very clear what the threat is (e.g. the car coming towards you too fast), with anxiety it is not always clear what the threat is. Anxiety can be linked to planning for future dangerous situations, rather than an imminent one.

With fear, your body usually knows what action it needs to take, whereas, with anxiety, it is harder to know what to do, as the threat is not obvious or imminent, and anxious thoughts can swirl with no relief.

So, what does this mean for you if you struggle with anxious thoughts? Firstly, anxiety is normal and usually passes when the anxiety-inducing situation has passed. But if the anxious feeling lingers then it can become harder to cope and has an effect on the body.

In this situation, it is important to listen to the anxious thoughts – many people try to brush the thoughts away but that has the paradoxical effect of making the thoughts stronger. Listening to anxious thoughts won’t make the thoughts come true, and perhaps by listening to them, it might reduce their power.

In psychotherapy, we talk about these anxious thoughts and try to understand the underlying cause. What is the nature of the threat that your mind is anticipating – it is linked to something happening in your life, could it be that you feel internally conflicted about something? Understanding the anxiety can bring relief. It’s important to hold on to the hope that there can be relief from anxiety and anxious thoughts with the right support.