What does anxiety feel like?
Anxiety can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Perhaps you feel a constant restlessness in your body, as if something is trembling inside you all the time. It can feel as if you can't breathe, your heart is racing and your body is on high alert. Some people describe it as if the world suddenly becomes unreal or distant – as if they are not quite present.
Your thoughts may go round in circles, and finding calm can feel impossible. Many people experience a deep sense of hopelessness – a fear that the anxiety will never go away. Even though anxiety can feel all-consuming, it is possible to get help and find ways to feel calm and safe again.
Signs of anxiety
- Racing thoughts
- Excessive worry
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Avoidance
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty relaxing
- Hopelessness
Physical symptoms:
- Palpitations
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Fatigue
- Tension
- Breathing difficulties
- Tightness in the chest
How do I work with anxiety?
As a psychologist, I specialise in treating anxiety in a way that helps you feel calm and safe.
I combine body-based exercises, emotional exercises and cognitive strategies to reduce anxiety and strengthen your nervous system. For some people the body-based route works best, while others experience the greatest change through working with their emotions or thoughts.
Together we look at what triggers and maintains your anxiety – often linked to earlier experiences and negative patterns. With online therapy, you get tools to live a calmer life.
Why does anxiety develop?
Anxiety often develops in a negative feedback loop, where the fear of the anxiety itself helps to reinforce it. Once you have experienced anxiety, you can become so afraid of it coming back that your body automatically reacts with even more anxiety.
Your thoughts start circling around why the anxiety appeared, which leads to racing thoughts and keeps the anxiety going. In my treatment, we work on breaking this cycle and creating a positive feedback loop.
Instead of fearing the anxiety, you learn to understand the need behind it, so you can respond to yourself in a more constructive and caring way.
How do I book, and what does it cost?
Prices:
- DKK 1,100 per 50-minute session.
You can book a free introductory call using the button below. Sessions are held in English, either in person at my practice near Aarhus or online by video.
If you have any questions, you are also welcome to send a text message to +45 24 81 67 79 or an email to kontakt@marlenelyby.dk.
Is anxiety an illness?
No, anxiety is not an illness but a natural part of our innate alarm system, which helps us react to danger. Anxiety only becomes a problem when the alarm system is overactive over a long period, which can develop into an anxiety disorder.
Even though anxiety can feel extremely dangerous, it is really an overreaction of the nervous system – a false signal that triggers a strong response to something that is not actually dangerous.
In my treatment, we often focus on the "fear of fear", because the very fear of feeling anxious can be one of the biggest factors that keeps anxiety going.