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Stop Anxiety, Stress, Burnout & Panic Attacks
Recover Calmness, Confidence & Well-being

[ps2id id=’start’/]Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, burnout & similar issues can cause psychological, emotional or even physical symptoms of almost any kind (eg aches & pains, breathing issues, heart palpitations etc). There can be multiple causes, sometimes hidden, and you may or may not feel exactly “anxious” or “stressed out”. I overcame my own symptoms and issues before becoming an Anxiety & Stress Specialist, and on this website I’ve collected information which can help you overcome your symptoms and issues too.

For a quick summary of key concepts that can help you, read on. You can download my free eBook and relaxation audio, and click here to book a free initial conversation with me. I’m a CNHC registered therapist & coach based at Queenswood Medical Practice, Crouch End (about me).

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Contents

[ps2id url=’#start’]Start Here: Overcome Anxiety, Stress, Overload & Similar Issues (you are here) [/ps2id]

[ps2id url=’#wait’]Wait, can stress or anxiety really cause so many symptoms & issues?[/ps2id]

[ps2id url=’#important’]Important: Make it your purpose to overcome this challenge; resist procrastination and avoidance[/ps2id]

[ps2id url=’#better’]Feel better immediately and make the biggest possible improvement[/ps2id]
[ps2id url=’#relax’]1. Harness the relaxation response[/ps2id]

[ps2id url=’#optimise’]2. Learn to make anxiety and stress healthier and more performance-enhancing[/ps2id]
[ps2id url=’#causes’]3. Learn the true cause of anxiety and stress and how to tackle it[/ps2id]
[ps2id url=’#professional’]4. Know you can accelerate things with professional help[/ps2id]

Hi I’m James Cormack, an Anxiety & Stress specialist. I offer sessions at Queenswood Medical Practice & other venues in Crouch End (N8); Central London (multiple locations); & Online.

Free consultationAbout me

Whether you feel ‘anxious’ or ‘stressed out’ or not[footnote]Some people ‘feel’ anxiety and stress when it affects them, while others don’t feel it. Stress and anxiety can happen unconsciously. Gabor Maté’s When The Body Says No is subtitled “The Cost of Hidden Stress” and discusses how stress occurs unconsciously. See my Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook to learn more.[/footnote], what underlies all these issues (in the language of psychological therapy at least) is stress and anxiety. In my case, I didn’t feel anxious or stressed, but when I learned the cause of my symptoms was anxiety and stress that allowed me to overcome all my issues and symptoms; clear my mind; regain normal emotional balance, calmness and good health; and unlock a better life.

Everyone gets a different set of symptoms to stress and anxiety. Some people get mostly mental ones, some more physical and some people get both.

Knowledge is power, so check out this infographic from MentalHealthAmerica.net – this lists some, but not all, common stress and anxiety-related symptoms:

Source: MentalHealthAmerica.net

How many of those have you experienced? Have you considered whether anxiety and stress could be the cause?

I used to have many of the physical symptoms shown above, but I didn’t feel ‘stressed’ or ‘anxious’. I thought I had an illness but was otherwise calm and psychologically fine. When they worsened I worried I had an undiagnosed medical condition. Eventually I learned stress and anxiety were the (unconscious) cause, unlocking my recovery.

You might feel overloaded or nervous, or not. Some people worry a lot with racing thoughts, others don’t. Some people obsess or worry excessively, especially about their health (health anxiety or hypochondria). Some have trouble focusing or concentrating.

Maybe you’ve been unusually moody, down or irritable; some people experience depression or feelings of despair. Perhaps you’ve felt surges of anger or sadness, maybe you’ve experienced sleep issues. Some people experience fatigue.

Perhaps you’ve had some physical symptoms – for example feeling tense, fidgety or restless. Some people experience heart palpitations, lightheadedness, difficult breathing (sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe enough air), and other sensations like weakness in their body. 

If you’ve had more severe anxiety or stress issues you might have experienced panic or anxiety attacks, or other attacks of sudden emotion. Some people take on coping behaviours like smoking, over-eating, other addictions or compulsions to cope with their stress and anxiety related issues.

And some people (like myself in the past) experience real physical symptoms which seem to have no relation to anxiety or stress – such as chronic aches, pains or spasms; stomach issues; even certain skin disorders, and many more. These symptoms are real, they are not “just in your head” but they can be linked to anxiety & stress as I explain further down.

If any of these symptoms apply to you, be aware these are often linked to anxiety and stress, whether or not you feel ‘anxious’ or ‘stressed out’. See your medical doctor first to rule out any other causes, and you can figure out if your symptoms are indeed due to stress and anxiety.

Once I realised my issues were anxiety and stress related I overcame all my symptoms, which were mostly physical, severe and included chronic pain which threatened my career. (See my free Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook to learn more about my story.)

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[ps2id id=’wait’/]

Wait, can stress or anxiety really cause so many symptoms & issues? 

Absolutely, this is actually quite well-known. For example look at WebMD’s stress symptoms list; or stress.org’s list (a nonprofit); or mayoclinic’s list (another nonprofit). It is widely known stress and anxiety can cause many different symptoms, both mental and physical.

Many of the physical symptoms related to stress or anxiety are psychogenic, meaning they are real physical symptoms (they are not just in your head), but they are either induced or worsened by psychological causes. This is how stress and anxiety can lead to real, seemingly unrelated physical symptoms. To learn more about this, including the latest research and links to books and articles on the subject see my free Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook (there’s a big list of possible anxiety and stress symptoms at the back, plus more info on psychogenic symptoms).

Whatever your exact symptoms or challenges are, welcome to my site. I’m an anxiety & stress specialist, I’ve overcome many of these issues myself and helped many others overcome their own unique symptoms and challenges.

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Important: Make it your purpose to overcome this challenge; resist procrastination and avoidance

We all procrastinate or avoid issues sometimes, because the brain is wired to avoid discomfort. Studying, doing work, having a difficult conversation, working on our stress and anxiety issues – these can all be uncomfortable, in which case our mind might try to avoid them.

Automatically opening youtube or playing games? Drifting off into daydream? Obsessing about something? Blaming others? Staying in the comfort zone instead of exploring new possibilities? Is it easier to be a victim of your issues than work on overcoming them? Each person’s mind does avoidance differently, but the sooner we become aware of it, the sooner we can catch it happening and return our attention to the challenge we need to overcome. 

When we learn we have issues which are (or at least might be) anxiety- or stress-related, the mind often tries to avoid that uncomfortable realisation through procrastination or other means. This prevents us actually tackling and overcoming these issues, delaying our recovery.

We need to spot that avoidance, stop doing it and return to working on the things we need to work on. This requires effort but it’s crucial. The sooner we accept our issues, the sooner we can get on with resolving them. Acceptance is the precondition to change. Avoidance delays change.

Make it your purpose to overcome your symptoms and issues; resist avoidance. If I’d done this sooner I’d have prevented a lot of unnecessary wasted time and pain.

[ps2id id=’better’/]

Feel better immediately and make the biggest possible improvement

[ps2id id=’relax’/]

1. Harness the relaxation response

Photo of a relaxed woman

The first and easiest thing you can do is to begin reversing some of the effects of anxiety and stress immediately by invoking the relaxation response – and we’ll use some technology to make it extra effective.

The Relaxation Response is experienced during guided meditation and other relaxing practices. It’s your mind and body’s natural ability to make your muscles and organs slow down, and increase blood flow to the brain (via the release of certain chemicals and brain signals). The relaxation response essentially has the opposite effect on the body to unhealthy stress, and can be a powerful way to reduce unhealthy stress and help bring the body back to pre-unhealthy-stress levels[footnote]I define stress in my article “What actually is stress?”: The relaxation response is essentially the opposite of a “fight or flight” stress response, which is one type of stress response; psychologytoday.com[/footnote].

Guided relaxation is a powerful way to turn on the relaxation response. Download my free Relaxation Response Audio (it’s packaged with my Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook) which I made using specific language and other tools from hypnotherapy and elsewhere to achieve a deeper and deeper relaxation response each time you listen.

(There’s also a second, different audio provided inside the ebook, near the end. That also activates the relaxation response plus some other stuff – you’ll need to read the ebook to learn about that.)

You can use relaxation audios any time e.g. during your lunch break to calm down on a tough day, or before bed (many people report it helps them sleep better). Just sit or lie somewhere comfortable, close your eyes and listen. Wherever, whenever and as often as you like – there are no side effects to an audio :).

Do not listen to any of my audios while driving, operating machinery or in the bath, as the audio is likely to make you tired and distract your attention. Avoid listening when under the influence of alcohol or other substances too.

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[ps2id id=’optimise’/]

2. Learn to make anxiety and stress healthier and more performance-enhancing

If you’re experiencing acute stress, triggered by things like problems at work, home, or difficult life events, the next step is learning how to make that stress healthier and more performance-enhancing: We call this “stress optimisation”. This is based largely on research by Stanford University’s Mind and Body Lab.

Basically what we call “stress” involves different kinds of “stress responses” in our mind and body. These involve various hormonal and neurological changes.

But some stress responses are healthier and more performance-enhancing than others; producing better ratios of hormones and other changes.

Recent research shows that changing your conscious mindset towards stress can help you experience more healthy and performance-enhancing stress responses, and minimise unhealthy ones.

Download free Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook – Part 3 starts with a video and further detailed information to learn how to do this. Then there’s an audio you can download which helps you implement and deepen these changes to improve your health and productivity.

Hi I’m James Cormack, an Anxiety & Stress specialist. I offer sessions at Queenswood Medical Practice & other venues in Crouch End (N8); Central London (multiple locations); & Online. 

Free consultationAbout me

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[ps2id id=’causes’/]

3. Learn the true cause of anxiety and stress and how to tackle it

Most people incorrectly think of stress and anxiety as something we ‘catch’ from events and circumstances – in other words, our environment. Work, school, the people around us, money concerns, crowds of people, etc.

This misunderstanding leads to very limited ways to reduce anxiety and stress, but it’s the mindset most people have to this day.

In fact, anxiety and stress are caused by the mind, and to reduce them we can change how our mind works. Understanding this unlocks much greater possible improvement. To learn more check out free Overcome Anxiety & Stress eBook.

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[ps2id id=’professional’/]

4. Know you can accelerate things with professional help

“Nobody achieves anything alone” as the saying goes. Whatever your situation, there will be professional help that can make things easier and faster for you. I overcame my anxiety and stress issues thanks to the help of many books and therapists.

Professionals can’t do the work for you: You will still need to put in work yourself. But professionals can help you progress faster and with much less effort.

Not all professionals are equal. No single treatment works for everyone. You may need to explore different treatments before you find what works best for you.

If you’d like to explore whether I can help you, click here to book a free initial conversation with me and we can discuss what would serve you best.

 

I hope this article has helped you begin your journey to overcoming your challenges. The way forward is not to avoid these symptoms and issues: The way forward is to accept them as your challenge, make it your purpose to overcome them, and take action to make improvements, one at a time. The smallest improvements can add up to the most amazing changes.

James Cormack, Anxiety & Stress SpecialistIf you’d like to discuss your specific situation you can click here to book a free initial conversation with me.

 

Best of luck on your journey,

James

 

 

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