What Are Anxiety and Stress?
Anxiety and stress are part of being human — natural responses to pressure, uncertainty or challenge. But when they become overwhelming, constant or hard to manage, they can begin to affect your everyday life, relationships, health and overall sense of wellbeing.
While anxiety and stress often overlap, they tend to be used in slightly different ways. Stress is usually discussed as a response to something external — a deadline, a conflict, a life change. It can cause tension, irritability, trouble sleeping, or feeling like you’re constantly under pressure. Anxiety, on the other hand, describes the more internal experience — a sense of unease, worry or fear that may or may not have a clear cause.
Both can affect how we think, feel and behave. You might notice:
- Racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating
- Physical symptoms like headaches, tension or digestive issues
- Sleep problems or restlessness
- Panic attacks or fear of losing control
- Feeling on edge, overwhelmed or emotionally drained
Common Types of Anxiety and Stress
Everyone experiences these states differently. Some of the more common presentations include:
- Generalised Anxiety – ongoing, hard-to-control worry or tension
- Panic Attacks – sudden, intense physical and emotional symptoms of fear
- Social Anxiety – fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations
- Work-Related Stress – burnout, pressure, overwhelm or difficulty switching off
- Health Anxiety – excessive focus on symptoms or illness
- Stress Following Change or Loss – life transitions, relationship endings or bereavement
- Trauma-Related Anxiety – linked to past events or long-standing patterns of fear
How Therapy Can Help
Psychological therapy provides a space to understand what’s going on underneath your stress or anxiety, and to develop practical tools to manage it. Rather than trying to push the feelings away, therapy helps you relate to them differently — reducing their hold and helping you feel more grounded, calm and in control.
At Seven Lion Yard, we offer a range of approaches that can support anxiety and stress, including:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – helps challenge unhelpful thought patterns and develop healthier responses
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – supports flexibility and resilience in the face of difficult thoughts and feelings
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) – helps ease self-criticism and support inner calm
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) – explores the parts of you holding stress or fear and helps them soften
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) – particularly helpful when stress or anxiety is rooted in trauma
- Mindfulness-Based Therapies – support present-moment awareness and emotional regulation
What to Expect
You don’t need a diagnosis or a clear reason to begin therapy. You might simply feel like something’s not right — that you’re wired, tired or stuck in patterns that no longer serve you.
In therapy, you’ll be met with empathy, curiosity and respect. We’ll take time to understand what you’re experiencing and move at a pace that feels safe. The aim isn’t necessarily to “get rid of” anxiety or stress — but to build awareness, resilience and the confidence to live more fully and freely.
Contact us here to find out more and arrange a psychologist appointment.
How our Studio Classes Can Help
Mindfulness, meditation and breathwork can all support people living with anxiety by helping to regulate the nervous system, calm racing thoughts and build a greater sense of internal safety. These practices encourage a shift away from constant doing and into present-moment awareness, allowing space to observe emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. Over time they can help reduce reactivity, increase tolerance for discomfort and bring a sense of groundedness and clarity — even in the midst of uncertainty.
You can book a class here to improve your wellbeing or contact us to find out more.