Your life is calm and the people around you are kind and supportive. You have a job you love, so why are you feeling anxious?

There may be situations that seem to spark the anxiety. It could be that one of your children has left their homework behind, or you hear someone gossiping. It could be that you have a presentation to do at work, or your partner is running late.

Although you don’t feel very grounded during these times, you are very much connected with the world around you and what is happening in the present. However, not everyone would feel worried in the same situations. That’s because we all have different experiences of life that could be impacting our present emotional state.

Delving into the neuroscience, the amygdala plays an important role in processing emotions and detecting potential threats. Past experiences, particularly traumatic ones, can influence how the brain responds to situations that feel similar to something we have experienced before, creating a fight, flight or freeze response.

For example, if you struggle with public speaking, it may be that you were bullied at school and spoke up in a situation that resulted in people laughing. Therefore, a similar situation involving an audience can trigger feelings of humiliation or fear. What looks easy to one person may feel devastatingly nerve-wracking to someone else.

If you have experienced past trauma, it could be impacting you in so many ways, including keeping you within your comfort zone and preventing personal growth. If you don’t believe in yourself, or you have a feeling of not being enough, it’s unlikely you will feel confident enough to go for that promotion or complete the relevant tasks to make your business a real success.

As an accredited wellbeing practitioner with an MSc in Psychology, I have uncovered acute and complex trauma that a client may not have thought about in a long time. The aim of therapy sessions is to process the past in a safe, healthy way, whether that is a single incident or repeated, long-term events.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) involves tapping on the Chinese meridian points, which helps to calm the nervous system and release emotional distress. It’s similar to psychological acupuncture but without the needles. Havening Techniques is a gentle, psycho sensory therapy based on neuroscience that uses soothing touch on the face, arms and hands to process past trauma stored in the amygdala and reduce anxiety.

Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapy, EFT and Havening powerfully connect to your inner child, so that you can feel safe and supported. This creates a natural shift in mindset, as well as the space you need to think clearly and rationally.

If you are suffering from anxiety, help is here and you can find out more about how my therapies can support you at www.diamondwellbeing.co.uk.

Stephanie Newton is an accredited wellbeing practitioner with an MSc in Psychology and the founder of Diamond Wellbeing. diamondwellbeing.co.uk