Anxiety Archives - BRIEF THERAPY

Why Do We Feel Anxious For No Reason?

September 2, 2026August 24, 2026 by John Eaton

The Anxiety that’s there when you awake. There’s a particular morning experience you might be familiar with if you have generalised anxiety You surface from sleep and the anxiety is already there, waiting, like it got up before you did. No bad news arrived overnight and yet your body is jittery, your chest is tight, and … Read more

Float – A Radical Approach to Anxiety

September 2, 2026August 8, 2026 by John Eaton

What is the Float Approach to Anxiety? The thing most people with anxiety suffer from is not just the anxiety itself. Rather, it is the repetitive, intrusive way it keeps returning. When you have a job to go to, or a gathering to attend, you really just want to work and play. Instead your mind … Read more

The No-Fix Approach to Anxiety Loops

September 2, 2026June 24, 2026 by John Eaton

Why Fixing Your Anxiety Loop Is Making It Worse Most people who come to see me about anxiety have already done a great deal of work on it. They can name their triggers, trace their patterns back to childhood, and identify the thoughts that set the whole thing off. They have journals, apps, breathing techniques, … Read more

Dissolving the Illusion of Personal Control

September 2, 2026December 27, 2024 by John Eaton

The illusion of personal control The illusion of control is at the root of most anxiety disorders: overthinking, worry, obsessional disorder and OCD, perfectionism, panic disorder and control freakery. However, it also has roots in our individualistic culture, centring on the myth of a separate, personal self that is in charge of all that happens. … Read more

Is Long Covid really Health Anxiety?

September 2, 2026June 5, 2024 by John Eaton

What is Long Covid? According to a recent study 7-10% of individuals who contracted the Covid virus report continuing health problems up to and beyond two years after becoming ill. In the UK a 2024 House of Commons report concludes that 1.9 million people currently have Long Covid. A common, but debatable, view is that … Read more

Overcoming insecurity

September 2, 2026October 1, 2023 by John Eaton

What is insecurity? Insecurity is a state of dread based on the premise that we are in some way inadequate, emerging whenever we struggle with life changes and setbacks. That could be at work, or in relationships, a break-up, redundancy, moving to a new town or country, the arrival of a child, or the stress … Read more

Banish worry with these simple tips

September 2, 2026May 15, 2023 by John Eaton

Banish worry with these dos and don’t tips

Worries should not be confused with concerns.

Concerns are important issues you can do something about. For example, getting help when you are in trouble.

A definition of worry is that it is an alarmist judgment, in which (future) disasters are imagined in detail. They paralyse you with fright, and inhibit action.

When you address your concerns with concrete actions (no matter how small) you undermine the worry.

Use the infographic tips to banish worry, thus freeing you up to address legitimate concerns.

Overcoming obsessive compulsive disorder

September 2, 2026April 26, 2023 by John Eaton

What is obsessive compulsive disorder? Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder, in which individuals suffer from repetitive alarming and intrusive thoughts. These thoughts are accompanied by intense discomfort. Which, in turn compels them to carry out compulsive acts, in order to ward off the anxiety created by the thoughts. OCD must be distinguished … Read more

Getting real with Imposter syndrome

September 2, 2026April 10, 2023 by John Eaton

What is Imposter syndrome? Contrary to the label, Imposter syndrome (IS) is not a psychiatric diagnosis. Rather it is a loose term used to describe an ego problem, in which individuals hold fast to the self-judgment that they are frauds in life. In most cases this sense of failure is felt in the workplace, although … Read more

The creeping problem of agoraphobia

September 2, 2026April 2, 2023 by John Eaton

What is agoraphobia? The term means a fear of public spaces. However, the disorder is more complex than that. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder in which individuals are driven by the fear of being trapped and overwhelmed in large, crowded buildings, or public gatherings. In order to circumvent the anxiety they use control strategies as such … Read more