Anxiety and panic attacks
Do you experience strong or overwhelming feelings of anxiety?Worries, fears and anxieties are familiar to us all and most of the time they are reasonable responses to the situation we are in. Anxiety becomes a problem only when it is exaggerated or appears out of context. About one in 10 people in the UK will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives and many people will have more than one form.
Within our survey, respondents talked about suffering from various types of worry and anxiety including general, performance, health and social. Our respondents commented that their anxiety was often manifested as panic attacks.
Triggers for their anxiety included working hours, irregular work, financial pressures, frequently having to get to know new people, moving around a lot, balancing work and family life, ageing as well as non-work-related issues such as family concerns and life events.
Anxiety is a recognised condition and takes various forms. Here are some comments from the survey followed by some sources of support.
“I haven't worked for ten years because of my anxiety related to performing - fear of forgetting my lines, letting others down, fear of the pressure you are put under, and have consequently turned down really good film roles in recent years.”
“I have had a history of panic attacks and general anxiety. Sometimes this can spill over into performance anxiety. Four years ago I sought help… I feel the problem is under control and often disappears completely.”