How anxiety counselling in Geelong can support your daily wellbeing

Everyday anxiety isn’t just mental, it touches your sleep, bodily sensations, work, relationships, and general sense of purpose. Anxiety counselling in Geelong at Helen Handsjuk Psychology offers a holistic path to support your wellbeing, combining evidence-based therapies, practical strategies, and mind‑body awareness.

Recognising the signs of anxiety and chronic stress

Anxiety often presents as more than worry, it can feel like persistent tension, trouble sleeping, fatigue, restlessness, or rumination. Many people also report physical symptoms such as muscle tightness, headaches, digestive discomfort, or ongoing fatigue. These are all signs that chronic stress is impacting the nervous system and physiology.

Australian data shows that over half of adults experience at least one major stressor annually, and around 20% report a diagnosed mental health condition each year. Subclinical anxiety is also increasing, especially among young people, with symptoms such as tension, sleep disruption or decision‑making indecision that fall short of diagnostic thresholds but still affect daily life.

You may benefit from anxiety counselling if you:

• Feel tense, overwhelmed or “on edge” for days on end
• Frequently doubt even small decisions or over‑analyse your choices
• Avoid people or situations because of anxiety
• Experience unresolved physical symptoms like fatigue, muscle tension or digestive upset
• Feel disconnected in relationships, or struggle with meaning or direction

How counselling makes a difference

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is widely endorsed as a first‑line treatment for anxiety disorders. It helps you identify unhelpful thought patterns, manage avoidance, and build practical coping strategies with improvements that often last up to a year or more after treatment.

Neuropsychotherapy builds on this by integrating an understanding of the nervous system, how stress and anxiety manifest in the body, and working directly with nervous system regulation through body‑based practices, movement, mindful awareness, and therapeutic processing.

Exposure therapy, carefully facing fears in a supported way, is another empirically supported approach, particularly effective for phobias, social anxiety and worry disorders when combined with cognitive tools.

Mindfulness‑based stress reduction (MBSR) also plays a vital role. Research consistently shows moderate evidence that mindfulness reduces anxiety symptoms, relieves stress, and improves sleep and pain, supporting overall mental wellbeing.

Local approaches such as movement meditation and nature‑based therapy integrate these methods: slow breathing, mindful walking, Qigong or nature immersion support nervous system down‑regulation, making talk therapy more effective.

The physical imprint of chronic stress

Chronic, unmanaged stress impairs physical and mental health over time. Elevated cortisol, the stress hormone, can suppress immunity, increase risk of heart disease, impair memory, and contribute to fatigue or weight gain in Australians facing modern pressures.

Over time, sustained stress has been associated with sleep disruption, high blood pressure, poor concentration, irritability, and increases in sick leave or burnout at work. Studies in Australia show that physical activity and mindfulness are linked with better mental health during stressful times, underlining the value of integrated approaches.

Helping you manage stress isn’t just about symptom relief, it’s also prevention. Counselling supports not only anxiety reduction but also strengthens decision‑making, reduces avoidance, and builds resilience so you can face pressures more effectively in everyday life.

Why choose anxiety counselling in Geelong with us?

At Helen Handsjuk Psychology in Geelong:

• You don’t need a GP referral to book, sessions are accessible, private and welcoming.
• We tailor a fusion of CBT, neuropsychotherapy, mindfulness, exposure strategies, movement meditation, and nature‑based sessions.
• We’re focused on supporting adults, young people and couples through acute stress and long‑standing low‑level anxiety.
• This is local, trauma‑informed, brain‑body centred work designed to help you thrive, not just cope.
• Our approach recognises that anxiety is personal, and the best outcomes come from therapy that honours your unique brain, body and life context.

How counselling supports daily wellbeing

Counselling helps you:

• Understand and calm your nervous system responses
• Learn practical strategies to manage stress triggers and reduce physical tension
• Rebuild trust in decision‑making and connection in relationships
• Deepen self‑awareness and purpose so anxiety feels less disruptive to daily life
• Over time, you’re able to rely less on avoidance or distraction, and more on grounded tools that support greater emotional flexibility, clarity and meaning.

If you’re noticing stress, tension or anxiety affecting your life and want trusted support grounded in science and compassion, you’re welcome to explore sessions with Helen Handsjuk Psychology. No GP referral needed—just a readiness to engage. Contact us today.