Generalized Anxiety
Generalized anxiety is persistent, hard-to-control worry across many areas of life — work, health, relationships, the future — that keeps your mind racing and your body braced for something to go wrong.
How it can show up
- Worry that jumps from one “what if” to the next and is hard to switch off
- Restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, or trouble sleeping
- Trouble concentrating because part of your mind is always scanning for problems
- Overpreparing, list-making, and reassurance-seeking to feel in control
- Irritability and a constant sense of being “on”
What is generalized anxiety?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive, ongoing worry that is difficult to control and is accompanied by physical tension. Unlike worry that fits the situation, GAD-style worry is broad, sticky, and self-perpetuating, often present most days for months.
What keeps the worry going?
Leading cognitive-behavioural models point to a few engines. The intolerance-of-uncertainty model (Dugas & Robichaud) describes how worry is fuelled by a deep discomfort with not knowing. Metacognitive theory (Wells) highlights “worry about worry” — beliefs that worrying is either dangerous or necessary. And avoidance theory (Borkovec) shows how worry can become a way to avoid deeper fears and uncomfortable feelings, which keeps it in place.
How therapy helps
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the first-line, guideline-recommended psychological treatment for GAD. In practice we build your tolerance for uncertainty rather than chasing certainty, loosen unhelpful beliefs about worry, and use exposure and ACT skills so you can act on what matters even while the mind chatters. The goal isn’t a silent mind — it’s a mind that no longer runs the show.
Watch: Generalized Anxiety
Frequently asked questions
What is the most effective therapy for generalized anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), including approaches that build tolerance of uncertainty and target unhelpful beliefs about worry, is the first-line, guideline-recommended psychological treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.
Can you treat anxiety without medication?
Yes. Psychological therapies like CBT and ACT are effective on their own for many people. Medication can be helpful for some and is a decision to make with your physician; therapy and medication can also be combined.
How long does anxiety therapy take?
Many people experience meaningful change within a focused course of weekly sessions, though it varies with goals and history. We review progress together and adjust the plan to you.
Free self-help resources
Evidence-based CBT workbooks from the Centre for Clinical Interventions (Government of Western Australia) — a helpful complement to therapy you can start on your own:
Selected clinical references
The approach to this concern is informed by established clinical models and treatment guidelines, including:
- Dugas, M. J., & Robichaud, M. (2007). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: From Science to Practice.
- Wells, A. (1995). Meta-cognition and worry: A cognitive model of generalized anxiety disorder.
- Borkovec, T. D., Alcaine, O., & Behar, E. (2004). Avoidance theory of worry and generalized anxiety disorder.
- NICE (2011). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management (CG113).