As a life-long sufferer of anxiety, it’s fair to say I’ve experienced more than my fair share of bad days over the course of the past 30 years. But with treatment and insight have come many tools and techniques for managing it and accepting it as a part of my life. In this blog, I am going to share a handful of tips which I hope will be beneficial to anybody struggling with anxiety.
Before I do, though, let’s take a brief look at what anxiety is. According to the charity Mind, anxiety is ‘what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid - particularly about things that are about to happen, or which we think could happen in the future’.
It all comes down to the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, whereby chemicals in our brains are released in order to help us prevent danger. Basically, this has helped us to evolve as humans. The release of those chemicals, which include adrenaline and cortisol, increases our heart rate, causes us to sweat and makes us feel alert, all of which is vital in escaping danger.
However, while anxiety is a normal part of life, derived as it is from our ancestors, if you experience it frequently, and if your anxiety is both out of proportion to the situation and prohibits you from living the life you want, you may well have an anxiety disorder.
Without any further ado, then, let’s get into some self-help techniques. ‘Catastrophising’ is a common way in which anxiety can rear its ugly head. Have you ever feared the worst possible outcome in a situation? I know I have. Tempting as it is to dissect this extreme way of thinking and force the brain to come up with a more positive outcome, all this does is perpetuate the cycle of anxiety. Instead, try to picture, vividly, the worst-case scenario in your head. Just sit with it for a moment or two. And ask yourself this question: could I get through it? Chances are, you could, and you would.
If I am feeling anxious about something, I find mindfulness and being ‘in the moment’ helpful. Reading a book or magazine is a great way to refocus the brain onto something more pleasurable, stay grounded, and indeed gain knowledge about a particular subject. It also passes the time.
If your anxiety is causing you difficulties sleeping, or in particular, falling asleep, consider this: when you’re in bed, take a deep breath and just quietly whisper to yourself, ‘Okay brain, you can switch off now, there is no threat, I am safe and protected’. Sound twee? It’s remarkable how effective such a simple thing can be to aid falling asleep.
One of the most important parts of anxiety management for me, is exercise. A simple walk can work wonders for my mental health. The joy and satisfaction that accompany a good workout have to be felt to be truly appreciated. Science will tell you all about endorphins, but the bottom line is that exercise makes us feel good, is beneficial to our physical and mental health, increases body confidence, and helps us deal with anxiety much more easily. How easily? Well, put it this way: after a good hour’s walk, I was able to do an exposure exercise which I had been putting off for weeks. And it went well.
Really, there are so many tips, tools and techniques I’ve been fortunate enough to learn that I’d love to share with you, and I will leave you with a link to an additional resource whose content I am sure will help. The current cost of living crisis has made us all contemplate our finances, and Annuity has produced an excellent blog on the relationship between mental health and finances, and the vicious cycle that can exist with them. Check it out!
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