WHAT IS ANXIETY?

Anxiety is a normal and healthy adaptive state that prepares you for stressful or threatening situations. You see your body is releasing adrenaline to prepare you physically and mentally to cope with stress and anxiety. This ‘fight or flight’ response was crucial to your ancestors’ survival, preparing them for very real threats to their safety.  

In the 21st century the ‘fight or flight’ response is still a reasonable response to anxiety, protecting you from harm and motivating you to perform well.

However, when anxiety becomes so overwhelming and incapacitating that it interferes with your ability to perform your day to day activities it might be time to seek help.

“Instead of it improving your capacity to function in a challenging situation – it becomes an obstacle to you fulfilling your full potential and enjoying life.”

Anxiety symptoms or behaviours include:

♦  Constantly seeking reassurance

♦  Being a perfectionist – needing to get everything totally correct

♦  Feeling overwhelmed when there is a sudden change in routine

♦  Avoiding taking risks or seeking out new opportunities – instead you are always evaluating and identifying the things that might go wrong

♦  Feeling worried constantly or fearing something bad is about to happen

♦  Holding back from voicing personal concerns, wants, and opinions to avoid difficult encounters with others

♦  Isolating ourselves

♦  Experiencing physical symptoms, such as, headaches, muscle tension, rapid heart rate, sweating, diarrhea, trembling, dry mouth, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, hot and cold flashes.

METHODS TO MANAGE STRESS AND ANXIETY?

1/  Practice Self-care

 Anxiety can result in you neglecting your own needs:

☑   Ensure you are getting enough sleep

☑   Eat health meals, and don’t skip meals

☑   Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake- these can aggravate anxiety

☑   Make time for regular exercise in the fresh air

☑   Develop a practice of daily gratitude – Learn more here

☑   Plan time for you – Meet a friend for coffee. Read a book. Soak in the bath. Meditate. Gardening Bush walking. Sports.

What would be on your list? 

Self-care can make a big difference in your overall feeling of well-being. Take a moment to write your list and plan it into your week.

2/  Learn some Relaxation Techniques

There are some wonderful strategies for helping you relax. Playing a sport. Dancing. Walking in nature. Listening to music. Learning to meditate. Joining a mindfulness exercise class such as, Yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gong. Take some deep slow breathes. Inhale slowly and exhale slowly – Checkout my Free 5 minute mindfulness audio here.

What has helped you relax in the past or what are you willing to try now?

3/  Learn What is Triggering Your Anxiety

Begin to identify what situations, experiences that seem to be making you feel stressed or anxious. You will need to monitor this in your work environment, with family and friends, and sports and social events. One way to do this is to keep a journal and start looking for a pattern.

4/  Talk to Someone You Trust

Keeping everything bottled up inside is more likely to heighten your levels of anxiety. Whereas, connection has been found to improve emotional and physical health. 

Do you need to connect with someone one you trust? It might help you to resolve or make sense of the issues concerning you. 

If you don’t have someone you can trust to talk to then a counsellor can help you can learn to effectively manage anxiety and stress in your life. There is a way forward.