It’s normal to experience some anxiety at points throughout your life. Feelings of anxiety can be part of a response to danger also known as the ‘fight or flight’ or threat response.
If your mind senses danger or a threat (which could be physical, mental or both), it releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which are designed to help keep you alert and better prepared to face challenges but can lead to physical and mental changes that we know as anxiety.
Anxiety which is above and beyond a normal response to stress can be identified when your feelings of physical stress (such as muscle tension, gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, a faster heartbeat or sweating) or worrying thoughts don’t go away.
When anxiety is above what is considered a normal stress response it can lead to poor concentration, poor sleep, fatigue and tension and can affect your ability to complete day to day tasks.
Anxiety, which is a normal response to life events, should be a feeling that is time limited. It becomes an issue when it persists for longer than usual. If you develop an anxiety condition, the feeling can stick with you all the time and it can become so intense that it interferes with your life.
Because anxiety is different for everyone, there is no ‘one size fits all’
when it comes to symptoms but here are some common examples:
Physical: Panic attacks, hot and cold flushes, racing heart, a tight feeling in the chest, quick breathing, restlessness, or feeling tense, wound up or edgy.
Psychological: Excessive fear, worry, catastrophising or obsessive thinking.
Behavioural: Avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life.
Here are 10 top tips to managing anxiety:
Make time for sleep. Sleep is so important for so many aspects of life. With regards to managing anxiety, sleep helps to regulate hormones. When you get proper sleep, you improve your ability to cope with stress. Conversely, if you don’t get enough sleep, it can exacerbate your anxiety symptoms and make you feel worse.
Move your body – it’s well known that exercise (especially aerobic exercise) helps with both your physical and mental health. Your body produces a number of hormones during exercise that help reduce anxiety symptoms. Even a brisk 30-minute walk can help reduce the feelings of anxiety.
Have a balanced diet, full of healthy foods – having a nutrient-rich diet is great for your overall health and wellbeing. Having a poor diet can negatively impact mood and energy levels. If you eat nutritious food, your body and mind will thank you.
Connect with family and friends – talk to those close to you about your feelings. Don’t keep them bottled up. People with healthy relationships are more likely to feel happy, satisfied, and less prone to physical and mental health problems.
Meditation or relaxation exercises – anxiety can be all-consuming and make people think negatively about the future. Meditation brings people back to the present and can help to reduce negative thoughts. There are a number of apps that offer guided meditation exercises which is a good start.
Improve your mental fitness – much like your physical fitness, your mental fitness is just as important and can strengthen your brain to deal with difficult situations. Mental fitness can influence how we think, act and feel, and it plays a role in how we process stress and anxiety.
Practice being a ‘cup half full’ person – even if it’s for just 5-10 mins a day, try to see the positive in situations and see if that helps improve your mental outlook.
Keep a diary so you can track your anxiety and see if there are any particular things that trigger it. This can sometimes help you understand your anxiety and how to manage it.
Practice regular slower breathing. If you feel like anxiety is taking over and you start to feel symptoms such as shallow and short breathing, take a moment to focus on your breath. Breathing at a slower rate (around 10 breaths per minute) can help alleviate feelings of anxiety.
If your anxiety is situation specific, expose yourself gradually to that situation. This may sound counter-intuitive, but gradual exposure to anxiety situations, when the anxiety is specific to that situation, can actually help. For example, if you get anxiety from public speaking, do a speech or presentation in front of loved ones. It may not feel significant, but this is a small step that can help overcome anxiety. Avoiding things that make you feel anxious can make you feel better in the short term but can reinforce your anxiety in the long term.
If you are really struggling with anxiety and need professional help, please speak to your GP or a mental health professional about how they can help.
