Anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a natural bodily response to a perceived threat. It can spur us on, help us stay alert, make us aware of risks and motivate us to solve problems. However, for some, anxiety can begin to affect their everyday lives. It can be persistent, hard to control and out of proportion to a situation. When anxiety is this severe, it can be defined as a mental health problem.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety impacts more than the mind. It can also impact physical health and behaviour too.
Effects on the mind include:
- A feeling of dread or fearing the worst.
- Feeling on edge or panicky.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Irritability.
- Feeling detached from yourself or the world around you.
Physical feelings can include:
- Restlessness.
- Feeling dizzy or light-headed.
- Wobbly legs or pins and needles in your hands and feet.
- Shortness of breath or hyperventilating.
- Heart palpitations (a noticeably strong, fast heartbeat).
- Nausea (feeling sick).
- Needing the toilet more or less often.
- Sweating.
- Sleep problems.
- Panic attacks.
While suffering from prolonged anxiety, you may also withdraw from friends and family, feel unable to go to work, or avoid certain places. While avoiding situations can give you short-term relief, the anxiety often returns the next time you’re in the situation. Avoiding a fear also only reinforces the feeling of danger and never gives you a chance to find out whether your fears are true or not.
If your symptoms fit a particular set of medical criteria then you might be diagnosed with a particular anxiety disorder. These can range from generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or phobias. But it’s also possible to experience problems with anxiety without having a specific diagnosis.
Self-help to ease anxiety
While some people who suffer from severe anxiety may require professional help (we’ll discuss when you should seek out a doctor or mental health professional later), there are some techniques that can help control anxiety.
1) Talk to someone you trust
Talking to someone you trust about what’s making you anxious could be a relief. It may be that just having someone listen to you and show they care can help in itself.
2) Try to manage your worries
Anxiety can make it really hard to stop worrying. You might feel like you need to keep worrying because it feels useful – or that bad things might happen if you stop. It can be helpful to explore different ways of addressing these worries. For example, you could set aside a specific time to focus on your worries or write down your worries in a journal. Ultimately, try to accept that this is how you feel — and that’s okay, because it won’t last forever.
3) Look after your physical health
Doing things like getting enough sleep, keeping on top of your diet and doing physical exercise can give you the energy you require to deal with difficult feelings and boost your general wellbeing with feel-good hormones.
4) Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises can help you cope and feel more in control. At the very least, remember to breathe and take time to inhale — it’s often the simplest remedy to panic attacks.
5) Keep a diary
You might find it helpful to make a note of what happens when you get anxious or have a panic attack. This could help you spot patterns in what triggers these experiences for you.
6) Peer support
Peer support groups can bring together people who have similar experiences in order to support each other. Many people find these help them to share ideas about how to stay well, connect with others and feel less alone.
7) Other remedies
Activities such as yoga and meditation can help you practice mindfulness and manage your anxiety. Other alternative therapies can include aromatherapy, massage, reflexology, herbal treatments and hypnotherapy.
What to do if you’re experiencing a panic attack
Panic attacks are a type of fear response. They’re an exaggeration of your body’s normal response to danger, stress or excitement. During a panic attack, physical symptoms can build up very quickly. Symptoms like struggling to breathe, feeling faint and/or a pounding heart rate can be frightening and make you feel as if you are losing control or going to have a heart attack. but there are things you can do to help yourself cope.
- Focus on your breathing: The simplest remedy to a panic attack is to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
- Stamp on the spot: It doesn’t work for everyone but, for some, stamping on the spot can help them control their breathing.
- Focus on your senses: Focus on the sounds you can hear around you, the taste of something in your mouth, or the feel of something you’re touching.
A panic attack can exhaust you mentally and physically. Following a panic attack, it’s important to practice self-care and pay attention to what your body needs. For example, you might need to rest somewhere quietly, or eat or drink something. You should also not keep the incident to yourself. If you feel able to, it could help to let someone know you’ve had a panic attack. It could be particularly helpful to mention how they might notice if you’re having another one, and how you’d like them to help you.
When to seek out help
The problem may not resolve on its own and may get worse over time if you don’t seek help.
See your doctor if:
- You feel like you’re worrying too much and it’s interfering with your work, relationships or other parts of your life.
- Your fear, worry or anxiety is upsetting to you and difficult to control.
- You feel depressed, have trouble with alcohol or drug use, or have other mental health concerns along with anxiety.
- You think your anxiety could be linked to a physical health problem.
- You have suicidal thoughts or behaviours — if this is the case, seek emergency treatment immediately.
If your company is with Converge, you also have access to a trained mental health counsellor who can help you come up with bespoke strategies to manage your anxiety. Call one of our friendly team on 1300 687 327 or visit our website https://convergeinternational.com.au/
