Managing Anxiety

Everyone experiences anxiety at times, like before an interview or an exam, or when facing something unknown. In moderate amounts, anxiety can be useful, keeping us focused and motivated. However, when anxiety becomes persistent or overwhelming, it stops being beneficial and can significantly disrupt daily life.

Anxiety manifests through various symptoms, which can be categorised as psychological (such as restlessness and excessive worry) and physical (including increased heart rate, insomnia, and tension headaches).

Sometimes, anxiety feels like a persistent worry or fear that doesn’t subside, even in the absence of immediate danger. It’s akin to an internal alarm that sounds too frequently without any clear or obvious trigger. This false alarm can lead to feelings of nervousness, restlessness, or tension and physical reactions such as a racing heart, sweating, shaking, or dizziness. It’s like a fleet of fire engines responding to an apartment block for burnt toast!

Incorporating natural strategies into daily routines can significantly mitigate the impact of anxiety. These methods include:

Physical Activity: Regular exercise is a powerful anxiety reliever. It releases neurotransmitters such as endorphins and endocannabinoids, enhancing our well-being. Activities like jogging, swimming, or cycling improve sleep and also utilise the stress hormones released during anxious states, promoting both mental and physical health.

Mindfulness and Meditation: These practices encourage living in the present moment and observing thoughts and feelings without judgment, which can aid in emotional regulation and stress reduction.

Dietary Adjustments: Managing caffeine and sugar intake/consumption can improve anxiety levels and have an overall positive impact on our health.

Sleep: Anxiety can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep can exacerbate anxiety. Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine and ensuring a comfortable sleep environment are essential for improving sleep quality and managing anxiety.

Breathing Techniques: Diaphragmatic breathing, which focuses on deep, even breaths, can help calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety. Practising these techniques when calm to prepare for stressful situations is beneficial.

Nature: Spending time outdoors can lower stress levels, reduce rumination, and enhance mood due to nature’s calming effects.

Journaling: Writing about our thoughts and feelings can help organise them and reduce anxiety by providing a way to identify and address worries.

Aromatherapy: Certain scents, such as lavender, are known for their calming effects. Engaging other senses with calming music, soft fabrics, or a comforting shower can also help soothe anxiety.

Social Support: Building a network of friends and family can provide a sense of belonging and security, reducing feelings of isolation and anxiety.

I say this all the time but please start with baby steps in the right direction. Be patient with yourself. Praising yourself and others can boost morale every day.

For a comprehensive approach to managing anxiety, consult with mental health professionals such as psychologists or your healthcare practice nurse in addition to your General Practitioner. Talking about your worries is a crucial step in managing anxiety effectively.

www.carolinecrotty.ie

anxiety strategies

Anxiety is like having a persistent worry or fear that doesn’t go away easily, even if there’s no immediate danger. It’s a bit like having an alarm inside you that goes off too often, and sometimes, there might be no clear reason. That alarm can make you feel nervous, restless, or tense. It can affect your body, causing things like a racing heart, sweating, physically shaking or feeling wobbly. It’s kind of like a fleet of fire engines coming to your home when there’s no fire – sometimes anxiety is a physiological reaction that does not match the situation.

Everyone feels anxious from time to time, like before an interview or a test or when facing something unknown. That’s when anxiety is positive – it keeps us focused. Feeling anxious is our body’s natural response to stress. Anxiety often manifests through symptoms like restlessness, excessive worry, and physical signs such as increased heart rate or insomnia.

Incorporating natural strategies into daily routines can significantly mitigate anxiety’s impact. Natural methods to manage anxiety and its symptoms include the following but it’s important to explore a variety of strategies to find what works best for you as an individual.

Physical activity is a powerful anxiety reliever. Regular exercise helps release endorphins, natural brain chemicals that can enhance our sense of well-being. Exercise improves our sleep and reduces stress. Aerobic exercises like jogging, swimming, or walking can be effective.

Mindfulness practices encourage living in the present moment and observing thoughts and feelings without judgment. Meditation can help with emotional regulation and reducing stress levels.

Diet has an impact on mental health. Reducing caffeine and sugar intake can help manage anxiety levels and have an overall positive impact on our bodies and minds.

Anxiety can disrupt sleep and poor sleep can exacerbate anxiety. Establishing a regular, relaxing bedtime routine and ensuring a comfortable sleep environment can improve sleep quality, helping manage anxiety.

Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, where you focus on deep, even breaths, can help calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety. Practice when calm for use when anxious.

Spending time in nature can lower stress levels. Nature’s calming effect on the mind is associated with reduced rumination and enhanced mood.

Writing can provide an outlet for expressing what’s on your mind and may help to reduce anxiety by organising thoughts and finding solutions.

Certain scents, like lavender, have been found to have a calming effect. Feed your senses to feel more calm. Feed your main senses (sound, touch, smell, taste, touch) by using calming music, aromas you enjoy, having soft fabrics on your skin etc.

Building a support network of friends and family can provide a sense of belonging and security, reducing feelings of isolation and anxiety.

These suggestions offer a holistic approach to reducing stress and anxiety. Start small by taking baby steps in the right direction!

Incorporating these natural strategies can provide relief from anxiety and its symptoms. Be patient with yourself. Praise yourself for everything you do. They may not be a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment so please consult with a healthcare provider for a comprehensive approach to managing anxiety.

www.carolinecrotty.ie Caroline Crotty BSocSc MA MSc Psych MPsychSci

Anxiety Is Normal

Anxiety is Normal

We tend to have a rather negative view of ‘anxiety’ however, anxiety is normal. If we were about to sit an exam or take a driver’s test it would be natural to feel anxious. Anxiety can be beneficial as it helps to keep us motivated, alert and focused.

Anxiety is in fact our bodies’ way of preparing us to cope with a perceived threat – our bodies’ inbuilt alarm system. When we experience anxiety our bodies’ natural freeze, flight or flight response is activated.

Imagine waking in the middle of the night because you thought you heard an intruder in your home – my guess is that you would be pretty anxious. Take a few seconds to try to imagine the sensations you would experience in your body. Our bodies and minds react together so there are physical sensations to anxiety.

When we perceive a danger (intruder), our bodies release stress hormones causing physical reactions such as our hearts beating faster; we start sweating, feel dizzy or fuzzy-headed, our muscles tense and our breathing quickens. Our body is preparing to run away (flight); defend itself (fight) or we might be glued to the spot, staying perfectly still, hiding under the duvet until the intruder is gone rather like a deer caught in the headlights (freeze). While all this is going on for our bodies, our brains continually process the situation and evaluate the threat.

Say “the intruder” turns out to be a family member rummaging in the kitchen for a midnight snack, then the freeze/fight/flight response is called-off by our brains, however, we may still feel very shaky, with sweaty palms and a racing heart even though we know we are not in mortal danger.

We may feel anxious when there is no intruder in our home and there is no actual physical threat. Feelings of anxiety can be mild (uneasiness) or severe (panic). As well as affecting our bodies, anxiety affects how we think, feel and act.

Anxiety can interfere with everyday living because anxious thoughts increase the feelings of anxiety and the symptoms of anxiety and a cycle of anxiety can be created. People may begin to avoid certain social situations in an attempt to avoid feeling anxious. However, these situations are most likely not life-threatening and are probably regular events like going to the shops, using buses, talking to people, attending parties etc. Anxiety can prevent people from doing things or attending events which they previously enjoyed. Feeling like you are under constant attack or that you need to run away is exhausting and draining. Anxiety can cause us to have a sick feeling, and need to run to the bathroom or perhaps we are put off our food because we feel nauseous.

Learning about anxiety is beneficial to gaining control over our anxiety. Anxiety is particular for each person and the ways in which it can be alleviated vary from person to person. What works for me (music and singing) may not work for you but you will learn how to regain control in time. Self-soothing is something that we can all develop to help combat anxiety.

Exercise works wonders for anxiety because exercise helps remove stress hormones while releasing feel-good hormones. Exercise also helps improve our sleep.

Relaxation is not just watching television. Learning a new relaxation skill such as progressive muscle relaxation is a beneficial strategy which helps people become aware of feeling relaxed by tensing then relaxing muscle groups throughout the body.

Breathing exercises take a while to perfect but are remarkably worthwhile. When we are anxious, our breathing becomes shallow and fast. We may even hyperventilate. Practicing calm breathing (where you inhale slowly through the nose, pause and exhale slowly through the mouth) is an excellent tool for anxiety reduction and can be used anytime anywhere – more information available on www.carolinecrotty.ie/calm-breathing/

Practicing visualisation helps with relaxation such as “you are on a warm, sunny beach, lying on the sand, feeling the sun on your skin…” Try to think of a place either real or imaginary where you like to be. Spend time thinking about how lovely it is to be there in that nice place.

Consciously taking time, every day, to look at the sky and clouds and daydream can be of benefit.

If you have feelings of anxiety that are affecting your daily living please talk to a trusted friend, family member or a healthcare professional. Remember the old adage ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’. Anxiety is normal but sharing your thoughts and worries can reduce their scariness and help you gain perspective.