Anxiety

Throughout life, anxiety is something everyone will experience at some stage but in different forms. For example; feeling worried about an exam, nervous about a job interview or apprehensive about meeting new people, all of which are perfectly normal. However, for some people, anxiety takes over their entire life.

Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.' 

 Anxiety about everyday small issues is not to be confused with generalised anxiety disorder, which is a long-term condition that causes a person to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues rather than one specific event. This condition can lead to symptoms such as panic attacks, heart palpitations, a heavy feeling in your chest and feelings of restlessness. The main difference which determines between normal anxiety and generalised is the impact anxiety has on a person daily.

Quite often anxiety can come hand in hand with other mental health conditions, as well as being a mental health condition in its own right. I believe one can impact the other, to give an example, depression can lead to anxiety due to low moods and low self-esteem just as anxiety can lead to depression due to the disruption & stress it causes.

The truth is for some, anxiety can completely destroy a person's life and it's certainly not something which should be overlooked. For those suffering daily from anxiety, leaving the house is nearly impossible, holding down a job is a job in itself and trying to attend social events is unbearable. A lot of people will brush off anxiety as 'not a serious health condition' but I want to raise awareness to prove it most definitely shouldn't be. 

I personally only suffered occasionally from anxiety as part of my bipolar, due to my changeable moods. Often it will lead to overthinking and worrying about how I will feel in a certain situation, so I experience anxiety mostly before an event when it never really turns out to be as bad as I thought. On the other hand, anxiety can also be for no reason whatsoever. I often told people I was feeling anxious but when they ask why I have no explanation for it. Something for someone who has never experienced anxiety can be very difficult to understand, but sometimes it is just for no particular reason and completely unexplainable. 

I am lucky to be able to say that I don't suffer to the extent I once did with anxiety and the reason why is that I've taught myself how to manage it. This is something that took time and a lot of practice, I have included the methods which I use on daily basis to manage anxiety. I believe this also comes from having peace and happiness within because when everything in my life feels settled, my anxiety does too. 

Methods to help manage anxiety:

Deep breathing: Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness.

Exercise: Research suggests that those who got regular exercise were 25 per cent less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder over the next five years, it also shows that exercise can work quickly to elevate the depressed mood in many people. Exercise may improve mental health by helping the brain cope better with stress and as little as a 10-minute walk can help. 

Getting outside into nature: Common symptoms of anxiety are feeling breathless and a racing heart so sometimes the best thing to do when you're feeling anxious is to distract yourself. Going for a walk, picnic or sitting in the garden can, therefore, be a great way to think about other things. 

Meditation: Meditation actually reprograms your brain to be less anxious as well as calming you at the moment by taking that time to sit and relax. Although it doesn't just temporarily help you relax, it also works on a deep level by changing the function and structure of your brain. 

Managing stress: Stress can be a big trigger for anxiety so it's important to keep it at bay. Stress can often come from feeling overwhelmed with too much to do so techniques like writing a list of your tasks that need to be done and working out how to will tackle them can help. When going through a particularly stressful period talking to people can ease anxiety.