Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, in which you may feel mild to severe symptoms that show. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam or having a medical test or job interview. It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. When faced with potentially harmful situations or worrying triggers, our body activates the warning signs we need to navigate the dangers around us.

Here are some physical symptoms of this fight or flight at play…

o Your heart rate and blood pressure increase.

o You’re pale or have flushed skin.

o Dilated pupils. Your pupils will dilate to take in more light so you can see better.

o You’re on edge. You’re more aware and observant, and in response, you’re looking and listening for things that could be dangerous. Your senses are heightened, and you’re keenly aware of what’s happening around you.

o Memories can be affected. Sometimes during stressful experiences, your memories of the event can be altered. Your memories can be very clear or vivid, or blacked out.

o You’re tense or trembling.

o Your bladder might be affected. It’s common to lose voluntary control of your bladder or bowels in a stressful or dangerous situation.

But what if you have excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for months on end, about several events or activities (such as work or school performance), finding that you can’t control your worry? Unable to sit still and because of this feeling fatigued quickly, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank when you need it most. You feel irritable, and your body is aching due to sleep disturbances and/or unconsciously tensing muscles. All these symptoms affect different areas of your life, including social, occupational, and/or other areas. In this case, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Fortunately, there are long-term and short-term coping strategies to help with this. These are some ways you can help yourself manage anxiety right now.

1. First, Calm anxiety by accepting it. This may sound quite controversial, But one of the most effective ways to ease occasional anxiety is to accept it. This has been found in countless studies and has bread mental health treatments such as Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Adopting this mindset can instantly decrease some of the most intense anxiety symptoms. This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhA804y76Ug) by Emma McAdam, a family and relationship therapist, describes further the importance of accepting to change anxiety. I also largely recommend her playlist on grounding techniques for anxiety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPyzPH8sB2A&list=PLiUrrIiqidTVghUckAJjCZMYO84ahohMv)

2. Next up, do a reality check and remind yourself that you’re safe. Ask yourself these questions:

• On a scale of 1 to 100, how likely is it that the thing I’m anxious about will happen?
• Do I have good reasons to think something will go wrong?
• Is there a chance I’m overly worried?

3. Reminding yourself that you’re safe can reassure the emotional part that believes you are in real life-threatening danger (the fight, flight, freeze response). Saying to yourself, ‘Is there a real danger in front of me, or am I in a safe place and worries about something that’s no threat to my life right now?’ and ‘I will allow my body to respond to this perceived threat, but I don’t need to act on it or let it leak into my behaviours’ This thinking can ground you more in the present moment and reboot your brain and body so you feel less anxious.

4. Release built-up anxiety energy: Read over the above fight, flight, freeze response and disorderly symptoms and ask yourself if such stress would do you well in day-to-day situations? The answer is yes, to some extent. The energy is there because we are preparing for something that is to come. It comes from an emotion that the situation has caused. Here (http://www.inneractiontherapy.com/uploads/2/2/1/8/22188456/emotional_message_chart.pdf) is an emotional message chart for you to look through to discover which emotion it is for you. But so much energy is not so needed for the situation so it’s best to release some so to match the situation. Here are some to do just this...

o Moderate to hard exercise, like running, gym, and dancing.

o Clean your house/apartment.

o Time in nature, like going for a long walk, grounding, and spending time outside.

o Run some errands.

o Play some sport.

o Creative release, like writing, painting, playing, or listening to music.

5. Activate the antidote- the parasympathetic nervous system: During the flight, flight, and freeze response, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. This is part of the body responsible for activating your increased heart rate, delivering more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help you get out of danger. On the other hand, it relaxes your body after a period of stress or danger. You can actively trigger the parasympathetic system to activate by...

o Run your fingers over your lips. Apply lip balm or something similar to help your fingers slide over your lips more easily, if you would prefer

o Deep belly breaths. Focusing on the stomach and directing the breath there, take an inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold without breath for 4 seconds.

o Visualization. For instance, you might imagine yourself on a beach watching the blue water come ashore in calm waves. Remember the sounds of ocean waves, seabirds, and the scent of the ocean. Additionally, imagine a gentle sea breeze caressing your skin and the taste of salty air on your tongue. There are some guided meditations to help with this.

Here (https://healyournervoussystem.com/45-techniques-to-activate-your-parasympathetic-nervous-system-and-lower-stress/) are some other ways to active the parasympathetic nervous system too by ‘Heal your nervous system’ (HYNS,2023)

6. Lastly, talk the emotions through with someone: Share your anxiety with someone you trust who doesn’t have a biased, unhelpful opinion. Don’t avoid your anxious thoughts, which can make them worse. Talk them over with a friend, family member or mental health professional who can help you put them in perspective.

If you need further help working on your anxiety and/or would like to know more about the likely causes and triggers, get in touch with me today through Therapy Route!

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, in which you may feel mild to severe symptoms that show. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam or having a medical test or job interview. It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. When faced with potentially harmful situations or worrying triggers, our body activates the warning signs we need to navigate the dangers around us.

Here are some physical symptoms of this fight or flight at play…

o Your heart rate and blood pressure increase.

o You’re pale or have flushed skin.

o Dilated pupils. Your pupils will dilate to take in more light so you can see better.

o You’re on edge. You’re more aware and observant, and in response, you’re looking and listening for things that could be dangerous. Your senses are heightened, and you’re keenly aware of what’s happening around you.

o Memories can be affected. Sometimes during stressful experiences, your memories of the event can be altered. Your memories can be very clear or vivid, or blacked out.

o You’re tense or trembling.

o Your bladder might be affected. It’s common to lose voluntary control of your bladder or bowels in a stressful or dangerous situation.

But what if you have excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for months on end, about several events or activities (such as work or school performance), finding that you can’t control your worry? Unable to sit still and because of this feeling fatigued quickly, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank when you need it most. You feel irritable, and your body is aching due to sleep disturbances and/or unconsciously tensing muscles. All these symptoms affect different areas of your life, including social, occupational, and/or other areas. In this case, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Fortunately, there are long-term and short-term coping strategies to help with this. These are some ways you can help yourself manage anxiety right now.

1. First, Calm anxiety by accepting it. This may sound quite controversial, But one of the most effective ways to ease occasional anxiety is to accept it. This has been found in countless studies and has bread mental health treatments such as Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Adopting this mindset can instantly decrease some of the most intense anxiety symptoms. This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhA804y76Ug) by Emma McAdam, a family and relationship therapist, describes further the importance of accepting to change anxiety. I also largely recommend her playlist on grounding techniques for anxiety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPyzPH8sB2A&list=PLiUrrIiqidTVghUckAJjCZMYO84ahohMv)

2. Next up, do a reality check and remind yourself that you’re safe. Ask yourself these questions:

• On a scale of 1 to 100, how likely is it that the thing I’m anxious about will happen?
• Do I have good reasons to think something will go wrong?
• Is there a chance I’m overly worried?

3. Reminding yourself that you’re safe can reassure the emotional part that believes you are in real life-threatening danger (the fight, flight, freeze response). Saying to yourself, ‘Is there a real danger in front of me, or am I in a safe place and worries about something that’s no threat to my life right now?’ and ‘I will allow my body to respond to this perceived threat, but I don’t need to act on it or let it leak into my behaviours’ This thinking can ground you more in the present moment and reboot your brain and body so you feel less anxious.

4. Release built-up anxiety energy: Read over the above fight, flight, freeze response and disorderly symptoms and ask yourself if such stress would do you well in day-to-day situations? The answer is yes, to some extent. The energy is there because we are preparing for something that is to come. It comes from an emotion that the situation has caused. Here (http://www.inneractiontherapy.com/uploads/2/2/1/8/22188456/emotional_message_chart.pdf) is an emotional message chart for you to look through to discover which emotion it is for you. But so much energy is not so needed for the situation so it’s best to release some so to match the situation. Here are some to do just this...

o Moderate to hard exercise, like running, gym, and dancing.

o Clean your house/apartment.

o Time in nature, like going for a long walk, grounding, and spending time outside.

o Run some errands.

o Play some sport.

o Creative release, like writing, painting, playing, or listening to music.

5. Activate the antidote- the parasympathetic nervous system: During the flight, flight, and freeze response, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. This is part of the body responsible for activating your increased heart rate, delivering more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help you get out of danger. On the other hand, it relaxes your body after a period of stress or danger. You can actively trigger the parasympathetic system to activate by...

o Run your fingers over your lips. Apply lip balm or something similar to help your fingers slide over your lips more easily, if you would prefer

o Deep belly breaths. Focusing on the stomach and directing the breath there, take an inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold without breath for 4 seconds.

o Visualization. For instance, you might imagine yourself on a beach watching the blue water come ashore in calm waves. Remember the sounds of ocean waves, seabirds, and the scent of the ocean. Additionally, imagine a gentle sea breeze caressing your skin and the taste of salty air on your tongue. There are some guided meditations to help with this.

Here (https://healyournervoussystem.com/45-techniques-to-activate-your-parasympathetic-nervous-system-and-lower-stress/) are some other ways to active the parasympathetic nervous system too by ‘Heal your nervous system’ (HYNS,2023)

6. Lastly, talk the emotions through with someone: Share your anxiety with someone you trust who doesn’t have a biased, unhelpful opinion. Don’t avoid your anxious thoughts, which can make them worse. Talk them over with a friend, family member or mental health professional who can help you put them in perspective.

If you need further help working on your anxiety and/or would like to know more about the likely causes and triggers, get in touch with me today through Therapy Route!