Mental Health Awareness Week – Managing Anxiety
3rd May 2023
Hilda Campbell of COPE Scotland shares some tips on dealing with anxiety, the central theme for this year’s Mental Awareness Week.
Mental Health Awareness Week runs this year between the 15th and 21st of May.
The theme for this year is “anxiety”. With everything that happened during the pandemic, lockdowns, and as we face new challenges of world conflicts, the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis, it is a small wonder that many people are now feeling anxiety for the first time and feel unsettled by it.
There are anxiety disorders which may benefit from professional intervention, and people whose lives are significantly impacted by anxiety would be wise to seek professional advice. What we want to share here is a focus on self-care and self-management only to help reduce stress levels and to try to improve our energy and our overall well-being.
For those who do not feel comfortable in such times of uncertainty, this can cause anxiety. Anxiety is a feeling we have probably all experienced at some time or other; it’s where we feel uneasy about something when we don’t know the outcome. This can range from going for a job interview, waiting for a medical test or scan results, or moving to a new city or place to live. Even where the situation is something we look forward to, we may still be nervous or ‘anxious’ due to uncertainty.
The challenge with anxiety is where it begins to impact on our daily lives; where we may:
- Feel unsettled and unsure why; we just find it hard to relax.
- Feel that day-to-day things are a real effort, that we just don’t have the energy to deal with them and feel tired all the time. We also feel restless, so we can’t get a decent sleep.
- Find it harder to concentrate and think clearly about tasks and things we need to do.
- Feel irritable with ourselves and others as it all feels a bit overwhelming. We want to take action, but are unsure what that is!
- Be physically affected – sore heads, aches and pains, tummy upsets. (If in doubt, check your symptoms with your GP). Panic attacks may occur – but there are coping mechanisms and tools to help you reduce anxiety.
The following links and tips may be helpful:
- Learn a grounding technique; this finger-hold exercise from Capacitar may interest those wanting to control difficult emotions.
- Find a relaxation practice that works for you and build it into every day. There are many to choose from – what matters is that it works for you. Even reading a book you enjoy for 6 minutes is a way of helping you switch off and relax. When short on time, try this 3min relaxer.
- Learn to keep stress under control; this video can offer some ideas.
- We have a filter which wants to keep us safe and scope for threats. If that filter is on full alert all the time, we may feel persistently unsettled. These resources from COPE may help.
- The tips in this article may be of interest to help manage the ‘what ifs’ that can help feed anxiety.
What is really important when we are seeking to manage anxiety is practising self-care and using a kinder inner voice when speaking to ourselves.
Tools like these don’t replace speaking to someone where life is that bit harder – and remember that organisations like the Samaritans can listen at any time, night or day, when you feel overwhelmed – call 116 123.
Talking about how we feel, finding ways to regain a sense of hope and looking after ourselves can help reduce anxiety’s impact. Remember:
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
Leo F. Buscaglia
Find some joy in everyday, even if only for moments, as it is those moments which can help sustain us. Remember, you do matter, and people do care.
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