Pauline Philips    07813 927756

Anxiety

Do you have control over your anxiety or is your anxiety controlling you ?

Anxiety affects the way we think, how our body responds and the way we behave.

Anxiety is the fear that something we value is being threatened: the most common being

Physical Safety - walking alone at night, awaiting results of pathological report

Material Wellbeing – faced with large debt or risk of redundancy

Self- esteem – job interviews or making a speech

Social safety – when we think that someone disapproves of us or when having to confront someone.

Anxiety stops us relaxing and focusing on other things around us.

Focusing on our anxiety limits our ability to think clearly or process other information in a normal way

We unconsciously assume that worrying is protective; it actually creates much more real and immediate suffering than the situation we fear.

THE CYCLE OF ANXIETY 

THOUGHTS

Something bad is going to happen
I won’t be able to cope

BODY REACTION

Adrenaline response – Body’s alarm system – Energised for fight or flight.   Blood is diverted to the big muscles’ to help us escape or fight the threat, and blood is therefore taken away from other body systems.

You might notice in your body:

Heart rate increases
Breathing speeds up, breathless, choking feeling
Muscles tense, aching, shaking
Hot, sweating
Lightheaded, Blurred vision
Butterflies in tummy, urge to go to toilet
More alert – scanning for danger

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Is this threat a real one or is it really bound to happen?
Am I exaggerating the threat? Am I misreading things?
I feel bad, but that doesn’t mean things really are so bad
What would someone else say about this?
What would I say to a friend in this situation?
What would be a more helpful way of looking at things?
Where’s my focus of attention?
I can cope with these feelings; I’ve got through it before. This will pass.

DOING DIFFERENTLY

Take a breath
How will doing this affect me in the long term?
Don’t avoid situations – go anyway
Problem solve or make plans if necessary
Take things slowly or gradually
Focus attention outside of me – external rather than internal focus (mindfulness)
What’s the best thing to do
What would help most

IMAGINE...

Imagine yourself coping in a situation that you feel anxious about.       See the situation through to a successful completion.

Visualise blue for calm.  Breathe in blue and breathe out read.

COPING STATEMENTS

Relax
This too will pass
I have done what I can, now it’s out of my hands
One day at a time
Not my problem!
Wait and see
I have the right to make mistakes
It’s a pain in the neck but it’s not a disaster
Will this matter in five year’s time
How bad is this on the awfulness scale?ANXIETY