Feeling Anxious - Angus Health and Social Care Partnership

Anxiety feels like uncontrollable fear or worry. It is normal to feel anxiety at stressful times in our lives such as when we take exams, have a job interview or are doing something we have not done before. You may not know why you are anxious. It is when anxiety becomes uncontrollable that you should look into ways of managing it. Below are some tips and techniques you can use to support you to manage your anxiety. Try using these ideas to support your recovery. You may find that not every technique suits you but try them out and see what works for you.

Anxiety can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender or situation. Anxiety can affect all parts of your life and may cause you to change your routines and avoid doing what you usually do. This is a vicious circle and can cause your anxiety to get worse.

Anxiety affects your body and your mind and you may notice you have an increased heart rate, faster breathing, dizziness, poor sleep, and that you sweat and fidget more when you are anxious.

Anxiety affects your mind by making you feel tired, upset, worried, shaky, unable to concentrate, irritable, on edge and tearful.

Please read our ten tips to support you towards recovery.

TEN TIPS TO RECOVERY

1. Remind yourself: this is just anxiety, it can’t harm me, it will pass. I’m in control

Accept the situation, take a deep breath and wait for the anxiety to pass. Remember that the anxiety always passes. Do not focus on your thoughts at these times as by doing this you are giving them power over your feelings.

Try grounding techniques such as:

Focus on an object. Have a photo, stone, or other small object you can hold in your hand and focus on that if your anxiety feels overwhelming.

– Think about five things you can see, and five things you can smell
– Think about a place you feel safe.
– Look out of the window and concentrate on what you see and hear. Are the birds singing? Can you see the affects of the wind? Watch people passing by.
– Distract yourself from your feelings and look at online clips or play a game on your phone.

Please try these techniques and use the one that suits you best, take a deep breath and wait for the anxiety to pass.

2. Talk to someone you trust

You may find that lots of people around you have experienced anxiety at some time in their life and may have tips and ideas to help you. Talking can help you feel better. It is harder to cope with anxiety alone and talking about your fears can reduce them.

If stress at work or home is affecting your anxiety an honest conversation could help. Talking about your stressors and taking steps to get help can reduce your anxiety. If your anxiety has been caused or impacted by stress please see our stress section for help.

3. Keep a diary of your anxiety

Everyone has their own experience of anxiety and how it affects them.

Examples of anxious thoughts are:

– I might lose control.
– Everyone is looking at me and judging me.
– I am going to faint or have a heart attack – my heart is racing.
– Time is passing much quicker/ slower than usual.
– I feel very aware of everything that is going on around me.
– I feel like I am in a dream and not part of reality.

It is very helpful to keep a diary of your anxious thoughts and using an app can be very helpful. An app can support you to record your anxious thought, what happened before the anxious thought, and what happened after.
You can start to learn about the triggers to your anxiety and what helps you to manage your anxiety best. You might see patterns to your anxiety and start to recognise when you are beginning to feel anxious and take steps to reduce your anxiety.

Please see our helpful Apps and Resources. Please try a few apps and use the one that suits you best.

4. Manage your worries

It may be that one big worry is affecting your anxiety or it may be that you have lots of worries that are making you feel anxious. Your mind is so full of worry that the worry is spilling out and affecting your whole life.

Make a list of your worries, then rank that list in order of your biggest worry to smallest worry. This may be difficult as every worry may feel overwhelming. Take some time to think about this and discuss it with a friend or family member, or consider using a telephone helpline to start to discuss your anxiety.

When you are happy with your list pick the smallest worry and decide on an action you will take to support you to reduce that anxiety. For example, Bill was afraid to speak to people so as a first step he challenged himself to speak to three new people in one day. Bill had been avoiding going out because of his fear. Bill found it very difficult but he said good morning to a person at the bus stop, he spoke to a checkout operator, and asked for a bus ticket when he got on the bus. Bill was proud that he managed his task and this gave him confidence to set himself a new challenge. His next challenge was to speak to one new person every day for a week. Bill is aware that by taking small steps he can begin to reduce his anxiety.

Your challenge will be based on your fears and will be individual to you. Take some time to think about your challenge and do not make it too difficult as this is about taking small steps to help you to stop avoiding situations that you find difficult. Every time you avoid a difficult situation your are reinforcing your own belief that you can’t cope.

Start to take small steps in facing your anxiety and celebrate your successes. Recognise when you have managed something you find difficult. Even if it did not go as well as you hoped you have taken control and are taking small steps towards feeling less anxious

5. Set aside time to focus on your worries

It can be difficult to switch off from worries. It may help to set aside quiet time every day to focus on your worries.

You can allow yourself ten minutes of worry. Write down your worries. Review what you have written every day. When you start worrying at other times you can remind yourself that you have taken time to think about the worry, have written it down and will think about it again tomorrow. You may find it helpful to do this just before bed as this may help you to sleep. Alternatively, you might find it helpful to spend the first ten minutes of the day writing down your worries. Please find a time that suits you.

Sometimes the anxious thoughts you have might be unusual and may seem odd, unsettling or frightening. You might have unusual thoughts about your health, family/friends, how you feel about yourself, your sexuality or religion. These are just thoughts and thinking them does not make them true. Thoughts are not actions. These thoughts are specific to you and are a symptom of your anxiety.

Writing these thoughts down can help.

If you have a distressing thought you can spend some time thinking about it and asking yourself some questions:

– Did I have this thought before I became anxious?
– Is there any evidence to support this thought?
– Is this a thought or a fact?
– What are the pros and cons of this thought?
– Is there any reason to be worried?
– Thinking of my past experience, is this likely to happen?
– What skills or past experience do I have to help me cope with this thought?
– Do I want to make changes?
– Who can help me?

Please remember that anxious thoughts can feel uncomfortable but they are thoughts you cannot control, they are not actions or scenarios that have happened. Spending time asking yourself the above questions can be very helpful.

6. Get the right amount of sleep

The NHS advises that adults should get between 6 and 9 hours of sleep per night. A lack of sleep or too much sleep can cause your anxiety to feel worse and make it more difficult to think clearly and problem solve.

Poor sleep can make you feel very tired and lack of energy can make it harder to cope with your anxious thoughts. Please look at these resources for Better Sleep.

7. Eat a healthy diet

Food can affect your anxiety.

Changing bad habits can be difficult so take this a step at a time. Try to reduce unhealthy foods such as crisps, fizzy juice and takeaways, and increase how much fresh food you eat. Start by trying to cook one fresh meal per day. This can improve your mood and health. If you eat regularly your blood sugar will remain stable and this will have a positive impact on your mood and your anxiety symptoms.

If you are struggling to eat, try to tempt yourself to eat by cooking at least one fresh meal per day and increasing the number of healthy snacks you eat such as nuts, fruit, yoghurt, cheese, toast or cereal.

For more help on Healthy Eating to improve your mental health and wellbeing please look at our resources.

8. Avoid stimulants, alcohol, and drugs

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, fizzy drinks and chocolate. Stimulants can increase your heart rate and make your anxiety feel worse. Stimulants can trigger an anxiety attack. Reducing your reliance on coffee or cigarettes can reduce your anxiety symptoms.

Do not use alcohol to manage your anxiety. Alcohol is a depressant and will affect your mood and your overall wellbeing.

The use of cannabis increases your risk of developing mental illness and can increase your anxiety.

9. Relax

Use breathing exercises to help you relax. It is common to forget to breathe when you are feeling anxious and this can increase the physical sensations of anxiety including feeling light headed and dizzy. Regularly using mindfulness can promote a feeling of calm and reduce anxiety symptoms.

There are lots of apps and podcasts which will guide you to relax. You might have to try a few different apps to find the one that suits you. Try to use an app daily to learn to relax and you will find this has a positive impact on your anxiety.

Please look at our resources which will support you to Relax.

10. Be active and try new activities

Being active is good for your physical health and helps your anxiety by clearing your head and giving you time when you do not have to think or worry. When you are suffering from anxiety distraction from thinking is important and trying out new activities can support you to switch off from your thoughts. Activities can be physical or mental and can include a daily run, a jigsaw puzzle, volunteering or doing the garden.
Exercising for 20 mins every day will increase your energy levels. There are many opportunities for exercise every day such as walking to work, using the stairs instead of the lift, going out to get your shopping rather than using a delivery service, and using your car or public transport less.
Please see more information about the benefits of Exercise and how to increase your activity one step at a time.

If you have Panic attacks there are strategies to manage them. Please see this information and advice from Mind.

Steps for Stress
Provides information on practical steps to recognise and deal with stress. These include lifestyle tips, coping strategies, relaxation techniques and useful contacts.

NHS Inform
Breathing and relaxation exercises for stress.

Mental Health Foundation
Article on stress

Men’s Health Forum
A 24/7 stress support for men by text, chat and email.

Anxiety UK
A charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.
Tel: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5:30pm)

Anxiety Alliance
Provide advice and support for people suffering from anxiety, their carers, family and friends. Anxiety Alliance can provide advise about withdrawing from tranquillisers and anti-depressants.
Tel: 0845 296 7877 (Every day, 10am to 10pm)

Living Life
A free telephone service available to anyone over the age of 16 who is suffering from low mood, mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety.
Tel: 0800 328 9655 (Monday to Friday, 1pm to 9pm)

Combat Stress, The Veterans’ Mental Health Charity
Provide clinical treatment and welfare support to Veterans who suffer from psychological wounds. Helpline for Veterans, Service personnel, and their families.
Tel: 0800 138 1619

£5.99 per Month

My Possible Self: The Mental Health App

Learn how to manage fear, anxiety, and stress and tackle unhelpful thinking.

Free

Virtual Hope Box

Distraction games, inspiring quotes, coping activity cards, activity planning and interactive relaxation exercises.

£30

Be Mindful

An online course to help reduce stress and anxiety using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Free

Student Health App

Reduce your worries, feel more confident and get the health information you need as a student.

£0.99

Beat Panic

Overcome panic attacks and anxiety wherever you happen to be.

Free

Mindshift CBT

Anxiety management. Record the situaitons that make you anxious and design your own plan. Rate your anxiety and check your physical symptoms. Thinking exercises, relaxation tools and general coping strategies.

Free

Big White Wall

Get round-the-clock support from therapists to help you cope with stress and anxiety.

Free

eQuoo

The eQuoo app uses adventure games designed by psychologists to help you increase your emotional fitness and teach you new psychological skills.

Managing Anxiety for Dummies. Davey, Cavanagh et al.

Anxiety Rebalance: All the Answers You Need To overcome Anxiety and Depression. Vernon.

Anxiety Free: How To Trust Yourself and feel Calm. Owen.

Anxiety and Depression: Sheldon Mindfulness. Rezek.

Everything begins With Asking For Help: An Honest guide To Depression and Anxiety. Braddock.

Overcoming Health Anxiety: A Self help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural techniques. Veale/Wilson.

Mindfulness: A Practical guide To Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Williams/Penman.

These books are available to borrow from your local ANGUSalive library either online or as a hard copy from the library. Alternatively, you can buy these books in bookshops if you would prefer to have your own copy.

Please also look at our resources for General Mental Health and Wellbeing for local organisations who can help, and tips to keep well.