Posts Tagged ‘anxiety’
15 Ways to Find Calm In Under 5 Minutes
How calm are you feeling right now on this Saturday afternoon? What do you do when you feel the stress and anxiety build up? Are you able to calm yourself down?
If you need some tips then this is a really useful article to read as Tina Williamson of Barefootbeginnings.net has taken the time to give some great advice.
The tips range from active techniques such as going for a walk, playing soothing music , writing things down and stretching to more inner focus techniques such as meditation, finding a new perspective and a different frame of mind.
Tina concludes by saying: ‘Peace is not in tomorrows moments, or yesterday’s; it’s right now!’
Stop Thinking About Your Thinking!
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Linda Esposito begins her final blog about social anxiety by quoting the above. Do you agree? She says that most people are genuinely kind and genuinely busy so they are not going to focus on you and your perceived mistakes they are too busy getting on with making their own!
One of her points has really struck me though. She remarks that if you have allowed your mind to imprison you you will wake up one day and realise all that you have missed out on. So stop thinking about your thinking!
Social Anxiety Series: Stop Thinking About Your Thinking! (Part 4 of 4) | TalkTherapyBiz.
The Big Stink About Anxiety: It Changes How Our Brains Process Odors
The symptoms of anxiety are well known. Your heart beats faster, your breathing becomes more rapid, your palms sweat, your stomach has butterflies. However did you know that anxiety also changes how we smell things?
A new study discovered that even neutral smells become more negative as anxiety levels increase. The researchers believe that when a person becomes anxious their emotional system becomes part of the olfactory system, the part of the brain responsible for smell. This effect builds up over time so the more anxiety you experience the greater the ‘cross-wiring’ between the two systems to the point where the smells themselves contribute to the feelings of anxiety.
Have you ever experienced this? Why not add your comments below?
Staying Focused in the Face of Distractions
When out for a coffee in a noisy coffee shop I often notice people working at their laptops. I wonder how do they keep focused with all the things going on around them? It’s the same in a busy office with conversations and phone calls happening all around you as you try to meet your deadline. So what do you do? Do you try to remove all distractions and find a quiet corner somewhere?
Studies have shown that this may not actually be the best answer for staying on task. It all depends on the type and intensity of the distraction and how anxious you are.
Why not take a look at the article to find out how they came to these conclusions and let me know what you think!
Staying Focused in the Face of Distractions – Association for Psychological Science.
9 Ways to Boost Your Brain and Mood
Here is a practical article to help you to boost your brain and improve your mood. The first two suggestions are a great starting point. Get a check up and get your medications checked. Certain health conditions can impact on your brain and your mood and so can certain medications.
Practical suggestions like getting enough sleep, exercising and eating well are also here but Therese puts her own spin on these with her wealth of experience behind her. Advice is also included about getting connected, even if you really don’t want to, mindfulness and de-stressing techniques. The final suggestion is to get thinking; get your brain busy, just reading the newspaper each day or doing a crossword puzzle regularly can be good for your brain.
6 Ways to Manage Autumn Anxiety
We had some lovely weather over the weekend with blue skies and the sun on our faces but there is still a feel of autumn in the air. Autumn can fill some people with anxiety. Therese Bouchard says this is because it is a season of transition into winter.
In this article she provides you with some tools to manage the rising anxiety. These include deep breathing techniques and using a light box preferably in the morning. She says it is also important to identify where the anxiety comes from. She explains about the area of the brain called the amygdala that is responsible for the feelings of panic and how you can take control of these feelings.
Do you know what cognitive distortions are? Why not take some time to read her article to find out and also give some of the suggestions a try?
7 Quick Tips to Lower Your Anxiety Today
Do you want easy actionable steps to reduce your feelings of anxiety? Would you like to get started today?
Linda Esposito from talktherapybiz.com can help!
She has produced a great short video that takes you through seven different tips to reduce anxiety. You can also print out the pdf to carry around with you so that you can remind yourself what each of the tips are.
The tips include techniques such as closing your eyes to the stimulations around you, deep breathing and making a conscious effort to banish negative words from your vocabulary. She also suggests that you limit your to-do list to just two things which you plan the night before and that you tighten your boundaries.
It’s really worth taking a look!
Anxiety Basics. Six things you need to know.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. We have all experienced it at some time or other in our lives. It’s not uncommon to feel worried about an impending job interview or exam, but if your feelings of anxiety overwhelm you then they can effect your day to day life significantly.
Anxiety UK say that ‘Anxiety can make a person imagine that things in their life are worse than they really are, and prevent them from confronting their fears. Often they will think they are going mad, or that some psychological imbalance is at the heart of their woes’.
Anxiety and Stress
Last weeks article was all about stress and the response our bodies have when we are faced with a stressful situation. In our early days as humans we developed an inbuilt response called ‘fight or flight’ which protects us from all the dangers that surrounded us. When faced with a danger our heart rate and breathing get faster and our senses are heightened by the production of adrenaline and corticosteroids in our bodies. In present times, our environment has changed and so have the dangers. Most of us do not now face the fear of being eaten by a wild animal (thank goodness!) but we do still have the same stress response to stressors such as relationship problems, work pressures and finances. The feelings that many associate with anxiety is this ‘fight or flight’ mechanism kicking in. However instead of being used to avoid immediate danger, it is activated inappropriately during everyday situations.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Do you feel anxious most days and struggle to relax? Anxiety can cause both mental (pyschological) and physical symptoms which can be different from person to person.
Some psychological symptoms to look out for include irritability, impatience, difficulties in concentration so that you are easily distracted, restlessness and a general feeling of dread.
There are many physical symptoms associated with anxiety. These include insomnia, tiredness, dizziness, shortness of breath and palpitations, stomach ache and diarrohea, muscle aches and pain and the list goes on.
You are not alone!
Anxiety affects about 1 in 20 adults in Britain. Slightly more women are affected than men, and the condition is most common in people in their twenties (nhs). The charity Mind say that if your anxiety is severe you may have difficulty holding down a job or maintaining relationships. The impact of anxiety on your life and those around you can be huge.
Where to get help?
If you think you are suffering from anxiety, seeking help and a diagnosis is the best thing you can do. Talking to a GP or a qualified psychotherapist will enable you to discuss your symptoms and gain the correct therapy so that you can take control of your anxiety. Psychotherapy is the most widely recommended treatment for anxiety. Psychotherapy can help you to uncover the reasons behind your anxiety and then by working with your therapist you can begin to work on strategies to reduce your anxiety levels.
How to help yourself?
There are lots of things you can do to enable you to manage your anxiety. Mind suggest a range of things from relaxation and breathing techniques, assertiveness training, to leading a healthy lifestyle. Talking about your anxiety to a family member or friend can also help.
Remember here at the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy we have experienced counsellors and therapists who can help you to deal with your anxiety. Our emphasis is on friendliness and providing a safe and warm environment. Why not phone the Institute on: 0161-862-9456 to book your initial assessment or contact us via email.
Moving Through A Difficult Anniversary Date
I was talking to a colleague the other day about how she was coping with life after the sudden death of her husband a few months ago. She said she was managing ok just at the moment as there were not any anniversaries or special dates coming up that she had shared with her late husband.
Dr Deb talks about this matter in her blog and she calls it the ‘Anniversary reaction’. She defines it as a unique set of thoughts, feelings and memories that occur on the anniversary of a significant experience. It may not be linked with a particular date even but perhaps a time of year or season.
So what can you do? She goes on to give six tips to help you move through these difficult times. Read on to find out more….
Personal Space Now Comes With a Number
Have you had your personal space invaded recently? Has someone stepped up too close to talk to you, made you feel uncomfortable so you have found yourself trying to back away?
There has been new research looking at the relationship between personal space (known as peripersonal space) and people who suffer from anxiety. Through their investigations they were able to discover that the distance that people have for their peripersonal space does vary significantly. The distances range from between 20 cm up to 40 cm.
Those people suffering with anxiety issues were found to prefer people to stand much further away from them, so their need for personal space was much greater than those without anxiety issues.
A fascinating article which concludes with how scientists will take this research forward.