Have you noticed you are feeling more anxious?

The last 18 months or so have seen us having to deal with the unexpected, whilst feeling frightened and confused about what we should and shouldn’t be doing haven’t they?  Have you noticed that you feel more anxious now when dealing with everyday situations?  Does getting back to a new ‘normal’ worry you at all?  Have you cancelled plans or pretended to be busy to avoid having to deal with situations?

The NHS defines anxiety as ‘’a feeling of unease, like a worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. Everyone feels anxious from time to time and it usually passes once the situation is over.  It can make our heart race, we might feel sweaty, shaky or short of breath. Anxiety can also cause changes in our behaviour, such as becoming overly careful or avoiding things that trigger anxiety.’’

Feeling a little anxious or worried at times is normal and we all experience these feelings, it becomes an issue though when anxiety prevents us from living our lives and dealing with everyday problems – this is when we need to address it and manage the feelings resulting from it.

The NHS have some fantastic tips for understanding and dealing with anxiety and here are a few tools to help you.

1. Change your focus – Find a way to relax (see below for a simple breathing exercise) by taking some deep breaths, going for a walk, or doing something creative.  Find a relaxation technique that works for you and utilise it to release tension and focus your awareness on the present moment.
2. Understand your anxiety – Try keeping a diary to identify any patterns or triggers for your feelings, this will help you manage situations to avoid anxiety building and be able to take action earlier.
3. Challenge your anxious thoughts – ask yourself specifically what you are worried about?  What do you fear will happen?  And then –
4. Reframe those thoughts – are you worried about something within your control?  If yes then decide on a course of action to tackle it.  If no acknowledge the thought and then give yourself permission to let it go, it sometimes helps to write these thoughts down and then rip up or shred the paper.
5. Make time for worries – set aside time each day to note down your worries and thoughts and then for each one decide whether you are able to do anything about them.  For those you are unable to influence let them go, and focus on the ones you are able to deal with by deciding on one action for each that you can carry out straight away to relieve that worry.  We know that we need to deal with anything adversely affecting us and inevitably these issues will only grow if we try and ignore them.  More often than not things are never as bad in reality as we make them out to be in our heads, are they?  The key is to avoid over thinking a situation and just make a start on dealing with whatever it is in front of you.  Maybe even think about the problem or situation from someone else’s point of view, what advice would you give to a friend or family member facing the same thing?

Grounding Technique

When we feel anxious having an anchor, a way of grounding ourselves can really help.

Focus on deep breathing, in and out.  Once you find your breath, go through the following steps to help ground yourself:

Acknowledge 5 things you see.

Acknowledge 4 things you can touch.

Acknowledge 3 things you hear.

Acknowledge 2 things you can smell.

Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste.

Breathing techniques are also a great way to instil calm, allowing us to focus on grounding ourselves.  Shallow breathing by taking rapid, shallow breaths that come directly from the chest, results in increased heart rate, dizziness, muscle tension, and other physical sensations and blood not being properly oxygenated which may contribute to anxiety.

Deep breathing stimulates the part of the nervous system which is responsible for regulating heartbeat, blood flow, breathing, and digestion.  Deep breathing helps you to avoid the “fight-or-flight” response to mentally or physically terrifying situations.

Determine your breathing pattern by putting one hand on your upper abdomen near the waist and the other in the middle of your chest.  As you breathe, notice which hand raises the most.

VeryWellMind.com have examples of different types of breathing exercises and sometimes simplicity is best so here is a Simple Breathing Exercise which you can perform as often as you need to. 

• You can do this standing, sitting or lying down.   If you initially struggle with this exercise, stop for now and try again in a day or so – building up the time gradually.
• ​Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Your abdomen should expand, and your chest should rise very little.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you blow air out, purse your lips slightly, but keep your jaw relaxed. You may hear a soft “whooshing” sound as you exhale.
• Repeat this breathing exercise. Do it for several minutes until you start to feel better.

Whenever you start to notice feelings of anxiety affecting you, remember these techniques and ultimately that confronting your fears will help you feel in control of them and subsequently deal with them.

We place so much emphasis on our physical wellbeing and we are all now realising our mental wellbeing requires the same amount of focus too.  Just like a personal trainer is there to advise, keep us on track and make us accountable to be physically fit, we at Emerge are able to offer one to one sessions that will enable you to overcome any fears and feelings of anxiety.  We will also support you to work and focus on your confidence and goals, so that you are able to achieve everything you want to in life.

It may be that you require a couple of sessions to get you back on track and reignite everything you already know, or you may wish to embark on a journey to achieve those lifelong goals and dreams. Whatever your goal, whatever your dream know that it’s all achievable and Emerge will support your growth with integrity to fulfil your purpose and we very much look forward to hearing from you to discuss how we can support you.  

About the authors – Sarah & Carmen are Life & Wellbeing Coaches, Founders of www.emergebewhoyouare.co.uk their passion dedicated to enabling people to boost and maintain their resilience and fulfil their full potential. Please contact them to learn how they can support you in living your best life.  You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram for a daily dose of positivity @emergebewhoyouare.