What is Anxiety?
- Anxiety is a natural, human response that occurs when we feel that we are under threat.
- It is a feeling of apprehension, fear or worry, or a sense of impending doom.
- 1 in 4 people regularly experience anxiety, making it the most common mental health issue.
Why do we feel anxious?
- Anxiety is adaptive – it’s a system that our bodies have evolved in order to help us deal with danger.
- When our bodies feel anxiety, it triggers our fight-flight-freeze response – this is how our bodies prepare to defend itself when it thinks it’s in danger.
- Often with anxiety, we aren’t in any real danger – but our brain and body acts as if we are.
Fight
Fight
You get angry, irritable, snappy, start to shout, lose your temper
Flight
Flight
You want to run away from or avoid situations, make excuses not to go.
Freeze
Freeze
Your mind goes blank, feel like you can't move
or talk, feel stuck
What does anxiety feel like?
- Struggle to fall asleep/stay asleep
- Butterflies in your stomach
- Feelings dizzy or shaky
- Feeling unable to focus
- Fast heartbeat
- Sweating and hot flushes
- Feeling on edge or paranoid
- Loss of appetite
- Restlessness or fidgeting
- Feeling irritable
Apps for Anxiety
ClearFear
Headspace
Tappy
Tips on Managing Anxiety
- Write down all the things you're feeling anxious about in a 'brain dump'
- Schedule 'worry time', a specific time of day where you think about your worries
- Everyone is different - so it's important to identify what triggers your anxiety
- Practice mindfulness and grounding techniques
- Work on challenging your negative thoughts
- Consider what is within your control and out of your control - focus on what you CAN control.
