Understanding and Managing Anxiety
37% of women and 30% of men have reported high levels of anxiety between 2022 and 2023 alone. Anxiety has become one of the most prevalent mental health challenges of our time. In this article, we'll delve into anxiety, trying to understand why we get anxious, what happens in our bodies when we get anxious, and also some evidence based-techniques for managing it in our everyday lives.
It is important to note that if you are struggling with anxiety on a daily basis, to the point that it is affecting your daily activities, then you might want to consider contacting your local GP, a qualified therapist or a mental health charity.
As odd as it may sound, anxiety is a very helpful emotion, which is crucial for our survival. When we get anxious, our brain activate the same mechanisms that were activated in our ancestor's brain when they encountered a life-threatening situation, such as a dangerous animal. This mechanism, known as the fight, flight or freeze system, prompts us to wither fight the threat, run away, or freeze in terror.
While we no longer face hungry tigers, our brain has still retained those same ancestral mechanisms. For instance, when we feel anxious for an upcoming exam, our fight, flight or freeze system would activate, and we would either study for the exam (fight), deciding not to do the exam at all, and pretend that we are sick or ask for an extension (flight), or procrastinate because the exam due to stress (freeze). In such a situation, anxiety has just helped us navigating a difficult situation and "survive it".
But what happens in our bodies when anxiety strikes? The reaction begins in the amygdala. When the amygdala perceives a threat, it will signal the hypothalamus that would then stimulate the autonomic nervous system by releasing hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. This prepares our body for physical actions, because it does not know the difference between an actual threat to our life, and a stressful event. We would therefore experience the following physical sensations:
Dizziness, breathlessness, tightness in chest because our body will need more oxygen in the muscles
Heart pounding, palpitations so that more blood can reach the muscles
Muscle tensions so that our body can get ready for action
Sweating to maintain effective body temperature
Feeling sick because blood is diverted to major muscles (our digestive system is not as important at that point).
Box breathing exercise https://www.maimonidesem.org/blog/box-breathing-technique-nbspnbsp
What we can take away from all of this, is that our mind influences our body and vice-versa. For this reason, the techniques that help us managing anxiety can either act on our body or they can act on our mind.
Anxiety management technique for the body
Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises will help you slow your heart rate and regulate your breath. A common breathing exercise is the box breathing. This involve inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 4 seconds, exhaling for 4 seconds and holding your breath again for 4 seconds, before starting everything again. Ideally, you should repeat this 9 to 10 time.
Muscle Relaxation
Muscle relaxation involve techniques to reduce tension and tightness in the muscles. A common progressive muscle relaxation exercise (progressive muscle relaxation) involves systematically tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in the body. You start from your toes, and move up through legs, abdomen, chest, arms, shoulders, neck, and face. Each muscle should be tensed for 5-10 seconds, and then released completely.
Grounding techniques
Grounding techniques are strategies used to help individuals stay connected to the present moment and manage overwhelming emotions or sensations. They involve redirecting attention away from distressing thoughts or feelings and focusing on the immediate environment. A common grounding exercise is the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique, which involves identifying and naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. It is used to ground yourself within your surrounding.
Anxiety management techniques for the mind
Worry time
Worry time is a technique used to manage excessive worrying and anxiety. It involves setting aside a specific time each day to address worries and concerns, rather than allowing them to consume your entire days.
You need to choose a consistent time, preferably in the evening, as your designated worry time. This should ideally last 10-15 minutes. If a worry arises during the day, you should write it down and refocus on the present, postponing the worry to your designated worry time. When the worry time arrives, you are allowed to worry. At that point you might notice that your worry are not as important as applicable as when they first occurred.
Problem solving
Sometimes, what we are worrying about is a current, realistic worry and there may be a need to deal with t he problem in a practical way. We can do that through problem solving. Here is how it works
Identify the problem
Identify all possible solutions
Evaluate pros and cons
Select a solution
Plan
Do (put the plan into action)
Review
In conclusion, while anxiety can spur us into action against stressors, it's an unpleasant emotion. Employing techniques like those mentioned above can help us effectively cope with anxiety and stress in our lives.
References
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-s...
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explo...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/ba... https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/media/1655/we...