How to deal with anxiety and stress

by Taryn Davies | 11 October 2014

What causes your anxiety?

Mental Health statistics revealed by the Mental Health Foundation to celebrate World Mental Health Day (October 10) show that one in four people now experience some kind of mental health problem each year.

Anxiety is becoming more prevalent and women are more likely to feel anxious than men. Not only are adults battling with anxiety 25% of all teens and 30% of all teen girls are really struggling with anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are also estimated to affect 3.3% of children and young adults in the UK.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress whatever our age it and can at times be beneficial in some situations. For some people, however, anxiety can become excessive, and while the person suffering may realize it is excessive they may also have difficulty controlling it and it may negatively affect their day-to-day living.

There are things we can do to help manage our anxiety and below leading experts share their advice.

Sally Brown a psychotherapist and health expert advises:

1 Talk about it. It’s easy to feel isolated when you’re suffering from anxiety but talking about it with supportive friends can help normalise your fears and make you realise you’re not the only one who feels like this.

2 Build stress valves into your day. stress can accumulate and make is less resilient and more prone to anxiety. A classic pattern is allowing stress to build up through the day, then ‘winding down’ with alcohol in the evening. But while that gives you temporary relief, alcohol can make anxiety symptoms worse. Try to take time to do some deep breathing in a quiet place throughout the day to keep stress levels in check. Or download a mindfulness app like Headspace to your phone – you can do a meditation exercise in just three minutes.

3. Give up on perfectionism. Setting yourself unrealistically high standards can create anxiety and a feeling of constant pressure. Try settling for ‘good enough’ rather than perfect.

Change the words you use to help cut stress

Dr Sarah Brewer, GP, Registered Nutritionist and author of ‘Cut Your Stress’ recommends:

1. Change your way of thinking: Avoid using words that exaggerate events. Make molehills out of mountains, rather than the other way round. Instead of ‘terrible’ say ‘inconvenient’; instead of ‘dreadful’ say ‘annoying’; for ‘awful’ try ‘unfortunate’; in place of ‘I have to…’ use ‘I would like to’; and instead of ‘I must’, say ‘I intend to…’

2. Try an inner smile: An ancient Chinese technique can help to relieve stress. Imagine something that makes you smile, and smile internally so it is only felt by you. It doesn’t have to be visible. Let the smile shine out of your eyes and travel inwards to spread all over your body before concentrating the feeling just below your navel. As the smile radiates within, it generates a feeling of relaxation and peace.

3. Take Rhodiola: This traditional herbal treatment for anxiety and stress increases serotonin levels to improve low mood, and supports the actions of the adrenal glands, through a direct action on the hypothalamus gland to reduce levels of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline). Trials show it can reduce anxiety and depression, improve sleep and has an energising effect to overcome fatigue.

Diet can make a difference:

Rob Hobson Healthspan Head of Nutrition suggests:

Try eating foods rich in magnesium. Studies have shown it may help with anxiety. This mineral is involved in muscle relaxation and can be found in dark green leafy veg, nuts (especially cashew), seeds (especially pumpkin), beans and pulses. Low magnesium may also cause insomnia which will cause tiredness and aggravate anxiety. You may also want to try a magnesium supplement for a few months such as Healthspan Magnesium.

Eat nuts for a diet rich in essential nutrients

Mindfulness can help

Mindfulness is becoming a widely practiced method of dealing with stress and anxiety and the first step is to understand what mindfulness is, and how it differs to other meditation practices.

Nicky Jenkins a mindfulness teacher based in Guernsey who works with adults and young people helping p them develop a mindfulness practice says:

Step 1) Acknowledging

Bring yourself into the present moment by deliberately adopting an up right posture and asking yourself: “What is going on with me at the moment?”

Notice and acknowledge your experience, instead of turning away. Accept all your experiences in the body, emotions and thoughts, and stay with them for a few moments, allowing any negative feelings or experiences to be present.

Step 2) Gathering

Gently focus your full attention in to the breathing. Experience fully each in-breath and each out-breath as they follow one after the other.

The breath can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and to help you tune in to a state of awareness and stillness.

Step 3) Expanding Awareness

Expand your awareness around your breathing to the whole body, and the space it takes up, as if your whole body is breathing. Have a sense of the space around you, too.

And Finally …… Exercise

A study showed that exercise can help and is believed to help reduce panic attacks by 30 per cent.

Where to go for help: Charities are a good place to start or visit your GP and there are therapies they can discuss (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This week YouTube British Vlogger sensation Zoella also announced that she has joined up with MIND as their digital ambassador and launches a new #DontPanicButton campaign.

Zoella wants to help people who suffer with anxiety