#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek: Dealing with anxiety
Sweco author: Leanne Crawford - Resourcing & Inclusion
Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 is all about Anxiety - a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes a 'dark cloud' that can become overbearing and grow into a more problematic mental - or even physical - health problem.
In this blog, Leanne Crawford looks at what anxiety can manifest itself, how we can learn to cope with it, and how she has learned to manage some forms of anxiety in her own life...
What is anxiety?
The NHS defines it as ‘a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.’
We are all likely to experience some anxiety at different times in our lives such as before a big event or life change, however, for some people this can be more severe and have such an impact on their lives that they struggle to carry out their normal day-to-day activities.
So...what are some of the symptoms?
Anxiety can show up in lots of different ways, it can affect both your mind and body. Some common symptoms can include:
It’s important to note that these are just some of the symptoms related to anxiety and that you are unlikely to experience every symptom. I was surprised to learn of some of the physical symptoms such as pins and needles, of course a lot of these symptoms can be caused by other things so if you suddenly find yourself feeling nauseous but everything else is fine, it’s unlikely that you are suffering with anxiety.
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety can be somewhat complex, and some sufferers may be diagnosed with a particular anxiety disorder. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) means having regular or uncontrollable worries about many different things in everyday life, for sufferers this usually means that they have constant worries rather than worrying about a particular thing or event. Other types of anxiety disorder can be more specific, such as:
Social anxiety disorder – an extreme fear or anxiety triggered by social situations.
Panic disorder – having regular panic attacks without a clear cause or trigger.
Phobia – an extreme fear triggered by a particular situation or object.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – anxiety problems after going through something traumatic.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – having repetitive thoughts, behaviours or urges.
Health anxiety – an obsession relating to illness, including researching symptoms.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) – obsessions and compulsions relating to your physical appearance.
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
We often joke about people suffering with OCD or being a hypochondriac but for people living with these conditions it can be truly debilitating and confusing. As a child I suffered with a form of OCD that really affected my family and I for a few months, it went away as quickly as it came but it wasn’t until I was much older that I realised it was a condition with its own name, and it wasn’t until my research for this article that I even realised it was an anxiety disorder.
I still have OCD traits now, I’m absolutely obsessed with running out of things, I will go out of my way to go to a shop to purchase something that I’m not going to need for another month through my fear of running out of it, it’s usually something completely random that really wouldn’t have any impact on my life if I did run out of it, but I become obsessed with replacing it, it’s not uncommon for me to open a cupboard and find several of the same item as I’ve panicked that I may run out.
Fortunately, I find my behaviour quite amusing, it can inconvenience me at times but doesn’t really take over my life, for some people though these types of behaviours can become so extreme that their whole life revolves around it which can have a detrimental effect on their work and social life as well as the lives of those around them.
Panic Disorder
For somebody suffering with panic disorder life can be incredibly difficult, their panic attacks aren’t always caused by a trigger, so they end up worrying about where the next one is going to come from. Sufferers often feel like they’re having a heart attack or are going to die which his understandably terrifying.
Phobias
A lot of us have phobias (a spider has had me in tears on more than one occasion), but for somebody with a severe phobia their whole life can revolve around avoiding the object or situation and for somebody experiencing social anxiety disorder they may not be able to go through the normal motions of life such as going to work, talking on the phone, going to a party or dating as the fear is too great for them and may result in nausea, sweating, shaking and dizziness amongst other symptoms.
How can somebody suffering with anxiety get support?
At Sweco, we have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a great place to start if we struggle with anxiety or any other mental illness - I'd urge any of my colleagues to check out the EAP on our intranet). The EAP is run by Health Assured and their phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They also have an excellent website and app with lots of tips and advice.
Your GP will also be able to help, they may prescribe talking therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), workbooks or possibly medication such as antidepressants. There are many different antidepressants out there and some specifically treat anxiety disorders such as panic attacks and OCD.
What about self-help?
There are lots of self-help methods that somebody suffering from anxiety may find useful. Looking after your physical health can really benefit your mental health too so eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep can really help.
Some find that writing their thoughts down and then putting them somewhere out of the way can help or others recommend keeping a diary so that they can spot patterns and triggers.
Complimentary therapies such as massage, reflexology, meditation, and yoga are also popular as well as breathing exercises.
If you don’t for any reason want to talk to a professional, then perhaps you could talk to somebody that you trust. You may be surprised to learn how many people may be going through the same thing or know somebody else that is, sometimes just talking about your thoughts and feelings can help.
Above all remember that the mind is complicated and your mental health needs as much attention as your physical health, just because you can’t see the problem, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.