Anxiety

 

Ok, so what are we trying to get across today??

1. What is anxiety, and what are the symptoms

2. How to deal with anxiety in everyday life

3. What to do if anxiety becomes too much to handle

4. How to get help for anxiety disorders

5. The benefits of therapy and medication for anxiety disorders

6. The importance of self-care when living with anxiety

What is Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, unease, or nervousness. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel anxious before a big test or presentation. While occasional anxiety is normal, it can interfere with your daily life and lead to other problems such as depression when it becomes persistent and excessive. If you're struggling with anxiety, there are treatments available that can help you manage your symptoms. So don't hesitate to reach out for help if you need it.

How to deal with anxiety in everyday life

Anxiety can feel like a weight on your chest, making it hard to breathe. You may feel like you're constantly on edge and unable to relax. If you're struggling with anxiety, here are a few tips that may help. First, try to identify what's causing your anxiety. Once you know what's triggering your anxiety, you can address those issues. Second, exercise regularly. Exercise releases endorphins, which can help improve mood and reduce stress levels. Finally, make sure to get enough sleep each night. When you're exhausted, it's harder to cope with stress and anxiety. These are just a few tips - there are many other things you can do to manage your anxiety. Don't hesitate to talk to your doctor.

What to do if anxiety becomes too much to handle

If you're like me, then you know that anxiety can be a real pain in the ass. Sometimes it's manageable, but other times it just becomes too much to handle. When that happens, what do you do? Here are five steps that have helped me when anxiety gets to be too much. Hopefully, they'll help you too!

* Let those close to you know you are struggling. 

* Ask for help. Sometimes just letting people know you are struggling is enough, but when it's not, ask for help; sometimes what is causing you anxiety with no escape can present an obvious solution to those around you

* Be kind to yourself. Anxiety is horrible and insidious. It steals who you are. One of the most important things to do is look after yourself. have a bath, read a book, go for a run. It might not (and in my experience won't) solve the problem, but you will at least have taken control back from the anxiety for a few minutes giving yourself a break

* Speak to a doctor. In my experience, I spoke to my wife, and she suggested it, so I went, and things really did start to get better. Not straight away and not all at once, but my life has changed beyond recognition since I did get help. 

* Eat well. Eat fresh fruit and veg. This is my own anecdotal evidence, but I can not tell you how much better it made me feel. All those micronutrients are essential so make sure you get yours.

 How to get help for anxiety disorders

As I said before, there are two primary sources of help.

1. Friends and family

This is self-explanatory; let them close to you who you trust help you. They want to help you. It's the human condition we help each other. So let them know. If it is not enough, move to step 2

2. Professional help

This is, for most people, one of 2 primary resources. The first is your GP. He might offer medication or talking therapies, which will refer to another service. I have tried both. Both have had different levels of success, but that is for another post. Don't rule anything out. These guys are the experts and will do their best for you.

The other route is often quicker, and I found it really helpful. It was via occupational health at my work. The same talking therapy offered much faster. I know some of you will be thinking, telling not tell my work". My question is, why not? And if you cant tell them/won't tell them, are they part of the problem. Are you trapped?

The Benefits of Therapy and medication

Therapy

It seems like every other day, there's a new study about how therapy is excellent for your mental health. But does anyone actually believe it? I mean, who wants to go talk about their feelings with a complete stranger? Turns out there are a lot of benefits to therapy that have nothing to do with your feelings. In fact, here are five reasons why you should consider therapy, even if you don't think you need it. 

1. Therapy can help manage stress and anxiety.

2. Therapy can improve relationships. 

3. Therapy can help with chronic pain management. 

4. Therapy can improve mental health outcomes. 

5. Therapy is confidential and affordable."

Medication

Mental health medication has been a hot topic in the media lately. Celebrities and everyday people are speaking up about their experiences with medication and mental health in general. While there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health, it seems to be slowly dissipating. This is a good thing because mental health is just as important as physical health. In fact, I would argue that mental health is more important because if your mind isn't healthy, you can't truly be happy or enjoy life to its fullest extent. That being said, I want to talk about the benefits of taking medication for mental health issues.

Medication can be the nudge the body needs. If you had knee pain, you would take painkillers. Heart defect beta-blockers, high cholesterol statins, and the list goes on. So why not take something for mental health? I found it took about a fortnight for me to feel more alive. The world regained colour, and I overcame some tasks that had been overwhelming days before. It was not a cure, but it helped me address the real issues hidden by the anxiety. 

The importance of self-care when living with anxiety

Self-care is essential for everyone, but it's especially important for men. We often feel like we need to be tough and robust, and we don't always feel comfortable talking about our feelings or taking care of ourselves. But we must make time for self-care, even if it means making some changes to our lifestyle. Here are a few tips on making self-care a priority in your life.

1. Give yourself permission. Mine looked like a mid-life crisis. I bought a motorbike, grew my beard, and played video games again. Yours might look different. But because I gave myself permission and had already told/discussed my issues with my partner, it was all good

2. Don't copy someone else it wont work for you (well it might, but you know what I mean). Find the things that make you happy. Do them, and you will be a more content Son, husband, boyfriend, father than before. Happiness is infectious so do what you love. 

3. This was the biggest changer for me and something I will cover in-depth as it's where my passion lies. Be creative. Stop consuming, Media, processed food, Literature. Create something; putting something into the world is fantastic and will change your life (maybe, It did mine)  

Conclusion 

Anxiety can be a debilitating disorder. It's important to take care of yourself and do what you need to feel better physically and mentally. Therapy is an essential part of self-care for those with anxiety disorders because it helps the person understand their own thoughts and feelings and learn how to manage them in day-to-day life. Medication may also help ease some symptoms but should not replace therapy or other forms of treatment such as exercise or mindfulness techniques that have been shown to reduce stress levels by up to 68%. If you are ready for change, we're here for you - contact us today!