Local Life - St Helens - May/Jun 2021

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50 Stress and Anxiety Are you feeling stressed and anxious about the future? During the pandemic, we are experiencing more stress and anxiety than ever before. This is caused by uncertainty and ever-changing information. According to the mental health charity Mind, 60% of adults said their mental health became worse during lockdown. Stress and anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways. Physical symptoms can include an increased heart rate or muscle tension, ‘jelly’ legs or tingling in the hands and feet, breathing too heavily or dizziness. You may experience feelings that you might lose control, faint, think people are looking at you and noticing your anxiety. Dave Smithson from Anxiety UK says “Those who are usually outgoing may become withdrawn or those who are reserved may become erratic. Everyone is different and anxiety can be triggered by a range of things.” Other symptoms can include lack of concentration, catastrophic thoughts, poor memory, excessive alcohol intake, under or overeating, a short temper and tearfulness. A key indicator is blowing things out of proportion. As Lorraine Collins, psychodynamic counsellor, psychotherapist, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), says “If you’re stressed, how you view situations can become altered and distorted due to the brain not being able to process information in a more balanced way. It can also be a cry for help in communicating distress that can be difficult to put into words, so is ‘acted out’ by slamming doors, banging around, road rage and so on.” If you are under threat of redundancy as a result of the pandemic, this is additional stress as a job provides selfesteem, purpose and a social network. Losing your job unexpectedly affects all this, so stress accumulates. Lorraine says “If there is a threat of redundancy, it’s quite normal to feel stressed and anxious about your security and future. It can be like a constant feeling of dread and impending doom. You may experience a sinking feeling in the stomach. There may be a tendency for catastrophic thoughts about what the future might hold.” If you are suffering from extreme stress, it may be difficult to recognise it. Lorraine advises checking your ‘internal dialogue’, which will reduce the risk of stress and tension building up. By that she means asking yourself “Am I tired and wired?” as a kind of self-monitoring. “I often suggest to my patients to use the HALT method – am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired? Getting into the habit of addressing these things can help to monitor your levels of stress and keep a more balanced sense of wellbeing,” she says. How To Manage Stress and Anxiety The good news is there are plenty of practical and useful tools to manage anxiety and reduce stress: • Getting back into nature is a great way of calming your anxiety. This can be a local park, woodland, nature reserve or your garden. Lorraine says “You can practice naming what’s around you, the
51 things you see and hear, and this will interrupt the constant looping of anxious thoughts.” • Looking after mind and body: “Go to bed at a reasonable time without screens and mobiles or other things that will decrease the winding-down time we need to settle into a relaxed state and leave the day behind,” says Lorraine. “Watch your diet, as excessive caffeine and refined sugars will only stimulate an already stimulated body and mind.” • Learning to relax: relaxation techniques can include exercises to release the tension in your body by easing your muscles. The Mind web site lists plenty of options. • Switch off the news: if you find it difficult coping with news coverage, it may make you feel better if you limit what you read, watch and listen to for a while. • Connecting with other people: “Plan to have regular chats with friends and family over the phone,” says Stephen Buckley from Mind. “This is a vital way of maintaining wellbeing.” • Sharing the problem: talking to someone you trust about what is making you stressed can be helpful. If this isn’t possible, you could call a confidential helpline such as Mind’s Infoline or those run by Anxiety UK and the Samaritans. You could also join a support or self-help group – talking to people in the same boat can be reassuring. If these self-care techniques don’t work, it’s best to talk to your GP about treatment options. This can include talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). www.lccounselling.com www.mind.org.uk www.anxietyuk.org.uk
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Local Life - St Helens - May/Jun 2021

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