Up your’s Anxiety!

 So then you lot! Anxiety, we here the name all the time lightly thrown around but do you know exactly what it is? How life crippling and mind consuming it can be? For those of you that suffer with it, then you’re doing great. But for you lot that don’t know what it really is and would like to learn more so you can understand a friend, loved one or just that “odd” person that is a bit weird! then sit back and have a read!

Anxiety unfortunately is not something that can be cured, but it is something that can most definitely be managed.  Yes with medication but more importantly YOU.  You can take control of that mind of yours and stop putting up with the shite it throws your way! ( that’s the technical term!) Anxiety comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes, here is a little photo for you to give you an idea:

Imagine anxiety as an umbrella, then underneath the umbrella is all the different types you can get.  But which ever one you are suffering with is just as important as the next.  It means you are struggling, and you have a fear or worry about something.  So what are the signs of Anxiety? and why does that happen? It all goes back to dinosaur cave man stuff, long before us creatures arrived!

• When Anxiety kicks in your blood thickens, this happens to ensure we don’t bleed out! our bodies are preparing for something called fight or flight.

Our tummy’s and other vital organs close down ( this is why the thought of food makes you feel yuk) and your blood goes to the bigger stronger muscles in order to fight, arms, legs, lungs (and this is why sometimes you hyperventilate) so when you think your dying because you don’t have enough oxygen, its the opposite. You actually have too much!

OK so you may also experience, sweating, shaking, blurred vision, sickness and feeling weak.  Its all totally normal and a part of anxiety, so when you think your body is out of control, it isn’t its doing what its suppose to do. Protecting you. So ask yourself, what’s the matter? what’s worrying you?

How often does this anxiety or panic attack occur? daily, weekly, hourly?

How intense is it? Rate it out of 10.

How long does it last for when one kicks in?

And where were you when it started? and what thoughts where going through your mind.

Its these thoughts that we internalise that make us feel and behave in the way we do.  So YOU have the choice, you can either internalise it, feel shit and never ever deal with it, or face it.  Keep a diary, purely for your anxiety and ask yourself those 4 questions when it kicks off, become your own teacher.

I have to do it on a daily basis.  My anxiety used to consume me and my mind,  I just accepted it for so long and never thought it would go away, so we became good friends! and I welcomed it in with open arms, made it a cuppa and well and truly let the bastard get comfy in my mind! Up until maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I just had a ” I’ve had enough moment” and with all the training and experience I’ve had (eeeeeeee listen to me!!!) I thought right Kate come on, lets deal with this.  My anxiety is around health issue’s and catching bug’s, I still have it now but the difference is now I know I’m in control and more importantly I don’t self harm any more so I’m safe! I do my deep breathing, I exercise now which burns excess adrenaline so it kills the anxiety, and I’ll talk, mainly to my fella who is sick of my voice, and now he just pat’s me on the head whilst on the Playstaion and say’s ” Its OK Kate, you’re not dying tonight love!!”  So the next time someone say’s to you they feel anxious, or have had a panic attack or are suffering with one of the anxiety conditions that appeared under that umbrella, don’t ignore them.  People who ignore it are carrying on the stigma. Break, talk about it and remember, YOU are OK.

Thanks for reading, see you next week

Kate