- Go to your local GP and get a blood test to make sure all is OK with the body.
- Start a Mind the Mind Program – First stop the Body:
- Take a look at your diet, sleep, exercise, de stressing time, ‘me’ time and life balance. If out of synch start getting lifestyle into healthy perspective.
- Watch your thinking , look out for unhelpful thinking – become aware of irrational thought patterns, names them and challenges your thinking.
- Look for Facts of the situation, not your opinion, how real are my concern?
- Provide evidence for and against your thoughts.
- Look for another perspective – is there another way of looking at this?
- Force mind to work through logically what going on – write it out.
- What is the worst case scenario?
- Do I keep asking why and what if’s of a situation – instead start asking how – what are the possible solutions to the situations.
- At times it is possible to challenge your thinking to a more rational / logical thought process, but at other times the anxiety is just too strong and the brain is too much in a fog to try and rationalise.
We need to start to manage as best we can these uncomfortable feelings, they can be intense and quiet frightening but all emotions will pass.At these times it is just better to ride the anxiety storm by distracting ourselves until we come to a more rational place.Distract by focusing on doing some small jobs keeping busy, listening to music, doing mindfulness exercise, go for walk, focus on what you see, hear, and the task at hand. Try to best ignore the mind and put it like a radio in the background that you cannot turn off but just need to ignore as best you can.
- Become aware and challenge your safety behaviours, as they maintain your fears long term. List them and step by step, as you get stronger challenge yourself by starting with the easier ones at the beginning to gradual exposure on eliminating them one by one. Build your confidence and congratulate yourself on any small achievement.
- In working in my Midleton Counselling Clinic and I also find in my Ballincollig Counselling Clinic that as well as working with clients with Anxiety on the above , there are a number of long term habits or defines behaviours that have been contributing to the clients build-up of anxiety for years.
These issues that I need to work with the client can range from low self-esteem, perfectionism, procrastination, learning to deal with failure or success, lack of flexibility and the ability to problem solve. Some of these issues can contribute to maintaining anxiety in the long term and we work together to resolve some of these deeper beliefs and habits concurrently with managing the anxiety as best as the client can.
