Are you experiencing Anxiety?

Are you experiencing Anxiety?

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in life. For some, anxiety can be a passing emotion attached to life circumstances or situations such as exams, getting married, work pressures or retirement. For others, anxiety is something they experience on an ongoing basis that really interferes with their life.

Signs of anxiety can include:

• A racing heart
• Rapid breathing/ breathlessness
• Feelings of panic
• Sweating
• Excessive and undue worrying
• Disturbed sleep
• Tense muscles
• Headaches
• Morbid thoughts
• Upset stomach
• Fear of losing control

Tips for managing anxiety

When thinking about support, it is important to recognise that everyone experiences mental health problems in a unique way and therefore help, treatment and support also varies from person to person. What works for one person may not for another. It is useful to think about what you feel will help you, and not to feel you are beyond help if a certain type of treatment doesn’t work out.

• Talk about it
  Talking about how you feel often helps and can give you a sense of perspective. Try talking with afriend or family member.  Talking therapies might also be of help – ask a G.P. about psychologyand counselling in your local area. Find tips for starting the conversation.
• Mind your wellbeing
  Go to the good mental health section for lots of practical tips on little things you can do to feel better. Things that might help include: relaxing; exercising; eating well; getting enough sleep; breathing exercises and avoiding too much alcohol or drugs.
• Get support If you have tried the above tips and they aren’t helping, visit a G.P. or a support organisation.  Learn about how a G.P. can help or search for services and supports in your area.
• Oanda (the Out and About Association) Oanda is an anxiety resource centre set up to help anyone who is suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, social phobias or agoraphobia. They have offices in Dublin and Cork and run workshops in different locations around the country.  Visitwww.oandaireland.ie.
• Social Anxiety Ireland This is a programme offered by the Adult Psychological Service within the Mater Hospital in Dublin. The group has an informative website about anxiety, treatment and the things you can do for yourself. Visit socialanxietyireland.com.
• Self help books There are lots of self help books and CDs available to help people who experience anxiety. A G.P. may be able to recommend ones that suit your needs or check out the H.S.E.’s list of self help reading. This article was written by the HSE and the original is available here