Author: Ellie Rigby (ellierigby2002@me.com), Year 1 Rep for LivPsych and Student Doctor at the University of Liverpool
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been subjected to the tight chest, pounding heart, mind-consuming thoughts, panic-attacks, overthinking, self-doubt and social avoidance of anxiety. You’d think that, since it seems to gives you so much, at least one of those things ought to be positive. However, although it seems some have found ways to positively channel their anxiety, personally, I am yet to find positives from the condition, and am still learning ways to cope. Anxiety doesn’t seem to worry about that though – it saves all the worry for us!
So, I thought I’d come here to share some of my most used and more importantly, most useful tips and tricks for dealing with anxiety. It’s for those days when the anxiety is feeling especially in need of attention, and chooses not to leave your side; throwing question after question at you and making you ‘second-‘, and even ‘third-guess’ everything.
1
This one sounds pretty obvious, but make sure you eat enough. On those particularly bad days, the thought of eating can be quite debilitating, especially if all you feel like doing is throwing up. But the consequences of not eating are far worse – your energy levels will plummet and you’ll struggle to carry on with your day, which will enhance the anxious thoughts as you aren’t getting done what you need to. It leads to new problems and a manic day tomorrow.
2
Pre-plan ahead of events. Planned days or night out with high levels of social interaction can be a massive trigger for some. Rather than giving up before you’ve begun, if you can, convince yourself to get involved and to try to enjoy yourself (despite the risks), rather than isolating yourself at home, away from friends. The trick is to have a contingency plan, or what I like to think of as my ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card. Make sure you have a means to get home at any point you need to, be that via a bus, driving, a taxi pre-booked for a set time that’s not too late, or the even better, the taxi that is your parents.
I don’t go out without a solid plan of getting home, or in the position that I’m depending on someone else in the group to get home. This means that if I’m struggling, I always have a means of leaving and straight away. If you’re comfortable doing so, pre-warn the people you’re going out with that you might not be staying out late as you’re having an off day, or that you need to be up early the next day – most people will understand.
3
Sleep struggles: the high volumes of worrying thoughts can make sleeping seem virtually impossible at times. So, as I’m sure you’ve heard a million times – get off your phone! Instead, try reading a book or listening to some calming music whilst you sleep (which you can find all over YouTube). You should try to focus your mind on something else to stop the worries. Personally, I often distract myself by choosing a category, e.g. countries, and going through every letter of the alphabet and thinking of a couple for each letter. This might seem stupid, but I’ve found that it helps to block out other thoughts and to distract me, and with luck, even long enough to fall asleep. You could even consider using a medical category (e.g. the bones of the body), but only if that help you to feel relaxed.
4
Yoga and Meditation. These are two of my favourites – not only are they fantastic for regulating your breathing and calming your heart rate, they encourage free flow of my mind and understanding and acceptance of thoughts. They can be cleansing when your thoughts seem a mess.
5
Exercise. A dreaded word for some, but a genuinely effective method of releasing endorphins, which interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain and can trigger positive feelings. Exercise may not seem fun to everyone, but it’s about exploring all the different opportunities that are out there – you don’t just have to go for a run or go to the gym! Although it is not so easy right now, trying new sports at university is usually straight forward and can be a great way to meet new people, and change your thought patterns. Even just taking a break in your day, going for a walk and surrounding yourself with a natural, calming environment can do the world of good. You can also try practicing deep, controlled breaths as you do.
6
Question your thought patterns. If you find there’s a particular thought that keeps cropping up, you should first try to work out whether it’s valid or not. If on reflection, you find that it’s not, rehearse letting that thought go and reminding yourself that there’s nothing you can do about it. If you find that it is rational, work out what you can do to deal with and change it. Try writing out your thoughts or speaking to someone about them and work out what can be done to resolve the worries.
This links to seeking counselling or therapy (e.g. CBT), which provides a safe environment to talk about your fears and worries and try to help you deal with them. Having anxiety can feel like there’s someone else in your head throwing thought after thought at you, so try to face the thoughts, rather than just letting them build up and weigh you down. Focus on the things you can change and resolve instead of the things that you can’t. Acknowledge that if there’s nothing that you can do about it, and so you don’t need to worry about it – even though at the time it may not seem that way.
7
Panic attacks: if you experience panic attacks, you can to try to develop grounding techniques to reattach you to normality and calm you down. You could try the ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method’ where you count backwards from 5, thinking of 5 things you can hear, 4 things you can see, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell and one thing you can taste, re-connecting you with your surroundings. Acknowledge that it is a panic attack, that it is only temporary and that you are going to be okay. Or try reciting something, e.g. a song, to try and distract yourself. Keep telling yourself that you’re going to be okay, you’re trying your best and that you can get through this.
8
Realise that it’s okay to take a break from reality. Sometimes that is the best thing you can do to help you calm down and relax. Try reading a book, watching a film, doing something creative such as painting, seeing your family and friends. Remind yourself of all of the positives that life has to offer and engage in them.
These techniques have proved very useful to me over the years and I hope that you can adopt them yourself or share them with someone who you think will benefit from them. If you are struggling, please do reach out to those around you. There are so many support systems, be that family, friends, or organisations, out there for you to access, who want to support you. You are not alone and you don’t ever need to feel that way. Don’t ever forget that.
For more details of institutions and contacts who can help you if you don’t feel well, head to https://livpsych.wordpress.com/wellbeing/.
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