NoPanic

Author: millie.painter

  • Coping with Anxiety in a Digital Age

    Shirley Tabugbo Mindless Mag

    What is Anxiety?

    Anxiety is a sense of worry, fear, or unease that may be accompanied by physical symptoms, including trembling, perspiration, and an accelerated heartbeat. anxiety can help us prepare and react effectively and is a common and acceptable reaction to stressful or potentially harmful situations. Nonetheless, anxiety may be categorised as an anxiety disorder when it becomes excessive, chronic, and interferes with daily functioning. It is essential to remember that anxiety is a complicated condition with various causes and that not everyone will react to the same triggers with worry. If you’re exhibiting signs of anxiety, it’s advisable to speak with a mental health expert.

    What triggers Anxiety

    Anxiety can be brought on by several things, such as:

    ● Stressful life events: Significant life changes, such as the death of a loved one, relocating, beginning a new job, or ending a relationship, can cause Anxiety.

    ● Genetics: Anxiety disorders may have a biological component because they may run in families.

    ● Environmental factors: Living in an unstable or unsafe environment, as well as being exposed to trauma, violence, or abuse, can cause Anxiety.

    ● Medical conditions: Anxiety can be brought on by a variety of diseases, including heart illness, thyroid problems, and chronic pain.

    ● Abuse of drugs, alcohol, and prescription medications is another factor that can contribute to or exacerbate Anxiety.

    ● Caffeine and other stimulants: Excessive caffeine or other stimulant use can worsen feelings of Anxiety.

    ● Lack of sleep: Anxiety symptoms can be brought on by sleep deprivation.

    It is crucial to remember that Anxiety is a complicated condition with a variety of causes and that not everyone will react to the same triggers with worry. If you’re exhibiting signs of Anxiety, it’s advisable to speak with a mental health expert.

    Anxiety in the Digital Age

    Many people experience anxiety on a regular basis. As technology and digital communication have advanced, it has become simpler for us to stay connected and be exposed to new sources of stress. However, in the digital age, there are several strategies to manage anxiety:

    ● Reduce your screen time: Too much time spent in front of a screen can be stressful and increase anxiety. Take a moment each day to disconnect from technology and engage in relaxing activities like reading a book, taking a walk, or practising meditation in an effort to reduce the amount of time you spend in front of a screen.

    ● Make an effort to be mindful: Mindfulness is a method that calls for being attentive and present at the moment. By enabling you to let go of fears about the future or regrets about the past, it can help lower anxiety. You can get help with mindfulness exercises from a variety of apps and online tools.

    ● Make sleep a priority because it can increase tension and anxiety. Prioritise your sleep by developing a regular sleep schedule and reducing your screen time before bed.

    ● Connect with others: Dealing with anxiety requires social support, which is crucial. Making time for in-person contact with friends and family is equally as vital as using digital communication to remain in touch.

    ● Get professional help: If your anxiety is affecting your daily life, it’s crucial that you do so. Nowadays, a lot of therapists provide online counselling sessions, which might be a practical choice for people who would rather forgo in-person consultations.

    In the digital age, it’s critical to maintain your mental health. You can enhance your general well-being and benefit from technology without feeling overburdened by trying to manage your anxiety. Anxiety is all over the place; when I am highly stressed or nervous, I tend to get panic attacks and to calm myself down, I try to reach out to my family or friends because it distracts me. It makes me forget about what is happening to me at that moment. You can find other experiences of anxiety on Medical News Today where you can find people talking about it and how some calming techniques help them.

    If you would like to find out more about this, there is a great UK-based nonprofit organisation called No Panic that provides help and knowledge to those who have panic attacks, anxiety, phobias, and other similar conditions. The helpline, operated by trained volunteers with a firsthand understanding of anxiety disorders, is one of the services offered by No Panic. Seven days a week, the helpline provides people who are having anxiety problems confidential support and guidance. Moreover, No Panic offers self-help tools, online support groups, and other goods and service recommendations.

    In conclusion, anxiety is a typical human emotion that a variety of circumstances can bring on. Yet, anxiety can become an anxiety disorder that requires treatment when it becomes extreme or begins interfering with daily life. Therefore, setting limits, using relaxation techniques, getting professional treatment if necessary, and leading a healthy lifestyle are crucial aspects of dealing with anxiety in the digital age. In addition, anxiety can be actively managed, which can help to lessen symptoms and enhance general well-being.

  • Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

    Jasmine Wallis, Mindless Mag


    Everybody experiences feeling anxious in their lives as it is a natural human response to feeling threatened. Whether that’s feeling nervous before a big test or publicly speaking, it is a momentary uneasy feeling that dissipates the moment the threat is over. For a person who has an anxiety disorder, this is not the case. They may not have a specific trigger that they can identify and move past, but their experience of anxiety is a constant process which can prevent them from handling the stresses of day-to-day life.

    Growing up, I loved musical theatre and when I turned 9, I decided to take part in real stage productions. Although I have two left feet, singing and acting always gave me so much joy. But 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem every year and when I turned 14 the symptoms of anxiety had begun for me. I was preparing for another show backstage when I felt a tightness in my chest, an overwhelming feeling of sickness and found it difficult to breathe. This was the first of many panic attacks throughout my young adult life.

    How to cope with panic attacks

    – Breathing exercises

    – Focus on your senses. What can you feel? What can you smell? This allows you to reconnect with your body and blocks out any unhelpful surroundings.

    – It is important to be open and honest about your experience of panic attacks with someone you trust.

    – Try to locate what it was that triggered your panic attack and instead of avoiding this situation in future, approach it with support. For example, if you have social anxiety and have experienced a panic attack at a party, do not stop yourself from ever going to another party as this will feed your anxiety. Instead go with someone you trust and who knows how to support you through these moments of panic.

    Social Anxiety is an overwhelming fear of social environments; however, this doesn’t necessarily mean you are not a social person. I had plenty of friends and went to plenty of events with them, but I could never match their care-free attitude. I couldn’t understand how they were able to feel so sure in themselves and confident in their actions, meanwhile I was worrying constantly that I was being judged. So, when I moved to a new city on my own without the support of my friends and family back home, I was terrified.

    Being Social with Social Anxiety

    I am not a quiet person. In fact, many people have been surprised to learn I have a diagnosis of anxiety. The reason I say this is I think it’s important to understand there are many ways in which anxiety can present itself and there is not just one type of person it affects. Even famous names such as Ellie Goulding, Selena Gomez and Zayn Malik have come forward to share their experiences of anxiety and panic attacks. Just because someone presents themselves as a charismatic, confident person it does not necessarily mean they are not fighting a battle within. 

    I used to be the child who would get up and play the lead in front of the school. The child who would start up a conversation with a stranger on the plane. Always reminded of stories of how confident I was when I was younger, I longed to have that feeling back. Unfortunately, and I am sure this is the case for many people, the events of the global pandemic really set me back in my progress battling social anxiety. Due to the circumstances, I ended up living on my own for a total of 150 days. Living my own personal Groundhog Day with no social interaction, I began to feel anxious that this solitude would end, and I would enter back into social situations worse than ever before. I wasn’t completely wrong, but I decided I didn’t want to let my anxiety control me anymore.

    There are many ways to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, but this can be extremely scary, so it is important to think to yourself; What is the worst thing that can happen?

    As someone with anxiety, we usually catastrophize the situation and are stuck with a constant voice in our head telling us all the things that will go wrong. However, do these disasters usually happen? No.

    Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

    For me, I decided the way to overcome my anxiety was to travel around Europe and stay in hostels where I had no choice but to immerse myself into new social situations. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by so many people, and I began to take comfort in how big the world really is. There are 8 billion people on this planet who all have their own lives to focus on, so why do I care so much about what other people think of me and let this affect my mental and physical wellbeing when I am only a tiny part of the population. Now, I’m not saying this was the cure to all my troubles, but it allowed me to be this genuinely self-assured, worry-free version of myself and I even found the confidence to sing again.

    Although I understand travel is not a possibility for everyone, the principle still applies. It was not the action of travelling that helped improve my self-confidence, but by meeting a variety of new people from all different walks of life. This can be achieved anywhere around the world by pushing ourselves to do things we have always wanted to do but have allowed our anxiety to stop us from doing. It will always be uncomfortable at first but by riding through the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, and meeting like-minded and accepting people, the fear will become less significant the next time you try something new.

  • 333 Rule: Simple Tricks to Manage Your Anxiety

    Mollie Huntington, Mindless Mag

    How is anxiety presented?

    There are many symptoms of anxiety that you may not realise, they may even be everyday factors that you simply pass off as usual behaviours. These include sleeplessness, irritability, specific phobias, trouble concentrating, over sweating or feeling excessively tired. For some, their symptoms take full control over their lives and can be incredibly intense, while others may only experience anxiety occasionally over certain situations such as starting a new job, meeting new people, being in large groups, or being in an unfamiliar position.

    Further anxiety symptoms: 

    ● Being unable to relax 

    ● Panic attacks 

    ● Digestive issues 

    ● Under or overeating 

    ● Sleeping too much 

    ● Increased heart rate 

    ● Racing heart 

    ● Nausea

    Anxiety can cause people to act according to their intense feelings, meaning they may cancel plans, withdraw from situations, prefer being alone or be hesitant to explore new activities. However, since this is a mental health issue in comparison to physical health, it is often not taken as seriously, as there is no way to visually understand one’s mental state. This is why it is so important to speak out about anxiety, to make those around you aware of how you are feeling/how something makes you feel, therefore support can be offered to help ease some of these symptoms.  

    Tips for speaking out about anxiety:

    ● Plan out what you want to say – this can decrease nerves and anxiety about opening up

    ● Ask for what you need – this will let others understand how they can be of help

    ● You don’t have to mention the word anxiety – as long as you can describe how you feel

    How common is it?

    1 in 6 people report experiencing a mental health problem like anxiety in any given week, with mixed and generalised anxiety being the most common. There are many shared factors that trigger anxiety upon different age groups. For example, those age 60+ experience more physical illnesses, causing heightened anxiety, those 30+ often juggle childcare, work, and further life expenses such as mortgages, causing stress, panic and anxiety, and those 18+ are experiencing many new elements of life, such as relationships, new jobs/careers along with pressure to succeed in higher education, also producing anxieties. We also can’t forget those of any age that have undergone a level of trauma which can be triggered and raise anxiety at any time throughout their lives, including childhood.

    How can I help my anxiety? The 333 Rule

    There are many ways to manage and ease symptoms of anxiety such as ensuring good sleep, staying active, or journaling, as well as cutting out bad habits such as smoking, drinking or using recreational drugs, but the 333 rule is a method of managing anxiety in the moment, during an anxiety or panic attack, or when you feel you need help right away. Here is an explanation of the 333 rule.

    The 333 rule works by shifting your focus to your surroundings. During heightened anxiety look at what is around you in that moment. Name three things out loud or in your head that you can physically see, this can be anything from an aeroplane in the sky to a mirror on the wall. Once you have found and named these three objects, scan your environment by what you can hear, again name three things you can this time hear, this could be the ambiance of people talking, birds chirping or the TV. Lastly, once you’ve completed these two tasks, begin to engage your sense of touch by choosing three body parts that move, or feel around for three different textures you can feel at that moment in time, such as a cotton fleece, or denim jeans, whilst moving your fingers or wiggling your toes. These three short tasks will help ground you and generate distraction from racing thoughts/anxiety within 5 minutes. Although there is no formal research on this method, many have found it to be an extremely helpful way to manage anxiety in the moment.

    How you can help those around you

    ● Encourage those experiencing attacks to breathe deeply and slowly

    ● Let them know you are aware how they are feeling 

    ● Help shift their focus to their surroundings, offering a distraction

    ● If it’s okay to do so – offer physical touch, (e.g rubbing a shoulder) can help distract

    ● Learn the person’s anxiety symptoms – you’ll be able to help sense early symptoms 

    ● Encourage talking to a GP – there is no shame talking to a professional about mental health