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By Lily Hirst, Content Team Academic
What is it?
What is anxiety? A question commonly asked by us and others. A feeling that won’t let you rest, log off or shut down. Racing thoughts before you fall asleep. A tight chest, a knot in your stomach. Anxiety is your body’s normal reaction to stress; we might think of it as our body’s internal safety alert. But when suffering, it isn’t as easy to view it as just a reaction. You don’t have to live at the mercy of your anxiety, the good news? It’s treatable.
When focusing on anxiety, the cons outweigh the pros, the cons being persistent worrying and fear, and this often can get in the way of daily life. However, there are some surprising benefits. While anxiety may not seem like a positive emotion, it can motivate you to focus and get ready for any upcoming situations.
What does anxiety look like? Well, anxiety can look quite different in different individuals; it can range from racing thoughts to a sense of dread that lies right in the pit of your stomach, leaving you feeling restless and on edge. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. In the United Kingdom, just over 1 in 10 of us will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in our lives. That’s equivalent to over six million sufferers, all with their own unique experiences.
Types of Anxiety
Excessive worrying is the primary symptom of Generalised Anxiety Disorder, the most prevalent of the several types of anxiety disorders. People with this illness struggle daily, making it more difficult for them to focus, work, and travel.
Panic disorder is another kind of anxiety condition. Do you frequently experience panic attacks? Intense fear? When you have panic disorder, you frequently experience panic episodes without there being any specific cause. This can leave you breathless, dizzy, faint and even nauseous; the feeling can also be described as an out-of-body experience as you are left feeling “detached from your body”.
Another form of anxiety is social anxiety, which is also known as a social phobia. Situations where this may occur are when you’re speaking in public, meeting new people, or even eating and drinking in public.
A question globally asked is “how can we manage our anxiety?” and there are multiple proven solutions which can support you. There are things you can do to support yourself. You may also choose to receive support from trusted others. Fortunately, decades of psychological research have revealed several useful anxiety management techniques. Some of these techniques include cognitive behavioural techniques, mindfulness and meditation, physical activity and lifestyle adjustments, breathing and grounding techniques and professional support.
How to manage it
Cognitive Behavioural Techniques are considered the main treatment that works on our thoughts, feelings and different behaviours. Most anxiety sufferers experience feelings of inflated ideas that feed their anxieties. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy techniques include recognising harmful thought patterns and refuting them using reasoning supported by evidence. Over time, this type of cognitive restructuring may significantly reduce anxiety. I like to notice my anxious patterns and refuse defeat; to help myself, I create new routines such as drinking more water, making my bed and leaving myself more time to be more organised. These routines help me create peace and attempt to overcome my anxiety.
The Mindfulness and meditation technique helps individuals attempt to break their cycle of anxious thinking. Frequent meditation can teach the brain to become more conscious of anxious thoughts without becoming overwhelmed by them, even if it is just done for five to ten minutes each day. This technique attempts to provide you with daily self-care, and meditation is medically proven to lower anxiety levels and control emotions.
Physical activities and making lifestyle adjustments are an effective way of controlling anxiety, It is a known fact that exercising releases endorphins, these being naturally produced mood enhancers, while also lowering stress hormones. I found that making lifestyle adjustments helped me through my anxiety journey. I maintained a good lifestyle by having the right amount of sleep at night, eating my 5 a day and embracing my ‘me time’.
When suffering with anxiety, ‘me time’ can be viewed in such a negative light, but I found that in a world where juggling work, relationships, friendships and responsibilities, there is something incredibly powerful about alone time. Alone time often gets overlooked as socialising and work always come first, but ‘me time’ is essential, it is time out of your day where you disconnect from the world and reconnect with yourself, in this time you recharge your brain and build a relationship with yourself. Alone time encourages self-confidence and productivity.
Breathing and grounding techniques are exercises that are performed to distract you from your anxious feelings and bring you back round to the present, Grounding can assist you in removing yourself from unpleasant or difficult feelings, unwelcome memories, and flashbacks. Putting your hands in water, touching objects close to you, taking a quick walk, and carefully inhaling and exhaling are all examples of psychological grounding practices. These techniques are designed to attempt to interrupt your anxious thought patterns and re-engage you with the world and bring you awareness back to the body. Focussing on the outside world, your breath, what you see, hear, touch, or smell, replaces your internal thoughts when you’re grounded. This can lessen the severity of anxious feelings by calming the nervous system.
Professional support is incredibly important, and there for a reason. One adult in eight receives mental health treatment, with 10.4% of people receiving medication. I am also in that 10.4% who are medicated. Taking medication helped me to regulate my mood and my stress response. I didn’t medicate to ‘fix myself’, I leapt to support myself and to try to control my anxiety rather than my anxiety control me. Medication isn’t the only option. It also includes talking therapy, which helps individuals understand their feelings and make them feel valid while their anxiety tries to defeat them.
References:
Mental Health UK (2019). What is anxiety? – Mental Health UK. [online] Mental Health UK. Available at: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/conditions/anxiety-disorders/what-is-anxiety/.
Raypole, C. (2024). 30 grounding techniques to quiet distressing thoughts. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques.
Mental Health Foundation (2023). People seeking help for diagnosed mental health problems: statistics. [online] www.mentalhealth.org.uk. Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/people-seeking-help-diagnosed-mental-health-problems-statistics.
By Sahar Islam, Content Team Academic
Anxiety is a natural response to stress or perceived danger, but when it becomes persistent or overwhelming, it can interfere with daily life. Whether you’re dealing with generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or panic attacks, it’s important to have tools and strategies to manage your symptoms.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to cope with anxiety in healthy, effective ways.
1. Recognize the Signs of Anxiety
Before you can manage anxiety, you need to understand it. Common symptoms include:
Learning to recognize these signs early can help you act before anxiety escalates.
2. Practice Deep Breathing and Relaxation Techniques
Slow, deep breathing can activate your body’s relaxation response. Try this simple technique:
Other helpful practices include progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, or using calming apps like Calm or Headspace.
3. Challenge Anxious Thoughts
Anxiety often exaggerates threats or jumps to conclusions. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques teach you to:
Example: “I’ll mess up this presentation” becomes “I’ve prepared, and I can handle it even if I feel nervous.”
4. Stick to a Routine
Routine provides a sense of structure and predictability, which can be grounding when you’re anxious. Try to:
5. Limit Stimulants and Alcohol
Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can all worsen anxiety symptoms. Try reducing or eliminating these substances and observe how your body responds.
Stay Physically Active
Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. Regular physical activity also reduces tension and helps regulate sleep—both essential in managing anxiety.
Talk to Someone You Trust
Sometimes, simply talking about what you’re experiencing can reduce the intensity of anxiety. Reach out to a friend, family member, or therapist. You’re not a burden—connection is key.
If you’re not ready for face-to-face conversations, consider joining an online support group or journaling to release thoughts.
8. Consider Professional Help
If anxiety interferes with your daily life, seeking help from a mental health professional can be life-changing. Therapies like CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and medication (when needed) are all proven treatments.
9. Use Grounding Techniques
When anxiety peaks, grounding techniques can help pull you out of your head and back into the present moment. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique:
Anxiety is common, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Coping with anxiety is about learning what works for you, staying consistent, and reaching out when you need support. Progress may be gradual—but every small step forward counts.
References:
Anderson, E., & Shivakumar, G. (2013). Effects of exercise and physical activity on anxiety. Frontiers in Psychiatry.
By Sahar Islam, Content Team academic
Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from anxiety, which has emerged as one of the most prevalent mental health issues in the modern world. Unease, concern, and panic can be exacerbated by the fast-paced nature of life, social expectations, and ongoing stress. Meditation has showed promise in treating anxiety, even though there are many different treatments available.
For ages, people have utilised meditation, an age-old technique that entails concentrating the mind and removing distractions, to enhance mental clarity, relaxation, and spiritual well-being. But in recent years, meditation has become more well-known for its positive effects on mental health, particularly when it comes to lowering anxiety. However, how precisely does it assist? Let’s investigate.
How to Begin Using Meditation to Reduce Anxiety
Here are some easy steps to get you started if you’re new to meditation and want to use it to reduce anxiety:
• Locate a Quiet Area: Pick a peaceful area where you won’t be bothered.
• Become comfortable by placing your hands on your lap and sitting with your back straight.
• Concentrate on Your Breath: Shut your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Pay attention to how your breath enters and exits your body when you take a deep inhale and release it gradually.
• Start Small: As you get more accustomed to the practice, progressively extend the time from 5 to 10 minutes each day.
The Scientific Basis of Anxiety and Meditation
The relationship between meditation and anxiety reduction has been the subject of numerous research investigations. According to a noteworthy study that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, mindfulness meditation programs can considerably lessen pain, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. According to research, mindfulness meditation helps people become more self-aware, better at controlling their emotions, and less dependent on automatic negative thought processes.
According to other research, meditation can boost feelings of contentment and wellbeing, encourage relaxation, and lessen the severity of the body’s stress reaction. The scientific community is still learning more about how meditation can help with anxiety and other mental health conditions.
Improving the Control of Emotions
Extreme emotional emotions like fear, irritation, or powerlessness can be brought on by anxiety. People can become more emotionally resilient by practicing meditation, particularly mindfulness and loving-kindness techniques. It gives one the chance to see feelings as they surface without becoming enmeshed in them. Regular meditators can learn to sit with their emotions and allow them to pass without allowing them to dictate their behaviour, as opposed to responding rashly to anxiety. More psychological stability results from this emotional regulation practice, which makes it easier and less distressing for people to deal with anxiety.
Encouraging Long-Term Advantages for Mental Health
Meditation can have long-term benefits in addition to providing instant anxiety alleviation. Regular meditation has been linked to structural alterations in the brain, especially in regions linked to stress and emotional control, according to research. For instance, studies have found that meditation can increase grey matter density in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with executive function, decision-making, and managing stress. As these changes take place, individuals may find themselves more resilient to stress, less prone to anxiety, and better equipped to handle challenges. Meditation helps build mental and emotional strength over time, creating a more stable foundation for mental health.
Shifting Ways of Thinking
Negative cognitive habits, such as overanalysing, exaggerating perceived dangers, or catastrophizing, are frequently associated with anxiety. Over time, these mental patterns might solidify, making it challenging for people to overcome their worry. People can recognize these harmful habits and gently refocus their attention with the aid of meditation techniques, particularly mindfulness and cognitive meditation.
By practicing meditation, people can learn to identify when they are thinking negatively and create strategies to stop it. This can eventually cause a big change in how someone thinks and views stressful circumstances. The practice promotes self-acceptance, lessens anxiety-inducing self-criticism, and makes people more compassionate toward themselves.
Developing Mindfulness and Awareness
Being caught up in thoughts about the past or the future—whether it’s dwelling on previous errors or worrying about future events—often leads to anxiety. People who practice mindfulness meditation are encouraged to become judgment-free conscious of the present moment. By cultivating awareness, this exercise assists people in recognizing and confronting anxious thoughts as they emerge. Mindfulness helps to establish a mental space where worries about the past or future can be noticed without giving them force, preventing one from becoming overwhelmed by them.
Regular mindfulness practice helps people learn not to respond rashly or disastrously to thoughts or feelings, which helps them better control their reactions to anxiety-inducing situations.
Controlling the Stress Response in the Body
In addition to being a mental state, anxiety can also manifest physically as tense muscles, shallow breathing, and a fast heartbeat. The body releases stress hormones like cortisol when we experience anxiety, triggering the fight-or-flight response. It has been demonstrated that meditation, especially techniques like progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps inhibit the stress response. Meditation creates a more balanced state of being by teaching the body to relax, which reduces the heart rate and soothes the body’s physical response to stress.
Mind-Calming
The power of meditation to relax the mind is among its most obvious advantages. Anxiety is frequently brought on by compulsive thinking about the future, excessive worrying, or racing thoughts. This cerebral jumble might provide a crippling sense of discomfort. By promoting mindfulness, or the ability to be totally present in the moment, meditation enables people to take a mental break and get some distance. Meditation promotes serenity and peace by focusing on breathing or a simple mantra, which helps interrupt the pattern of nervous thought.
A straightforward yet effective method for controlling anxiety is meditation. Meditation can be a useful tool for lowering anxiety and enhancing mental health since it helps to quiet the mind, control the body’s stress response, and foster mindfulness. Incorporating meditation into your daily routine can help you recover control over your thoughts and emotions, providing a sense of calm and balance to your life, regardless of whether you’re searching for short-term respite or long-term mental health benefits.
(Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 169–183.)
(Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain grey matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43)
By Sam Archibald, Content Team Academic
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders affecting children and adults and can have huge implications for their development and general well-being. CBT can be effective in the short term and is superior to no treatment at all and is found to reduce symptoms and improve function for young patients (Cuijpers et al., 2014) (James et al., 2020). Rates of anxiety are constantly rising and understanding the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and applicability of CBT and other approaches is becoming more crucial to find the best way to support each client and be able to administer each type of treatment quickly to minimise symptoms and stop potential longer-term drawbacks of anxiety. I will analyse studies on anxiety and treating it to determine whether CBT should be the only treatment offered to those with anxiety or if offering a wider range of treatments is the best way for therapists to approach this issue.
While CBT’s structured approach is effective for many, it does not work the same way for every client. Each person has unique preferences and needs in therapy, and it is important to consider these differences (Swift & Callahan, 2009). This paper will explore the strengths and limitations of CBT, arguing that it should not be the only treatment option for anxiety. Instead, CBT should be one of several evidence-based approaches tailored to everyone’s situation. By recognizing different therapeutic needs, we can help clients engage more fully in their healing process and potentially increase their chances of long-term success.
Evidence for Cognitive behavioural therapy on anxiety
Evidence suggests that Cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective for children and adolescents suffering from anxiety disorders. Research shows that CBT is a more effective treatment for anxiety disorders than just leaving adolescents on waiting lists or having no treatment (Cuijper et al., 2014) (Twomey et al., 2015) (James et al., 2020). For example, James (2020) found that there was a remission rate of 49% for the main anxiety disorder when treated with CBT, compared to only 18% for those on a waiting list or receiving no treatment. Highlighting the need for anxiety issues to be confronted in some way. CBT is proven to help reduce anxiety symptoms in close to half of the participants. Scott (2005) stated that anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses among adolescents, with recorded prevalence rates of 17.3% (Kashani & Orvaschel, 1988). The high rates of this diagnosis and lack of research have encouraged more studies on anxiety in adolescents in recent years, it was found that children with these disorders need to be identified and treated immediately to have the greatest chance of reducing the symptoms they are showing (Scott, 2005). Multiple sources I have reviewed all point to the fact that adolescents need treatment as soon as symptoms are showing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be a quick solution to at least reduce the negative effects experienced from anxiety disorders in the short term before a full personalised plan can be set to assist the client.
Cognitive behavioural therapy also is valuable in improving the lives of adults as well as adolescents. Loenric et al. (2015) assessed response rates for a variety of anxiety disorders and found that after being treated, they found 49.5% post-treatment and 53.6% long-term response rates. Which was lower than the original estimation of response rates but still showed a significant improvement in the client’s symptoms. The fact a high percentage of response rates were present among all various anxiety disorders shows that CBT is effective among a wide range of different issues not only specific types of anxiety. Multiple methods of measuring the effects of the CBT were used, like observing behaviours, self-reporting, and physical measures. After analysing all available measures an overall decrease in negative symptoms was found, showing how CBT is effective in multiple ways. For example, the client feels better, behaves in a more positive calm manner and can even show lower heart rates and cortisol levels (Roelofs & Peters, 2001) (Loenric, 2015).
To conclude CBT shows great efficacy for managing anxiety disorders in both children and adults. The fact it can be effective across multiple types of anxiety highlights how versatile the treatment can be. Although it is shown to help clients in the short term by reducing symptoms and improving behaviours, I believe that it should not be the only intervention used on clients suffering from anxiety because an approach using other types of treatments could be more effective, each client benefits most from their own individualised treatment plan to support themselves in the long term.
Evidence against Cognitive behavioural therapy on anxiety
On the other hand, James et al. (2020) found little to no evidence supporting that CBT is superior to or even as an alternative treatment. Cuijpers et al (2014) found no significant differences in positive results between several types of psychotherapy, suggesting that the differences in effectiveness may only be very minimal if at all. Showing that other types of approaches can have a similar number of benefits and so providing no reason CBT should be the only treatment offered to those with anxiety disorders. Findings also suggested that the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy is influenced so heavily by factors like how everyone reacts to the treatment in each study, or the quality of each study conducted that it is hard to truly find that CBT is superior to other treatments. Clients all have individual needs and can respond to CBT very positively or negatively depending on their characteristics or past experiences in life. CBT has rarely been proven superior to other treatments some studies might not be fully accurate due to the substantial number of other factors that could have affected the study and not been disclosed.
Findings suggest that CBT is not overly useful in the long term (James et al., 2020). DiMauro et al. (2013) found that even though initial treatment significantly helped to reduce symptoms in the client, the long-term benefit of CBT was not as strong as hoped for by researchers. Maintaining the benefit of the original CBT was proven to be harder as time went on with factors like individual characteristics and treatment being personalised to each client influencing longer-term effectiveness more than just sticking with basic CBT therapy (DiMauro et al., 2013). This furthers my point on how exploring other approaches to therapy, as well as CBT, is crucial to finding the correct treatment for everyone over the long term.
Tolin (2010) also pointed to the fact CBT is not the only treatment that is effective for treating anxiety disorders by creating a quantitative review comparing CBT to other psychotherapies like psychodynamic, interpersonal, and supportive therapies. CBT did result in being superior to psychodynamic therapy and the amount of people significantly affected by the CBT was recorded as small to moderate (Tolin, 2010). As well as highlighting the fact that CBT is not superior to all other therapy approaches, I think that a broader understanding of what makes treatments effective and when they are most effective is needed (James et al., 2020). Most studies fail to recognise other factors that can help reduce anxiety but instead put all reduced feelings of anxiety down to the type of treatment they are receiving at each time.
Efficacy when comparing Cognitive behavioural therapy
Baardseth et al. (2013) while conducting a clinical review of the literature comparing CBT to other approaches including Tolin’s study (2010) that I stated earlier also compared CBT to other approaches. It was found that while CBT was found to be superior for clients with anxiety disorders, the evidence is based on only four studies two of which were written before 1973 (Baardseth et al., 2013). With so few studies having been done describing CBT as superior to other approaches like psychodynamic the truth of the results is not fully clear as more research in the area is needed to better establish an accurate view on the efficacy of CBT. Furthermore, the fact two of the four studies predated 1973 lowers the validity of the findings in these four studies. Outdated research might not reflect treatment practices or even experiences patients might have now. For a more clear and accurate understanding of the efficacy of CBT future research needs to use a wider range of more recent studies that includes all the different therapeutic approaches.
Cost-benefit, client choice and therapist skills impacting what therapy to use
One positive of cognitive behavioural therapy is that it is cost-effective for treating anxiety disorders because it involves a structured approach which is proven to show results very quickly meaning fewer sessions are required for results to show, reducing cost (ophuis et al., 2017). CBT can also be delivered in different formats like individual, group, or online therapy. Approaches like group therapy can reduce costs as more than one client can be treated at one time, reducing the time and cost of individual therapies. Online therapy can reduce travel costs for both the client and therapist as well as not having to pay for the site at which the therapy would take place, also increasing accessibility.
I would say that client choice plays an influential role in my belief that CBT should not be the only therapeutic approach offered to treat anxiety. Research shows that allowing clients to choose their therapeutic approach and only being guided by therapists leads to higher satisfaction rates and better overall outcomes (Swift & Callahan, 2009). Though CBT can be effective in results and cost, some people could feel as though it is the approach that best suits them and can prefer psychodynamic therapy which is less structured and delves deeper into emotional issues and personal past (Swift & Callahan, 2009). Clients could be more in control of their mental health and how to better it by feeling as though they chose how to help themselves and can want to take a more active role in their improvements.
Some therapists could also be better equipped for different approaches to CBT and being able to recommend a treatment they are best suited to delivering can ensure the client gains the maximum benefits possible from the therapy. Having CBT as the only approach usable to treat CBT could prove to be ineffective as certain therapists can have a substantial amount more training and prefer different approaches, forcing both clients and therapists into CBT would be detrimental as the range of options for therapy helps make therapy individual to suit each client’s individual needs and make the client feel heard and that the therapist has their best interests at heart.
Conclusion
To conclude, while cognitive behavioural therapy shows high efficacy for treating anxiety in children and adults in the short term, we must recognise that it should not be the only therapeutic approach offered. The fact each client has a varied response to therapy in general shows how important personalising treatment is and client choice in what therapy to use significantly improves client satisfaction and active engagement (Swift & Callahan, 2009). Some clients react better to psychodynamic therapies or humanistic approaches that explore emotional issues deeper, although we must recognise that CBT is very cost-effective and can be implemented in lots of diverse ways and is very structured.
Furthermore, most therapists have unique training and strength in different approaches to therapy and restricting treatment options to just CBT can stop clients from benefiting fully from the therapy most suited to them, minimising potential progress (Norcross, 2011). The fact anxiety disorders possess many distinct levels of complexity proves the need for a more personalised approach and several types of therapy can explore all unique experiences the client has had. By acknowledging the multiple levels of anxiety disorders therapists can create individualised plans to help a client’s well-being in the long term as well as short term and restricting treatment to only CBT limits how individualised therapists can make each treatment.
References
– Baardseth, T. P., Goldberg, S. B., Pace, B. T., Wislocki, A. P., Frost, N. D., Siddiqui, J. R., … & Wampold, B. E. (2013). Cognitive-behavioural therapy versus other therapies: Redux. Clinical psychology review, 33(3), 395-405.
– Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Weitz, E., Andersson, G., Hollon, S. D., & Van Straten, A. (2014). The effects of psychotherapies for major depression in adults on remission, recovery and improvement: a meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 159, 118 126.
– DiMauro, J., Domingues, J., Fernandez, G., & Tolin, D. F. (2013). Long-term effectiveness of CBT for anxiety disorders in an adult outpatient clinic sample: A follow-up study. Behaviour research and therapy, 51(2), 82-86.
– James, A. C., Reardon, T., Soler, A., James, G., & Creswell, C. (2020). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (11). – Kashani, J. H., & Orvaschel, H. (1988). Anxiety disorders in mid-adolescence: A community sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 145(8), 960–964.
– Loerinc, A. G., Meuret, A. E., Twohig, M. P., Rosenfield, D., Bluett, E. J., & Craske, M. G. (2015). Response rates for CBT for anxiety disorders: Need for standardized criteria. Clinical psychology review, 42, 72-82.
– Norcross, J. C. (2011). Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based responsiveness. Oxford University Press. – Ophuis, R. H., Lokkerbol, J., Heemskerk, S. C., van Balkom, A. J., Hiligsmann, M., & Evers, S. M. (2017). Cost-effectiveness of interventions for treating anxiety disorders: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 210, 1-13.
– Roelofs, J., & Peters, M. L. (2001). Cognitive behavioural therapy in chronic pain: A review and new directions. Pain, 92(3), 31–32. – Scott, R. W., Mughelli, K., & Deas, D. (2005). An overview of controlled studies of anxiety disorders treatment in children and adolescents. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97(1), 13.
– Sigurvinsdóttir, A. L., Jensínudóttir, K. B., Baldvinsdóttir, K. D., Smárason, O., & Skarphedinsson, G. (2020). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for child and adolescent anxiety disorders across different CBT modalities and comparisons: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 74(3), 168-180.
– Swift, J. K., & Callahan, J. L. (2009). The impact of client treatment preference on outcome: A meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 449 457. – Tolin, D. F. (2010). Is cognitive–behavioural therapy more effective than other therapies?: A meta-analytic review. Clinical psychology review, 30(6), 710-720.
– Twomey, C., O’Reilly, G., & Byrne, M. (2015). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety and depression in primary care: a meta-analysis. Family Practice, 32(1), 3-15.
By Thomas Swarbrick, Content Team Academic
The problem
Experiences of anxiety have become an epidemic amongst adults and adolescents. Whether it takes the form periodic stress or severe phobic symptoms, prevalence rates have concerningly reached an all-time high. But what is it about our generation that leaves us so vulnerable?
With ever-expanding sources of media, the pool of strategies and guidance for anxiety management can appear endless. Every influencer has their own ideal ‘self-care’ roadmap, each contradictory to the last. It takes no qualification to announce to the world perfect unique de-stress routine. Yet unfortunately, many of these promoted lifestyles are often unattainable or impossible to be practiced in the long-term, only exacerbating the viewers’ stress. Each additional slice of ‘self-care’ advice acts as another task imposed on our already overwhelmed to-do-list, and often these widely endorsed strategies are far from pleasurable. It is ‘common knowledge’ that cold showers, vegetables and early-morning runs are good for us – but what about for the 14-year-old who chronically overthinks? Is training like an athlete going to help them make friends at school? Hence, after five minutes of scouring social media, we are left dizzy, directionless and blindly confused.
It’s easy to lay the blame on social media – easy enough that everybody is seemingly aware that time should be invested someplace else. But the vast majority, upon being questioned, have no concrete knowledge of what processes embedded in the media incur anxiety. And, like most problems, anxiety cannot be harnessed until its triggers are known.
Rather obviously, there no universally known determinants for anxiety, we can infer from particular events and subsequent stress/worry responses what circumstances can make anxiety more likely to occur, yet each individual always has their own precursors for anxiety. Nevertheless, social media seems to correlate positively and consistently with anxiety symptoms, indicating that there may be some shared factor.
Influencers are quick to denounce lazily spent days in place of productivity. Modern culture now teaches us that the resolution to our problems (including anxiety) is found in busy schedules, optimised routines and financial success. But doesn’t this seem… absurd? How are we to console racing thoughts if we manage our time in overdrive? When do we schedule an hour of boredom to simply sit and relax? Sure, the net outcome of productivity is desirable, but surely we can delay such achievements for a more peaceful state of mind?
Moving Forward
It may seem counterintuitive, but perhaps the resolution isn’t to indulge in the lifestyle that influencers prescribe, but to decrease the quantity of self-help advice we expose ourselves to. Kierkegaard once famously wrote ‘Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom’ which, in the context of anxiety, can be interpreted as “unless we are free to be who we are, anxiety will undoubtedly follow”. And what’s more restraining on our freedom than having our lives dictated by others?
Perhaps the answer is commitment. The selection of a few progressive steps forward. A small, gradual implementation of practices tailored to improve our physical and mental wellbeing. Replacing the comparison to lifestyles beyond our reach with changes accustomed to our own preferences and abilities – with the key being that we stick to these adaptations.
So, what exactly can we do? Which guidance is worthy of our attention? To what strategies are our efforts best spent? Although I am no expert (yet) in the field of psychology, anecdotally I can offer a little wisdom to prompt a positive route. I have had my fair dosage experimenting with strategies to help manage anxiety, yet above all, the subtle art of meditation greatly triumphed any other form of coping.
Boredom, relaxation and stillness are all virtues that are scarcely seen in modern Western culture but are at the heart of many Eastern traditions. Practice of meditation is assumed within the Buddhist religion; entire lifestyles are centred around the cultivation of a calmed mind. Meditation is an ancient wisdom; it dates back as early as 1500BC and has survived due to its numerous benefits. Admittedly, particularly amongst young adults, upon hearing “meditation” many eye rolls tend to follow. The conventional mental image associated is a little farfetched and misconstrued. Meditation can be practiced in much simpler forms, as Rob Walker puts it “The art of noticing”. One main idea behind meditation is that you are separate from your thoughts. Life continues – no amount of thinking is enough to change the world beyond your head – and how easily anxious we can become. We are so frequently ‘absent’, falling prey to worrisome thought, entirely forgetting to merely exist in each moment.
Simply paying attention to the breath each morning is enough to disempower such racing thoughts. Anxious thoughts are the pages fluttering whilst flipping through a book, and meditation is the of reading each page, steadily and consciously. The ability to recognise the pervasiveness of one’s thoughts is enough to ease the mind. I am not suggesting we purify our brains from any form of thinking, thoughts are a marvellous tool but instead try to yield some control over the thoughts we prioritise and act upon. Recent forms of Cognitive Behavioural Psychology (CBT) suggest packaging all our worry and allocating specific times to give weight to such thought. More traditionally, we are encouraged to examine our incessant thought through a sceptical lens, evaluating the rationality of them. Both techniques are a form of meditation.
The Bottom Line
Modern culture has a good heart. Ultimately aiming to help us manage our anxiety and better ourselves but unfortunately has achieved the converse by overwhelming us. Many techniques are affective for reducing anxiety, and it is the recognition that we only need a select few to nudge us in the right direction. There is only so much knowledge we can acquire about managing-anxiety, and it is easy to assume that the more advice we consume, the better we will be. Stepping back is worth a try, focusing on a handful of personalised strategies, realistic ones we can be consistent with. Anxiety thrives in our own minds, and nobody is better aware of our thoughts than ourselves.
References
Kierkegaard, S., Thomte, R., & Anderson, A. (1980). The concept of anxiety : a simple psychologically orienting deliberation on the dogmatic issue of hereditary sin. Princeton University Press.
Selva, J. (2017, March 13). History of mindfulness: From east to west and religion to science. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/history-of-mindfulness/
Walker, R., Mendelsund, P., & Munday, O. (2019). The art of noticing : rediscover what really matters to you. Ebury Press.
By Wayne Senior, Content Team Co-ordinator
Last Thursday, it was the International Day of Happiness. That’s the sort of thing you want to know at the beginning of the day, but I only found out around tea time. That’s dinner time if you’re down south. We have our dinner when southerners have their lunch. Whether I have my dinner at lunch time or tea time, if it is the most splendid sausages with nice chips, I’m happy.
Anyway this isn’t a food blog; it’s an anxiety blog. When I found out it was the International Day of Happiness, I wondered what I would say if I wrote an article about happiness. I started thinking about what makes people who use our services happy.
I have spoken to many people on the No Panic Helpline and in Anxiety Support Chat, and the support I provide to other volunteers has allowed me to find out about their conversations. I haven’t done research in the proper way on this, but I have remembered several conversations.
People have told me, that they felt happy if they did something simple, despite all the pressure anxiety put on them to do nothing. If they overcame their anxiety, and did something simple anyway, that made them happy.
It has to be simple. The more complicated it is – the more doubt anxiety can put into your mind. Complicated things like trips abroad can make you happy, but only after you’ve overcome all the anticipation you have to withstand so you can go through with the trip. Complicated things can also take time to arrange. You may want to feel happy on a day when you’ve awoken to feelings of anxiety.
Somebody with anxiety may have gone for a walk, met up with a friend, or spent some time at a small café. It may only have been for an hour. When they come home, their anxiety is not cured. Still they feel happy, because they achieved a win over anxiety.
Their anxiety did not stop them doing something simple. It was nice doing something simple. Doing something simple made them feel happy. Beating anxiety made them feel happy. They plan to do more simple things, because they know that by doing simple things, not only can they reduce their anxiety, but they may feel happier.
By Amy Moore, Content Team Contributor
Anxiety is not linear. And, therefore, the process of making peace with anxiety will also not be linear. This is a notion that I have struggled with for a long time because I always just wanted to feel better. I wanted to be able to snap my fingers and for my anxiety to just be gone. Over the years, I have discovered time and time again that this wish is unrealistic.
I like to describe it as ‘making peace with anxiety’ because I generally dislike the notion of having to fight or struggle with anxiety; for me, it has always been physically and mentally exhausting to interpret anxiety as something that I needed to struggle against or defeat. And so, recently, I’ve started to think of anxiety as something I need to make peace with, to understand that it is not there to hurt me; if anything, anxiety is there as a protection, it just sometimes gets a little overprotective, and that’s when it gets in the way of living life, which is what I do not want. Anxiety has been a core part of my life for the last nine years, and so attempting to dismantle even the unconscious defence strategies that I have built in my mind has been difficult to say the least. There have been ups and downs, high highs and low lows, but I can finally say that, in recent months, there are definitely more good days than bad days. But the art of persevering has not been an easy one to master.
The good days are good. I can compartmentalise anxiety to the extent that I can forget that it’s even there. I look at these days as a huge achievement and that all the hard work has paid off. Some days, having this mindset feels so easy, so simple. I feel as though I could do anything and that I’ve come so far from the person who once could not even leave the house without having a panic attack. I can go out with my friends, I can go out for a meal, I can drive to somewhere I’ve never been before. These things that now seem so simple, but that used to seem so far out of reach for me, have become my daily life. It’s during these times that I vow that I am getting better and that I can feel as though I can finally move on.
And then come the days where it feels hard to remember any progress that I felt I had made. It happened recently at university when I had a panic attack during a presentation. I remember thinking that I’d made a fool of myself and that everyone had noticed and that all that progress I thought I had made was all gone and that I was back at the beginning once again. I could physically feel how I unconsciously fell into my old defence mechanisms, talking faster so that I could get to the end of my powerpoint and I could just sit down and finally everyone would stop looking at me. I wanted to run home and hide in my room, and I felt as though I was back at the very beginning, where public speaking seemed impossible. But, instead of heading home and thinking too much about it, instead, I went and treated myself to an overpriced coffee and a muffin. I just took twenty minutes to breathe.
I had to remind myself that just a week previously I’d managed to get on a train and go into a busy city to go to the theatre, and that had been such an achievement that even six months ago, I never could have done. One setback did not diminish the fact that I had achieved that. Sometimes it helps to just put things into perspective, to acknowledge the progress, the setbacks, and then to move forwards. I have been guilty of dwelling on what I perceived as my own failures on this journey to getting my life back from anxiety, but they are not failures, and no one should see them as such. I had to look at it differently. How great was it that I stood up to do that presentation feeling incredible? It was the first time that I could ever remember going into a presentation with some degree of confidence. It may not have gone the way that I wanted, but at least I hadn’t been riddled with anxiety beforehand. And for me, that was an achievement.
I think it’s important to acknowledge that these things will not be a straight path all the time. It’s normal to have good days and bad days. But, it is also important to not let the bad days overshadow the good days. Sure, sometimes it may feel as though you’ve taken three steps back in a single day, but that does not diminish the progress that you’ve already made. Anxiety is so difficult because it can feel all-encompassing, in your mind and in physical symptoms, it can be so isolating on the bad days that the good days feel like an impossible dream. But, what I have learned is that the good days and the bad days go hand-in-hand. Progress is not linear, but when you take a step back to look at the bigger picture, perhaps you’ll see that you’ve come further than you had ever imagined was possible.
By Emily Pearce, Content Team contributor
We all know we need to sleep eight hours a night to stay mentally and physically healthy, but this isn’t always possible. If you’ve ever been overly stressed about an upcoming event or a personal matter, you’ve probably found yourself tossing and turning without relief from time to time. For those of us with generalised anxiety, the pain of sleeplessness can be a much more frequent issue. We need sleep for our brain to recuperate and rationally deal with day to day problems and so if we go a night without it, any underlying feelings of anxiety can be exacerbated. This in turn creates further anxiety about not sleeping the following night and so anxiety-induced insomnia can develop into a vicious cycle of restlessness and fatigue. I struggled with this problem for several months during my first year of university but managed to find some ways to tackle it; sleep is no longer so much of an issue for me and I’ve found my anxiety has subsided as a result. For all of you suffering with sleep anxiety, here are some of my top tips to make your way to recovery.
Eight hours of sleep sounds ideal but it is not realistically attainable every single night. Some nights we will naturally sleep less; others you will sleep much longer. If you’re worrying about not sleeping enough, try and be more realistic about your sleep goals. You’ve survived years without sleeping a full eight hours consistently and you can survive now. Always remember that sleep is a biological process that will naturally occur– you will eventually be able to get some rest even if it is for a short period of time!
Sleep anxiety can be make bedtime feel distressing but it’s important that you reframe your perceptions of it and transform it into a relaxing time of day. Try and look forward to bedtime as a period for your body and mind to rest, regardless of how fast you fall asleep. Bedtime can also been reframed as a time for mindfully processing the day you have just had. The Sleep Book: How to Sleep Well Every Night by Dr Guy Meadows provided me with bedtime mindfulness techniques that helped me change sleep into a time for me to let go of my worries and frustrations, which subsequently helped me sleep more soundly every night. I’d highly recommend this book if you feel a lot of pressure when trying to sleep and you want to make bedtime less stressful.
We all need to wind down before bed in order for the sleep hormone melatonin to be produced. You could calm your nervous system by doing several of the following:
-Having a hot bath/shower
-Avoiding coffee and alcohol near bedtime
-Watching a calming show that you love (a sitcom for example)
-Listening to relaxing music, audiobooks or ‘Sleepcasts’ on the app Headspace
-Avoiding scrolling on your phone
-Speaking to loved ones
-Read a book!
Have a plan B for when you find yourself unable to sleep. Rather than simply lying there feeling frustrated, you should think of various calming activities to do as an alternative. If I’m struggling to sleep, I’ll read a book or a magazine until I find myself feeling tired. Other things that have worked for me include jigsaws and word searches; these have distracted me from any anxious thoughts and have helped me calm down before attempting to sleep again. It’s important to get out of bed and do something else if you can’t sleep because otherwise you may begin to associate your bedroom with negative feelings of anger, upset and distress.
As hard as it sounds, try not to centre your life around sleep. I remember spending hours agonising over my lack of sleep and boring my friends and family with my anxiety over it. To tackle my insomnia, I got into more of a routine at uni, joined societies, exercised more, and saw my friends as frequently as possible. Soon my life had become so busy that my sleep anxiety was at the back of my mind! Find ways of distracting yourself about these worries and you’ll soon realise that sleep is not the be all and end all of your life; in fact, it’s rather unimportant in the scheme of things.
By Ilyass Jalloh, Content Team contributor
High-functioning anxiety seems like a paradox. How can someone be thriving in their career, excelling academically, or maintaining a busy social life while battling crippling anxiety? The truth is, many people experience anxiety in ways that remain invisible to others—pushing themselves to achieve more, to be perfect, and to avoid failure at all costs.
What is High-Functioning Anxiety?
Unlike generalized anxiety disorder, high-functioning anxiety does not always present itself through obvious symptoms like panic attacks or avoidance behaviors. Instead, it often manifests as:
✅ Perfectionism – Setting impossibly high standards and feeling restless when goals are not met.
✅ Overachievement – Constantly working, rarely allowing time for rest.
✅ Overthinking – Overanalyzing every interaction, email, or decision.
✅ Fear of Failure – Feeling anxious even after success, afraid that it will not last.
✅ People-Pleasing – Saying yes to everything to avoid disappointing others.
While these traits might seem like signs of motivation and drive, they often come at a steep cost—burnout, exhaustion, and emotional distress.
“I thought my anxiety was not serious because I was still getting things done. But inside, I felt like I was constantly on edge, waiting for something to go wrong.”
— Ilyass Jalloh
The Double-Edged Sword of Success
People with high-functioning anxiety often appear calm, competent, and successful on the outside, but internally, they battle constant self-doubt and mental fatigue. A 2022 study by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America found that 36% of high-achieving professionals reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety that impacted their well-being, despite appearing outwardly successful.
Because they do not fit the stereotypical image of anxiety, many individuals avoid seeking help—convinced that their struggles are “not bad enough.” However, suppressing anxiety does not make it disappear; it only magnifies the internal pressure over time.
Breaking the Cycle: Managing High-Functioning Anxiety
If you resonate with these experiences, here are some ways to ease the pressure and protect your mental well-being:
🛑 Challenge Perfectionism: Learn to accept “good enough” instead of striving for flawlessness.
📝 Set Boundaries: Prioritize your mental health by saying no to excessive commitments.
💬 Talk About It: Opening up about anxiety reduces stigma and encourages self-compassion. The No Panic Helpline is open every day between 10am and 10pm on 0300 7729844.
⏳ Schedule Rest: Actively include downtime in your routine—rest is productive too.
🧘 Mindfulness & No Panic Breathing Exercises: These helps ground you and ease mental tension.
🆘 Seek Support: Joining a support group or speaking with a professional can be life changing.
Final Thoughts
High-functioning anxiety is often overlooked because those experiencing it are seen as capable and put-together. But success should never come at the cost of mental health.
If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety behind a mask of achievement, remember—seeking support is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.
💬 Do you struggle with high-functioning anxiety? Visit No Panic’s resources to find support.