Category: Articles by No Panic Volunteers

We all know that to have a healthy body we need to exercise and eat good food. Well believe it or not, to have a healthy mind we also need to exercise it and feed it positively.

Exercising our mind means training it on a daily basis to think positive thoughts, practice gratitude and be mindful.

Here are five exercises to keep your mind healthy and fit.

1. Write a diary:  Research shows that keeping a diary can sharpen the brain. The action of putting pen to paper forces us to think through our thought process on a deeper level. A good start is to note down positive items and goals you would like to achieve.
2. Change routines:  Most of us have a daily routine, which is fine of course, however, by switching things around you force your brain to switch out of auto-pilot mode and pay more attention to what is going on. Nothing huge is needed but just small changes like taking a different route to the shop or changing your eating times can make a big difference.
3. Learn something new: You don’t have to take up an Open University course or study a new language anything that stimulates your mind in new and exciting ways will help boost your self-confidence. It might be learning to cook, taking up a new hobby or simply reading about things that fascinate you.
4. Be mindful:  Practising mindfulness on a daily basis helps us manage our emotions at the same time decreases stress, anxiety and depression. Some may not find this as easy to do as others as training your brain to concentrate on nothing can be easier said than done. Take a look at our short video that will help get you started: https://nopanic.org.uk/a-moment-of-mindfulness-video/
5. Practise positive thinking: Changing the way we look at things can be quite tricky, but it is a great exercise for your brain.  A good way to start this is by concentrating on solutions instead of problems. Ask yourself questions; What can I do to make things better right now? What is one thing that is good about this situation?

This Christmas Please help support No Panic by shopping online using EasyFundraising.  Click on the link below and donate to our charity while you do your Christmas shopping, it won’t cost you a penny extra!

Use EasyFundraising to shop with over 3,600 retailers including Amazon, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com, eBay, Sainsbury’s, M&S and many more. Every time you shop, you’ll raise a free donation for No Panic, it’s that easy!

Find out more: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/nopanic/

Thank you.

As the days get shorter, some people tend to find their anxiety heightens. Research has proven that this is due to light sensitivity. Which makes sense as there are less daylight hours as we move through Autumn into Winter.

So if you are someone that feels more anxious or down as the year passes by, what can you do to help yourself?

1. Get outside:  It is very important to make the effort to venture out as much as possible. Wrap up warm if needs be but take the plunge.

2. Eat well:  A healthy diet will boost your mood and give you more energy. Don’t be tempted with ‘comfort foods’.

3. Exercise: Staying active is very important as it is a fact that Exercise reduces anxiety. When we exercise our body releases endorphins, otherwise known as ‘the feel good hormone’.

4. Stay occupied: Make the most of the long evenings by taking up a new hobby. Whether it be in the comfort of your own home or joining a group somewhere else. Keeping your mind occupied with something new is a great way to ward off rumination.

5. Communicate: Don’t keep unhappiness locked away. ‘A problem shared, is a problem halved’. Talk about how you feel either with friends and family or with a charity like No Panic.

6. Enjoy yourself: Doing things you really like is a good way to boost your mood at the same time taking care of your emotional wellbeing.

Recent studies have proven that practicing meditation or mindfulness each day can improve one’s physical health as well as one’s mental health. Mindfulness helps us manage our emotions at the same time decreases stress, anxiety and depression. All it takes is for you to introduce this new habit into your day.

It should be done on a daily basis, like cleaning your teeth or getting dressed. It won’t take long for you to start noticing the difference in your life. We recommend you to do this in a nice quite room where you won’t be disturbed and by using earphones you will get the best results.

Breakfast is so called because it is there to break the fast of night time. People who miss out on this most important meal of the day, start the day on a very bad footing. Our body has been resting through the night hours but on waking needs fuel to level out the blood sugar levels in our system.

If you start out by starving your body of these needs, it will be very difficult to catch up and balance these levels through the day. I am not saying you should sit down to cereals followed by a full fry up and toast and jam. What I am saying is, on waking or within about 30 minutes of waking it is ideal to consume something. Cereals are obviously ideal, muesli or porridge are the best.

But if you cannot face them then that is fine. How about fruit or toast or in fact anything that takes your fancy. On the continent people eat cheese, cold meats, cakes etc to start the day. Give it a try and see how it makes a difference.

Your diet can affect your anxiety, particularly low blood sugar which lowered on average throughout the day by not eating breakfast. You can read a full article on diet here: https://nopanic.org.uk/diet/

No Panic helps people with anxiety in a number of ways, we provide articles, information, blogs, stories, support, helplines and email recovery programs. But we would love to hear your point of view.

Is there anything you would like to see us cover? Is there anything you would like to see more/less of?

We would love to hear from you, so please drop us a line at sarah@nopanic.org.uk

Is life not as great as it should be right now?

You CAN turn things around and get everything back on track by using a few practical steps:

1. Make a plan. Right down all the things you would like to be doing right now. Now examine the list, what’s stopping you? Can you adapt things to achieve your goals?

2. Make a second list of things that are not going right for you at this time. Now read through this list again. Can you take action to make changes for the better?

3. Start a diary. Write down goals and things you would like to do on a daily basis. Note things that make you happy and things you are grateful for.

4. Take small steps in the right direction, (small steps lead to great journeys) tick your achievements off with a bold colour in your diary to prove that you are moving forward.

5. Look after yourself. Taking care of your physical and mental health is a priority. This includes diet, exercise and rest.

6. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and support you.

7. Stay positive. Just by keeping your mind in a positive frame, you will be surprised how things look different.

8. Check how you spend your time. Social media can be great if you are friends with or follow people that motivate you or make you smile. Those who spread doom and gloom need to be got rid of.

9. Challenge yourself. Things will never change if you do nothing to change them. Take action, face challenges and move forward. Face your fears to overcome them.

10. Let go of the past or any regrets. Nothing can be done to alter what’s happened already. But today is the first day of the rest of your life. Move forward a wiser person. Learn from past mistakes but don’t continue to punish yourself because if times gone by. If you would like to take these steps but feel you may need a bit of support/advice along the way, then please get in touch.

If you are struggling with anxiety, it can be difficult to keep on top of your finances. After all, the root of anxiety is all about the apprehension and fear resulting from a perceived or real threat, situation or event – so it makes sense that you will feel anxious about looking after your money.

How anxiety can affect your finances

• Your income could go down or stop if you can’t work or need time off.
• You might be susceptible to spending money that you don’t have to make yourself feel better, which you might regret afterwards.
• You may feel anxious about talking on the phone or opening bills.
• Day-to-day financial decisions might make you feel anxious, so you avoid making them.
• Being in debt can make you feel worried, even if you have enough money.

What you can do to ‘future-proof’ your finances

It’s difficult to predict when your mental health is going to affect your finances, but there are some practical things you can do to future-proof yourself so that when you are feeling low, you can keep on top of your finances.

• Keep a diary of your spending and your moods. Record what you spent and why, and your mood at the time – were you stressed?  This could help you work out any patterns and identify a trigger point in your anxiety that makes you spend.
• If you find you spend a lot when you’re feeling anxious, make sure to not have your card auto-filled on shopping sites – the act of getting up to find your card can slow down the process and make you consider your purchases.
• If bills make you anxious, appoint someone close to you to open your post and consider moving to a bank with online services so you don’t have to visit a branch for services.
• Share your money worries with a professional who can give you advice. The Money Advice Service can give you free, impartial advice on your finances.
• Lots of banks and utility providers are now training their staff in mental health awareness. By calling your bank and explaining your anxiety, you can help the banks to give you better service.

One of the best ways to help your finances stop impacting your anxiety is to stop comparing yourself to others. In the Instagram generation, it’s easy to get sucked into pictures of everyone else’s wealth – holidays, cars, houses – and compare yourself. Remember, you don’t know how much is in their bank account, so whilst they may look successful, it could be thanks to credit cards and a whole lot of debt. Plus, everyone puts their best lives on social media, so on the inside, they could be struggling too. If you’re feeling really affected, step away from social media.

If you are suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorders, consider becoming a member of becoming a member of No Panic. Severe anxiety and phobias affect up to 18% of the population, so don’t suffer in silence.

Volunteer with us

No Panic run a helpline 365 days a year and is entirely staffed by volunteers. Not only does volunteering help No Panic, but it can help you too. We provide full helpline training, which can provide you with experience that may be useful for students, enhance your CV and improve future employment prospects, help you gain confidence and self-esteem, develop existing skills and knowledge, and make you feel part of a team and valued. It could also be a chance to give back to an organisation which may have had an impact on you or someone you know. You will be making a difference to the lives of others. We can also provide references for volunteers who have been with us for 12 months or more.

Set your home page and search engine to: http://nopanic.easysearch.org.uk/

By using EasySearch instead of Google or any other search engine, you can make a real difference. EasySearch is completely free and by making just 10 searches a day, you could raise around £20 a year for your chosen cause.

When you make online purchases, such as your weekly shop, holidays or clothing, use http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ or https://www.giveasyoulive.com

Let’s says you want to do your weekly shop? Well instead of going direct to your chosen store website, go to EasyFundraising or Giveasyoulive, find your chosen store and it will simply take you to their website to complete your shop, but No Panic will receive a percentage of the money you spend. The amount will vary depending on the store you are shopping at and it won’t cost you a penny extra.

Share the No Panic website or JustGiving page on social media: http://www.justgiving.com/nopanic/donate/

By sharing, your friends and family may wish to donate – and it also raises much needed awareness.

Collection boxes

Do you, your friends or family, work or know somewhere that would be happy to put out a No Panic collection box? Contact us to find out more.

Other ways to fundraise

There are so many ways you can fundraise. There is something for everybody. See our list of ideas for some inspiration or you could come up with your own fantastic idea. We will help you as much as we can by sending you a fundraising pack which will contain posters, business cards and more.

You could set up your very own JustGiving page and text number so anyone wishing to sponsor you can pay by card or text if they want to. They can even gift aid these donations which means No Panic will receive an extra 25% on eligible donations. When you have completed your fundraising even we will send you your very own No Panic certificate to thank you for the fantastic job you have done. Not only is this a lovely thing to have to show your friends and family but it also is great to put on your record of achievements and on your CV.

Simply contact us to find out more.

Do you know of a way No Panic can improve its services or a better way we can fundraise?

For No Panic to continue to successfully support all the people we do as a charity, No Panic must continue to develop and evolve. As the world changes we must continue to change with it. Please contact us with any suggestions.

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is also know as ‘winter depression’ or ‘seasonal depressive disorder’. The symptoms often begin in the autumn as the days start getting shorter. They’re typically most severe during December, January and February. SAD often improves and disappears in the spring and summer, although it may return each autumn and winter in a repetitive pattern.

Most people feel some difference to their mood during the winter months. An increased need for sleep or comfort eating, feeling quieter and and even lethargic are some of the more common symptoms.  Some anxiety sufferers have a tendency to witness seasonal affective disorder symptoms and will always feel that their anxiety is worse during the autumn/winter months of the year.

At these times, whether you are a SAD sufferer or a sufferer with a tendency towards similar behaviour, it is important to take special care of your anxiety/depression during these periods.

There are some basic steps that you can take to help:

• Practice Relaxation Techniques
• Practice Distraction techniques
• Have Some Talking Therapy
• Light Therapy/Light Lamps
• Get out of the house during daylight hours as much as possible

Relaxation techniques are used to keep you relaxed. Being relaxed is the polar opposite of being anxious and cannot occur at the same time. Distraction techniques  are used to distract you from your thoughts that are bothering you in the short term. Talking therapy can help control and even recover from anxiety.

Light Lamps or Light Therapy has been proven to be effective for SAD sufferers as it mimics the sunlight that the body misses during the autumn and winter months, this may be found effective if you have trouble getting outdoors.