So, unfortunately, I am pretty sure I am not alone when I say
that I have definitely struggled with anxiety problems to different degrees.
For me, it was absolutely at its worst when it was developing in my teenage years.
And I hadn't before experienced things like panic attacks.
And those sneak up on you like nothing else you've had to deal with before.
Thankfully over the years I've gotten to grips with my own anxiety;
I've become familiar with my triggers and developed coping mechanisms
that mean I no longer have panic attacks when I reach the front door of my house and have to step outside into the real world.
It may also help that I'm not at high school anymore!
But when I saw Corinne Sweet's Anxiety Journal pop up in the office,
I was immediately intrigued to see what advice she had for people dealing with anxiety in their life.
The tagline is exercises to soothe stress and eliminate anxiety wherever you are;
and I thought, on your behalf, I definitely had to find out if that was true.
As you can see, I ended up post-it noting quite a few of the pages in this book,
because this book is full of genuinely practical and useful advice for people dealing with anxiety;
there were tips in here that I was already familiar with and used in my own life,
but there was also quite a few new pieces of advice.
So I wanted to try a few of those out and share them with you.
And given the statistics, I knew there would be quite a few of you who might find this helpful.
According to Anxiety UK one in six of us probably experienced some sort of neurotic health problem
as recently as last week.
The most common of those being anxiety and depression.
There are however preventative measures you can take if you know you're prone to anxiety.
As well as exercises you can try out whilst you are experiencing anxiety.
If you can feel a bout of anxiety coming on then the first thing you might want to try is sitting down in a quiet space,
and concentrating on your breathing.
I know this is something we hear again and again, but there's a reason it's repeated as a piece of advice, over and over.
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, or recovering from a panic attack,
something that is well worth trying is getting outside in the fresh air and taking a walk by yourself.
Never underestimate the value of taking breaks and being outside and moving your body.
And as important as it is to stay informed about what's going on in the world,
I'm sure most of us are aware of how easy it is to feel overwhelmed and hopeless when confronted by the news.
So one of Corinne Sweet's pieces of advice is to seek out good news stories.
And since this is an anxiety journal, there is space for you to make a list of all the good news stories you can find.
Sitting down perusing some newspapers, online resources, and even making a note of the happy announcements
you've heard recently from friends, family and colleagues.
No matter how big or small it can be incredibly reassuring and relaxing
just to make a note of the good news stories in the world.
If you struggle with anxiety on a regular basis,
then getting a good night's sleep can make a massive difference.
If you have problems sleeping, then one thing you might want to try,
is integrating a real bedtime routine.
This could involve making yourself a hot cup of herbal tea,
making space for thirty minutes of reading before you got to sleep,
and most importantly, turning off electronic devices.
In general, it's also worth taking breaks from social media and electronic devices, now and then.
And I'm somebody who loves the internet!
That doesn't mean we don't need to detox now and then.
If you find yourself restless and full of anxiety when you're trying to sleep,
or even waking up full anxiety mid-sleep,
then you might want to try taking the things that are making you anxious,
and either making a voice recording of your thoughts, or writing them down in a notebook.
Get whatever's plaguing you off your chest so that you can get to sleep,
and deal with it the next day, once you're well rested.
If you are struggling with stress and anxiety at the moment,
I hope some of these tips were perhaps useful for you,
and don't forget that there are tons of resources out there for you
Charities including Anxiety UK and Mind, helplines including Nightline and many, many more.
I will of course link these organizations, as well as the author of The Anxiety Journal's website, down below
so you can learn a little bit more about coping mechanisms to help you
and just remember, you are not alone.
Until next time, however, do give this video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it
and I hope to see you next week.