Anxiety
Understanding anxiety and learning healthy ways to cope
What Is Anxiety?
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. Feeling anxious is a normal response to new, stressful or threatening situations and is our body's way of preparing us to deal with those situations effectively. However, when this response becomes disproportionate to the situation or event in question, it can be problematic.
Prolonged or excessive periods of anxiety can have a negative impact on our lives and may indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder, of which there are many types.
Note: the information provided in this module is not designed to diagnose you with an anxiety disorder but rather to demonstrate the consequences of excessive anxiety and to point you in the direction of relevant resources to help you if you are struggling right now.
Understanding Anxiety Symptoms
Heightened Physical Sensations
Anxiety can be felt as a number of physical sensations including tight chestedness, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and cold sweats. It is normal to experience these things in situations of high stress, however, if they are present most of the time or become so overwhelming that you are unable to carry out daily tasks, you should seek help from your GP.
Negative Automatic Thoughts
Automatic thoughts are the subconscious thoughts you have about yourself and the world around you. Negative automatic thoughts are the most unpleasant of these and are often irrational and self-defeating in nature.
Problematic Coping Behaviours
Problematic coping behaviours or "safety behaviours" are actions you carry out in order to protect yourself from feeling anxious. They can be effective in the short-term but actually serve to maintain your anxiety in the long-term. They include things like avoidance, hypervigilance and excessive checking.
How Does This Link to the Terrace Metrics Assessment?
If your indicator for anxiety was in the at risk range following your assessment it means that you endorsed many items that assess symptoms of general anxiety. It may be the case that you are currently experiencing significant distress in day to day life.
You may have difficulty sleeping or worry excessively about things that wouldn't normally bother you. In addition to this, you may experience panic attacks which prevent you from carrying out simple daily tasks like meeting up with friends or going to the shop.
If this is the case, we recommend that you SEEK MEDICAL HELP from your GP as soon as possible.
If you cannot wait to speak to your GP then please contact either one of these helplines.
It is also important to consider that all of the indicators in the Terrace Metrics assessment are fundamentally linked. This means that whether your score for anxiety is at risk, optimal or somewhere in between, there are various tools that you can use to enhance your resilience and increase your coping ability.
The anxiety indicator is very closely linked to hope, global satisfaction and self-criticism. By working on improving your scores in these areas you will be better equipped to handle adversity and may also start to see improvements in other areas as a result.
Looking after your mind is just as important as looking after your body and the tools we provide are designed to help you do that.
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How Can You Cope With Anxiety?
Coping In The Moment
Feelings of anxiety can be overwhelming and make it seem like there is nothing you can do to overcome them. However, there are some practical steps you can take in these moments to help you deal with your anxiety in a healthy way. These are called coping strategies.
Our dedicated coping strategies module includes breathing and relaxation techniques that can help you calm down when you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed or losing control.
Coping Strategies - Take Me ThereLonger-Term Coping
Alongside coping with momentary experiences of anxiety or panic, it is equally important to find ways of reducing the frequency and intensity of those moments.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation is one way of building your resilience and enhancing your mental health. Our dedicated module provides various exercises for you to practice.
Mindfulness & Meditation - Take Me ThereTools For Managing Anxiety
Important: These tools are not intended to replace therapy or professional advice. They are designed to help you cope with difficult feelings or situations and provide you with a better understanding of anxiety. However, if you are really struggling please contact one of the emergency helplines provided or seek help from your GP.
In The Moment Tools
Self-Soothe Box
A box filled with things to help you cope when you feel overwhelmingly anxious. Contains physical items, written reminders and simple grounding activities to help you feel more relaxed during periods of high anxiety.
Start NowRelaxation Plan
A tool to help you incorporate relaxation techniques into your daily routine. Learn to calm the mind and reduce muscle tension that anxiety can cause.
Start NowThe Worry Tree
A guide to help you manage your worries in a healthy way. Distinguish between current problems and hypothetical events so you can respond appropriately.
Start NowEmotional Triggers
Learn about your emotional triggers, how to identify them and how to cope with them. Understand what makes you feel anxious and develop coping strategies.
Start NowLonger-Term Coping Tools
Thinking Traps
An explanation of some common thinking traps to help you identify occasions where you have engaged in such thinking. Learn to recognize patterns of negative automatic thoughts that fuel anxiety.
Start NowThought Record
A tool to help understand automatic thoughts, how they affect you and how you can reframe and replace them with more balanced thinking. Identify situations that trigger anxiety and develop coping strategies.
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