FrightEnEd

FEAR LEVEL 2 ‘It is in our human nature to occasionally worry about things,’ says psychologist Dr Martina Paglia (theinternationalpsychologyclinic. com). ‘These worries help us to do the best we can in life. They come and go, like a single small wave in an otherwise calm sea. However, some people’s worries have become more intense and constant during lockdown. It is like a rough sea, where one wave of worry is immediately followed by the next with no end in sight. This is exhausting. It makes it hard to relax, concentrate or sleep.

‘If you’re one of these people, draw on the people you trust most for support. It can be very helpful to share your worries with a trusted someone. A friend who will not exacerbate them, but who shows empathy and understanding, while also reassuring you that your worries will not become reality. Engaging in movement is also a great way to battle the constant stream of worry. It helps reduce the tension that might have built up and gives you a feel-good boost. Exercising outdoors can also help to ease you out of your home.’ ‘It comes as no surprise to me that some people are now feeling agoraphobic because of “dangers” outside,’ says anxiety expert Joshua Fletcher (joshuafletcher.co.uk). ‘The part of our brain responsible for sensing and warning us of danger is something called our amygdala. The amygdala fires up our fight-or-flight response in anticipation of danger. You’ll notice your amygdala in action if you have been jolted awake when drifting off to sleep because of the feeling that you were falling.

‘Over the past few months, we have been told that the outside and other people are potentially dangerous, and rightly so. However, this has conditioned many people’s amygdala to trigger the fight-orflight response when they so much as consider leaving their home.

‘The solution itself is quite simple. Essentially, it is to show the amygdala that the outside isn’t dangerous any more. To do this, we must tolerate the anxious, fight-or-flight response in situations where we’d like it to turn off. This scientifically proven method of exposure, which is used a lot in cognitive behavioural therapy, is very effective and often doesn’t take long.

‘With practice, the amygdala turns off, rewires itself, and we get back to normal.’

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