Sarah’s surgery
HOW TO BEAT ANXIETY Dr Sarah Brewer reveals the everyday steps that can help us dial down our worries
Dr Sarah Brewer shares her advice on anxiety
Researching this feature,
I was shocked to find that a recent poll* of 2,000 adults found one in five felt more anxious than they had been five years ago. As many as 57% worried about their health, yet four in 10 have never sought medical advice about their anxiety from their GP. People with the condition typically struggle with it four times a day, but many suffer in silence, with just 28% feeling comfortable talking about it with friends or colleagues. Not surprisingly, this can have a huge effect on your life, leading to loss of jobs, friends and relationships.
WHAT CAUSES IT?
According to Dr Jen Bateman, a clinical psychologist, the rise in anxiety is due to a range of factors. ‘Our lives are busier and can feel overwhelming: we’re constantly striving for more and better. Worldwide events are being streamed into the palms of our hands in our highly connected digital worlds, and it’s challenging to switch off, which our brains need to do to rest and stay calm.’
Anxiety is also often one of the first signs of an approaching menopause, although it is often not recognised as such. Miss Tania Adib, a consultant gynaecologist at The Medical Chambers Kensington, says falling levels of the female hormone progesterone can lead to anxiety before the accompanying loss of oestrogen causes hot flushes.
TALK TO SOMEONE
Instead of using prescribed medicines to treat anxiety, there has recently been a move towards using talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This alters how you perceive symptoms and helps you learn to deal with the negative thoughts associated with anxiety and menopause. Researchers found that after just four sessions of CBT, 65% of women experienced a significant reduction in the number and severity of menopausal symptoms.
EVERYDAY TIPS
The good news is there are many ways you can tackle anxiety, says chartered psychologist Dr Meg Arroll. Here’s what she recommends…
LEARN TO SAY NO
It sounds simple, and can be really daunting at first, but learning to put yourself first and saying no to the
‘It’s challenging to switch off, which our brains need to do’
demands of others is an overlooked way of reducing anxiety. Often, we say yes to please people, or to make them value us, overlooking our own needs. Kind ways of saying no include: ‘Thank you for asking me, it sounds great/i’d really like to help, but I’m already committed that day/it would take more time than I have/i don’t know if I can fit that in,’ and so on.
EXERCISE MOST DAYS
Physical activity not only takes you away from your worries, it also helps to burn off the effects of stress and stimulates the release of your body’s own feelgood chemicals, known as endorphins. Any form of exercise you enjoy, such as walking, swimming, cycling, dancing or gardening, will help.
BREATHE IT OUT
Breathing more deeply and slowly really can help anxiety, as it acts as a signal to your brain that will ‘reset’ your body from fight-or-flight mode to a more relaxed state. Deep breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which switches off the response associated with anxious feelings.
WEAVE CALM INTO YOUR DAY
Don’t rush – most people find they get just as much done when they go slowly as when they rush. The benefit of this is you can also keep going for longer, because doing things calmly is a lot less tiring.
Adopt a more relaxed posture – if you tend to perch on the edge of a seat or fidget with
your hands, sit back and sink into the whole of the chair, with your palms flat on your lap or the arms of the chair.
Have plenty of breaks, even if it’s just 15 minutes to chat to a friend. It really can make all the difference to anxiety levels.
Don’t watch TV, as this can stimulate your brain. Meditation, light exercise or even lying quietly on your bed or in the bath with eyes closed are better ways to relax the mind.