Today We’re talking about the anxious mind, a psychological topic. This topic is all about understanding anxiety, our anxious mind.
Additionally, these are my own views from my own research on the topic and my advice is If you think you might suffer with anxiety please consult a doctor, gp, therapist.
So why is the anxious mind or anxiety something I thought we should discuss on this article. Wheres is anxieties place in our lives. I feel like it is no secret to anyone that Anxiety is a common experience.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or worry that could be caused by a combination of factors that researchers believe range from genetics to environment to brain chemistry.
Sympathetic vs parasympathetic system
The autonomic nervous system is the part of the central nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions. Within the autonomic nervous system, we find the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which both control the same parts of the body and same general functions of the body, but with opposing effects.
THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
When we are faced with a perceived threat of any kind, whether physical or emotional, our sympathetic nervous system kicks into gear and brings about automatic and involuntary responses, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, heightened awareness, elevated respiratory rate, and more sweating. The sympathetic nervous system also shuts down many parasympathetic responses in order to utilize more energy for the fight or flight response.
THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: REST AND DIGEST
It works to slow down certain responses and bring about a state of calm to the body, allowing it to rest, relax, and repair itself. The primary function of the parasympathetic nervous system is to maintain long-term health and a healthy balance across all of the body’s functions.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are vital to our health and survival. However, for our bodies to live with optimal health and proper function for as long as possible, there must be a balance between the two. If there is a miscommunication between your brain and the impulses that promote sympathetic responses, your body will be functioning in fight or flight mode far too often and for far too long, and this can have negative consequences on your overall health. You want a healthy balance between the two parts of your autonomic nervous system
Perceived threats in modern society
Current problems in your life can also trigger anxiety. For example:
- exhaustion or a build-up of stress
- lots of change or uncertainty
- feeling under pressure while studying or in work
- long working hours
- Work, jobs, careers
- money problems
- losing someone close to you (sometimes called bereavement)
- feeling lonely or isolated
- relationships
- being abused, bullied or harassed
People have different thresholds of anxiety
Have you ever noticed that some people seem to thrive in chaos, while others get overwhelmed by even positive changes in their lives? Some people are naturally more sensitive and reactive to anxiety. Differences in temperament and a collection of inborn personality traits can cause some people to be naturally more resilient in the face of anxiety while others can feel more threatened and less able to cope. While we can’t change the temperament we were born with, we can become more aware of our predispositions and work around them by building up skills that may compensate for certain sensitivities, or structure our lifestyles to minimize the impact of triggers.
Cortisol
Maybe you can’t sleep. Maybe you keep breaking out, or getting sick. Perhaps your stomach bloats, you feel shaky. Maybe you can’t focus, eat or get rid of the tension in your spine.
Cortisol, sometimes known as the stress hormone, is a chemical that helps regulate the way our bodies react to stress. It’s a hormone that connects the mind and the body together.
What does cortisol do?
When we experience stress, the pea-size pituitary gland in the brain — sometimes called the master gland — signals to the adrenal glands perched atop the kidneys, prompting them to secrete and deliver cortisol into our bloodstream. Our bodies release the chemical when we are faced with a challenge, whether psychological or physical, real or imagined. We release cortisol when we encounter a tangible threat, like coming across a bear on a hike, but also when we receive an ominous work email. The more threatening we perceive an event to be, the more cortisol we typically produce. The mind and the body will respond as if we were in danger of dying, when actually what’s happening is that our sense of self is being threatened.
What happens when you have high cortisol?
We function best when we have the right balance of cortisol. “Our bodies are this harmonic unit But chronic stress can elevate our baseline cortisol levels over time, leading to a cascade of consequences. Persistently high cortisol levels may weaken the immune system, as well as raise blood sugar levels and blood pressure. There’s also an integral link between cortisol and sleep: We need the hormone level to decrease so that we can fully rest. People with high cortisol often struggle to fall and stay asleep.
How to kill anxiety
Diaphragmatic breathing
Visualise peacefulness
Try a relaxation app
If anxiety keeps you up get up
It is scientifically proven that you can change your state in 6 deep belly breaths.
What is Diaphragmatic breathing: Consciously controlling an automatic process
How to do it: Take in a slow deep breath through your nose for four seconds. Imagine filling your lungs from the bottom right to the top, making them as full of air as possible. You should feel your stomach rise as you do so. Hold the breath for another count of 7. Exhale gently through your mouth for another count of 8. Try to focus on relaxing any tense muscles when you do.
Why it works: “The slower you exhale, the more you’ll engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming the body down after it’s had a bad fright or shock,” says Wygant. “You can’t be both scared and calm all at once, so focus on lengthening your exhale to get the most out of it. The long exhale is what tells your body everything is OK.”
An example is 4,7,8. In for 4, hold for 7 and out for 8. Lets try it together.
Visualise peacefulness
Visualisation brings together aspects of mindfulness and breathing techniques to give you another way to calm yourself down and stop anxiety from spiralling out of control.
One example is the 5,4,3,2,1 technique. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths and:
Name 5 things that you see
Name 4 things that you can feel
Name 3 things you can hear
Name 2 things that you can smell
Name 1 thing that you can taste
Try a relaxation app
From Headspace to Calm, there are plenty to try out.
If anxiety keeps you awake, get up:
If you’re lying in bed worrying about things for more than 5 minutes, get up and go to another room and write down your anxieties,“Go back to bed when you’re tired, but get up again if you feel anxious. It might take a few nights of going back and forth, but this exercise can train your brain that your bed is for sleep, not for anxiety.
Avoid stimulants like coffee and alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol can often have the opposite effect to what you might think. Coffee for example has been proven to induce more anxiety – especially when drunk in high doses Alcohol too can, on the face of it, help us to calm down if we’re feeling anxious. However, over time alcohol and anxiety don’t pair well together and will worsen any symptoms of anxiety you’re currently experiencing.
Burn off’ your anxiety
When you’re anxious, it can sometimes be too hard to perform a technique like deep breathing, as your adrenaline makes it difficult for you to concentrate.
In these moments, try doing something that rids your body of this adrenaline, which could include:
Chores that need a lot of energy to complete
High intensity exercise
Dancing around the house to loud music
Any aerobic exercise
Go outside and get some fresh air
It’s important to try and ‘release’ the anxiety you’re feeling. These activities can calm your brain and body, helping you to focus and think rationally. If doing something physical isn’t working, try writing your anxiety away. An anxiety journal can help get negative thoughts out of you head or be used as a way to think clearly about how you’re going to remain calm once you’ve finished writing.
Question and challenge your thoughts
When our mind focuses on these types of unhelpful and irrational thoughts, rather than being rational and healthy, this causes anxiety. A useful technique to help calm anxiety is to learn how to pause and move past these destructive thoughts, before they have a chance to take hold. Learning this technique may take some practice but is a strategy that is well worth mastering. When you feel yourself having an unhealthy thought, pause and really think about the following:
How is this thought going to make me feel?
Is it a fact or an opinion?
Is it a rational or irrational thought?
What are other outcomes to think about?
Focus on what you can control not on what you can’t
Learning to identify which situations are out of your control may be the first step to learning to accept them. You can train this identification process like a mental muscle, and over time, you should be able to spot these situations far more easily throughout your daily life.
The trick is to control what you can control and let go of the rest. That’s how you build resilience and start making positive changes no matter what kind of chaos is happening around you. Trying to control everything is a battle you can’t win. It’s a discouraging waste of energy to focus on areas where you really can’t change the outcome, no matter how hard you try.
Holistic approach
Prioritise getting a good night’s rest, exercise and staying active, Eat a balanced diet, Steer clear of alcohol, Consider quitting smoking cigarettes, Meditate and practice mindfulness, Limit caffeine intake, Practise deep breathing, Try aromatherapy, Drink chamomile tea.