How to overcome fear and anxiety

How to overcome fear and anxiety

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. Fear can create strong signals of response when we’re in emergencies – for instance if we are caught in a fire or are being attacked.

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. Fear and anxiety can last for a short time and then pass, but they can also last much longer, and you can get stuck with them.

1. What makes you afraid?

2. What makes you anxious?

3. What do fear and anxiety feel like?

When you feel frightened or seriously anxious, your mind and body work quickly. These are some of the things that might happen:

Your heart beats very fast – maybe it feels irregular

You breathe very fast

Your muscles feel weak

You sweat a lot

Your stomach churns, or your bowels feel loose

You find it hard to concentrate on anything else

You feel dizzy

You feel frozen to the spot

You can’t eat

You have hot and cold sweats

You get a dry mouth

You get very tense muscles These things occur because your body, sensing fear, is preparing you for an emergency, so it makes your blood flow to the muscles, increases blood sugar, and gives you the mental ability to focus on the thing that your body perceives as a threat. With anxiety, in the longer term, you may have some of the above symptoms as well as a more nagging sense of fear, and you may get irritable, have trouble sleeping, develop headaches, or have trouble getting on with work and planning for the future; you might have problems having sex and might lose self-confidence.

What make you anxious?

Because anxiety is a type of fear, the things we’ve described fear above are also true for anxiety.

The word ‘anxiety’ tends to be used to describe worry, or when fear is nagging and persists over time. It is used when the fear is about something in the future rather than what is happening right now.

Anxiety is a word often used by health professionals when they’re describing persistent fear. The ways that you feel when you’re frightened and anxious are very similar, as the basic emotion is the same.

Stress is a natural reaction to difficult situations in life, such as work, family, relationships and money problems.

Moderate stress could help us perform better in challenging situations, but too much or prolonged stress can lead to physical problems. This can include lower immunity levels, digestive and intestinal difficulties such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or mental health problems such as depression. Therefore, we must manage our stress and keep it healthy to prevent long-term damage to our bodies and minds.

When you are feeling stressed, try to take these steps:

• Realise when it is causing you a problem. You need to make the connection between feeling tired or ill and the pressures you face. Do not ignore physical warnings such as tense muscles, over-tiredness, headaches or migraines.

• Identify the causes. Try to identify the underlying causes. Sort the possible reasons for your stress into those with a practical solution, those that will get better anyway given time, and those you can’t do anything about. Try to let go of those in the second and third groups – there is no point in worrying about things you can’t change or things that will sort themselves out.

• Review your lifestyle. Are you taking on too much? Are there things you are doing which could be handed over to someone else? Can you do things in a more leisurely way? You may need to prioritise things you are trying to achieve and reorganise your life so that you are not trying to do everything at once.

You can also help protect yourself from stress in several ways:

• Eat healthily. A healthy diet will reduce the risks of diet-related diseases. Also, there is growing evidence showing how food affects our mood. Feelings of wellbeing can be protected by ensuring that our diet provides adequate amounts of brain nutrients such as essential vitamins and minerals and water.

• Be aware of your smoking and drinking. Even though they may seem to reduce tension, this is misleading as they often make problems worse.

• Exercise. Physical exercise can be very effective in relieving stress. Even going out to get some fresh air and doing some light physical exercise, like walking to the shops, can help.

• Take time out. Take time to relax. Saying ‘I just can’t take the time off’ is no use if you are forced to take time off later through ill health. Striking a balance between responsibility to others and responsibility to yourself is vital in reducing stress levels.

• Be mindful. Mindfulness meditation can be practised anywhere at any time. Research has suggested that it can reduce the effects of stress, anxiety and other related problems such as insomnia, poor concentration and low moods in some people. Our ‘Be Mindful’ website features a specially-developed online course in mindfulness, as well as details of local courses in your area: bemindful.co.uk

• Get some restful sleep. Sleeping problems are common when you’re suffering from stress. Try to ensure you get enough rest. For more tips on getting a good night’s sleep, read our guide ‘How to...sleep better’ at: mentalhealth.org.uk/howto

• Don’t be too hard on yourself. Try to keep things in perspective. After all, we all have bad days

How to overcome fear and anxiety

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. Fear can create strong signals of response when we’re in emergencies – for instance if we are caught in a fire or are being attacked

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body. Fear and anxiety can last for a short time and then pass, but they can also last much longer, and you can get stuck with them.

How can I help myself?

Face your fear if you can

If you always avoid situations that scare you, you might stop doing things you want or need to do. You won’t be able to test out whether the situation is always as bad as you expect, so you miss the chance to work out how to manage your fears and reduce your anxiety. Anxiety problems tend to increase if you get into this pattern. Exposing yourself to your fears can be an effective way of overcoming this anxiety.

Know yourself

Try to learn more about your fear or anxiety. Keep an anxiety diary or thought record to note when and what happens. You can try setting yourself small, achievable goals for facing your fears. You could carry a list of things that help when you are likely to become frightened or anxious. This can be an effective way of addressing the underlying beliefs that are behind your anxiety.

Try to learn more about your fear or anxiety. Keep a record of when it happens and what happens.

Exercise

Increase the amount of exercise you do. Exercise requires some concentration, which can take your mind off your fear and anxiety.

Relax

Learning relaxation techniques can help you with the mental and physical feelings of fear. It can help just to drop your shoulders and breathe deeply. Or imagine yourself in a relaxing place. You could also try learning things like yoga, meditation, massage,

Healthy eating

Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and try to avoid too much sugar. Resulting dips in your blood sugar can give you anxious feelings. Try to avoid drinking too much tea and coffee, as caffeine can increase anxiety levels.

Avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation

It’s very common for people to drink when they feel nervous. Some people call alcohol ‘Dutch courage’, but the after-effects of alcohol can make you feel even more afraid or anxious.

Complementary therapies

Some people find that complementary therapies or exercises, such as relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, or t’ai chi, help them to deal with their anxiety.

Faith/spirituality

Whether religious or spiritual, this can give you a way of feeling connected to something bigger than yourself. Faith can provide a way of coping with everyday stress, and attending church and other faith groups can connect you with a valuable support network.