Quick anxiety tips

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Im sure this has been asked loads of times but what works for you when you feel anxiety coming on? Especially related to work?

Watching with interest as my anxiety is triggered by work but most of the time have no reasons to be 🤦‍♀️.

Do you work in the office or at home @savethegorgeousbees ?

A bit of both some days I feel ok am doing ok and then other days my anxiety is through the roof for no apparent reason.

I feel exactly the same! What do you do when you feel anxious? Do you get physical symptoms?

5 things / grounding
5 things I can see
4 I can hear
3 I can touch
2 I can smell
1 I can taste

I talk to my boss. I try to do it in a controlled and articulate way at the start of the week if I've been feeling bad during the weekend. It takes a load of to know that he is sighted.

I take a walk outside at lunch and listen and observe nature with no music or thoughts.

In the moment I lean in to the anxiety, really feel the symptoms and let them ease when they do.

I listen to an empowering song and try to remember everyone I work with was once a child at school and likely feels out of their depth at times and remind myself that people had work stress before I was born and if I ever eventually retire people will have them after me.

I remind myself that I cant actually kill anyone at work and unless I am deliberately negligent and hiding my stress and anxiety then I should have a support network there.

It is hard but i assure you, even very senior bosses have imposter syndrome, stress, anxiety. This is your time to experience it but after an episode try to remind yourself how it feels to be a whole person and remind yourself that the panic in an anxiety attack is a symptom that will pass.

Big hugs x

I do this too x

I'll take myself somewhere quiet and say NO, out loud, a lot. I'll explain to myself what's going on and how I can deal with it. Strange but it helps me.

I take sertraline 😂

Also writing an action plan/list helps me

I try to reason in my head why I am feeling anxious. Like for example I try to pinpoint the exact reason to try and have a reassuring conversation about it .
Sounds rubbish but it kind of works for me (sometimes).
I am also on anxiety medication as well.

Have you ever read stuff/seen the videos about the vagus nerve? People ice their chest to stimulate it and calm physical anxiety symptoms

psychcentral.com/anxiety/vagus-nerve-cooling-anxiety

If I feel the anxiety bubble starting while I'm at work or on my way to work and I need a quick fix I find box breathing helpful. Helps ground me, distract my mind and slow everything down. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four, hold for a count of four, repeat.

Grounding - many ways like 4 second breaths, describing room your in, walk etc

Then once calmed and physical anxiety less, distract yourself or do the worry tree

What’s the worry tree @Peppermint81 ?

What I hate about anxiety is when I’m feeling ‘normal’ the thought of feeling anxious seems alien yet when I’m feeling anxious it’s the worst feeling! And I sit at working thinking I’m sure no one else feels anxious about being there why me!

There is an app called the worry tree! On Google too, worth a try
A basic psychology theory - helps you calm and reason your thinking by going though it logically. Is it a worry you can deal with now? If so what can you do do deal with it.
Is it a hypothetical worry - let it go, or make a time to think about it later etc

Everyone has anxiety, things that happen in your life, others stresses or traumas can send you up the scale.
Certain times you can cope with it, many stresses send you up the scale where it becomes unmanageable and medication or therapy is really good. Are you on any meds? A low dose really helped me.
Learning the tools of how to manage your anxiety is best for long term.
One tip - anxiety is your body feeling under threat (such as a lion or in our lives a work presentation?!) and releases adrenaline for fight or flight. That's why heart beats, agitated etc. adrenaline only lasts 2 hours in your body, so if all coping strategies failed you know you will be calmed in 2 hours!!

Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds and then breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds. I’ve used this to calm me down in stressful situations.

No im not on medication @Peppermint81 , I’m trying DR vegan stay calm tablets but I’m not sure they are working , I think they are some days but other days I’m still getting anxious and it’s mostly work stress related.

Medication is probably work a try, just a low dose to see if it helps. If it doesn't or you don't like it then you can come off it but give it a good 6 weeks to see if it makes a difference.
If you don't like meds then CBD oil may be an option?
Mindfulness is good but you have to do it everyday to learn how it works and effects your body.

Above pp suggestion of walk at lunch with no music etc just listening to the sounds, your heartbeat, breathing etc (which is mindfulness!) is a really good idea too.

Try out different ways to manage your stress and see what works.

I had CBT therapy (you can self refer on NHS) and that helped with some tools. My summary of it was when you are brighter and in a state, try out ground techniques (there are many like 4 second breathing - google), then once calmed distract or worry tree.

Everyone has it, just at different levels you are not alone!

Is there anything you think you can practically do at work to help with your stress? Like not look at emails for an hour so you can focus on tasks etc?

Heighten not brighter!!

@Peppermint81 work is just really stressful at the moment but quite a few events coming up which I hate !

Can work for me in certain moments:
I ask myself if this will matter in 6 months. If yes I do something to fix it, if not I can seperate it.

Best advice is to prepare as much in advance as you can, even what you are going to wear on the day!
If overwhelmed with the prep work ask colleague or manager for more help - explaining clearly what needs doing, what you can look after and what needs to be passed to others.
Things often go wrong at events but attendees don't realise or notice, all gets smoothed over and will be fine! Just make sure there is coffee and snacks!!

If it is work related anxiety then this may help https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0clzmjx