Self help for anxiety?

[Dancergirl]

Hello, I'm new to this board.

I've always been a worrier and prone to being anxious about things but I have noticed in the last few years it has got worse. I can get anxious for no obvious reason, feel tense, can feel my heart pounding and lose my appetite a bit. It only goes on for a day or two maybe then I'm fine again.

I'm in my mid-40s and I think the menopause may be starting, I understand anxiety may be a symptom?

I do read the posts on here a bit but sometimes I think reading/focussing on it too much makes it worse.

I'd really like some ideas for self-help. I've heard of something called Headspace, what is that?

What about exercise, would yoga help?

Yoga certainly can’t hurt - I’m thinking of doing that too. Any exercise is good for mental health as long as you enjoy it and don’t make it a chore that you put pressure on yourself to stick with. That might do more harm than good.

Headspace is a meditation app that helps you to get into the habit of shutting out destructive thoughts, and teaches mindfulness. I had a go at the free trial and thought it was pretty good but quite expensive if you sign up for full membership. There are similar tools available for free on YouTube if you go hunting.

Headspace is good. If you sign up to Anxiety Uk you get a year of the app as part of your membership for £35 (I think) so much cheaper.
It trains you to acknowledge the anxiety and think of it differently. Mindfulness does help but you have to keep practicing when you are feeling well so that you can use it when you aren’t.
I’ve also found tapping quite helpful. It seems a bit random but does work for some reason.
Exercise is also good for anxiety. Mine definitely has got worse with the menopause. It’s vile, so I sympathise.

Thank you.

I saw some herbal lavender tablets advertised recently that are supposed to help with anxiety. Does anyone have any experience of them please?

No but I have a bit of a chamomile tea habit- Marks and Spencer do chamomile and lavender teabags and they are nice and I find them soothing. I also have a lavender roller ball thing, Lush Sleepy and Rescue spray....