Mindfulness to help anxiety

[LadyLazarus40]

Any advice very gratefully received.

I’ve always been quite anxious but COVID has notched it up to another level. I work in a secondary school (pastoral) and have children of my own who’s GCSEs and A levels (and schooling and teenager years) have been cancelled by Covid. We have high case numbers in school. I had Covid Sept 2020 and am triple vaccinated and accept it’s a matter of when not if I catch it again and that doesn’t worry me especially (I take all precautions).

But I just feel this terrible almost paralysing anxiety - I’m worried for my children, their future, missed opportunities, the students at work, the world we live in. I feel all joy and spontaneity has gone. When I’m at work I’m so so busy I can’t think about this - and I enjoy my work. But the rest of the time it’s just like an impending sense of doom.

I am exploring mindfulness as I think this may help and wondered if anyone had anything they could recommend?

Thank you.

There are some links on here for things that may be useful. There is a link to sign up for an online course and a breathing exercise video & other tips.
www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/

I do a meditation every day on simple habit. I only use the free ones at the moment, I did use the paid ones for 12 months but didn’t find there was very much on offer that was worth paying for tbh.
www.google.com/search?q=simple+habit+mindfulness&rlz=1C9BKJA_enGB647GB659&oq=sim&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60j69i57j0l2.1478j0j7&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

I also do yoga on my days off. Sometimes just a 10/15 min one other times longer. I do yoga with Kassandra videos on YouTube. I used to do yoga with Adriene but found she waffled too much for me but she does have lots of good vids too. Yoga is very good for mindfulness.

That said, Covid has sent me into over drive and, even with the above, I am still struggling. I just know I would be in an even worse place if I didn’t do the above to let my brain escape the anxiety for a bit.
When it all gets too much I listen to weightless - it’s proven to slow heart rate and reduce anxiety.

www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/neuroscience-says-listening-to-this-one-song-reduces-anxiety-by-up-to-65-percent.html

I just posted this on another thread but I think it's relevant to you too.

When you think/worry about hypothetical situations you are simply imagining or, to put it even more simply, you are pretending. You are pretending that something bad is going to happen and because you are adding in lots of details, maybe events following on from your initial scenario you forget that you are only imagining and it becomes real in your mind.

When it happens and your imagination has you sitting by a grave or a hospital bed or alone in your bed or whatever, look at the seat you are sitting in. That's real - everything else is just pretend.

Given that your imagination is powerful enough to make you feel so down, start imagining in the opposite direction. Create a pretend situation where everything is fabulous and amazing and wonderful. Use the memory of the happiest day of your life as a foundation and let your imagination take over.

This may sound strange - and will take practice if you've only been used to imagining bad things but it will work.

Hi @LadyLazarus40 I am in a similar situation, work in a secondary but as a subject TA, my ds’s GCSEs were cancelled and it looks like her A levels may be as well, I had covid last year which I caught from work. The mental burden of working in such and exposed workplace is real and it’s terrifying. At least hospital staff get to wear face masks and insist their patients do too.
The things that have helped me most are:
journaling - writing down all the thoughts in your head and just keep writing and writing until you can’t write no more. Doesn’t have to be ever day or even every week but just on the days when the anxious thoughts seem to be overwhelming and consuming, it helps to make sense of them.
Minimalism and decluttering has also helped. I find if I am having a bad day, the extra clutter of my home adds to my mental load and clearing out everything and simplifying my home gives me a calmer environment to be in. Also allows me some control in my life when I feel so vulnerable.
Meditation and yoga. I have the down dog apps. Again it’s just about slowing down and breathing.
Podcasts - I also listen to a few mindfulness and decluttering podcasts. They really help when I can’t sleep due to anxiety.
Finding a new job - I will miss the students and staff so much but for my own mental health I cannot remain in that environment so I’m working on my exit plan. And judging by the amount of support staff vacancies we have at the moment, I’m not the only one.

Thank yiu everyone for your kind comments- I will look all the links up. I used to do a lot of yoga and swim but this has slipped in recent months so must try and get going again.

sarahlou your comments about pretending are so true - some great points to work on.

@Sunshinedreaming2022 I’m so sorry you’re having a hard time. I think working in a school - particularly a secondary- is something so unique it’s difficult to describe the stress. As you say in a hospital you have a mask (and patients are tested). I work in an area with low vaccine take up and low testing. The last two weeks before Christmas saw so many staff test positive (including the person who works parallel to me) that each day almost starts with thinking is this the day I test positive. I can’t believe I haven’t caught it again yet - I’m surely on borrowed time. Decluttering - yes!!! A tidy house without too much stuff makes a huge difference.

I think I just need to manage the anxiety better - am so pleased my children have had a Christmas/ new year doing normal things and just being teenagers.

@LadyLazarus40

Any advice very gratefully received.

I’ve always been quite anxious but COVID has notched it up to another level. I work in a secondary school (pastoral) and have children of my own who’s GCSEs and A levels (and schooling and teenager years) have been cancelled by Covid. We have high case numbers in school. I had Covid Sept 2020 and am triple vaccinated and accept it’s a matter of when not if I catch it again and that doesn’t worry me especially (I take all precautions).

But I just feel this terrible almost paralysing anxiety - I’m worried for my children, their future, missed opportunities, the students at work, the world we live in. I feel all joy and spontaneity has gone. When I’m at work I’m so so busy I can’t think about this - and I enjoy my work. But the rest of the time it’s just like an impending sense of doom.

I am exploring mindfulness as I think this may help and wondered if anyone had anything they could recommend?

Thank you.

when i was seeing a therapist a few years ago, they asked me to do this mindfulness stuff, i havent a clue what on earth they where on about, still dont to be honest, but the stuff i did find on the internet made me even worse and was having huge attacks because it would be a case of me closing my eyes and then just sat there going ok now what? erm nothing happening i am i doing this right?

even when i told the therapist we got no where, just didnt make any sense at all to me

Sarahlou thank you, that's really helpful...I am getting better but still catastrophise sometimes.