Is this anxiety?

[LonelyFlans]

I'm experiencing quite a bit of stress at the moment.

Everyone seems to say that taking time out for yourself (exercise, doing something creative etc) can really help - so I did this earlier today.

However the whole time I was going over and over everything that has been going on - I finished more stressed than I started!

Does this indicate general anxiety? And how can I help myself (I had anti-anxiety drugs a few years ago but they didn't agree with me, so would like to avoid them).

Anxiety is the emotion that tells us when something is too important to forget - it's the emotion that tells us to revise for an exam, check that there's fuel in the car or that the cooker is switched off. Once the thing it's telling you not to ignore is done then it should subside. When anxiety is running too high, or not switching off, it starts to be unpleasant in that the body generates the fight or flight reaction in response, which in turns tells the mind that there really is something to worry about and so the anxiety cycle begins.

Most people try to deal with anxiety by ignoring it, pushing it down or doing displacement activities. What then happens is that 'little voice' in your head starts to shout louder and louder until it's shrieking at you and impossible to ignore.

First thing to do is to acknowledge the stress you're feeling and doing whatever you can to mitigate it (if possible - stress is an emotional response to external events rather than an entity in itself). Making sure you're in the best shape to deal with it is the second; getting enough sleep, eating well and not using booze or drugs to dampen down your feelings.

Secondly, listen to your anxiety. What's it trying to tell you? Is it reasonable? Or is it based on negative or outdated though patterns? For example is the anxiety is telling you you're incapable of doing something, or that people will laugh at you or that you're too 'whatever'? That's when you need to engage your conscious mind to counter those thoughts.

This guide to Core Beliefs is really helpful; https://www.betterrelationships.org.au/well-being/core-beliefs-self-acceptance/

And this sheet will help you analyse unhelpful thoughts and reframe them in a more realistic light; https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ThoughtRecordSheet7.pdf

HTH.