This week it is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the theme is raising awareness around Anxiety, #ToHelpMyAnxiety. In support of this we are discussing how you can support each other at home or in the workplace, when someone may be struggling or need extra support.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of distress, uneasiness around an unfamiliar or stressful circumstance. It can also be the dread you feel before a certain event that makes you worry or feel uncomfortable etc. Anxiety can mean different things to different people, but it is a normal emotion that most people are familiar with. The important factor when it comes to Anxiety, is to ensure it doesn’t get out of control and start affecting your mental health. Anxiety can be triggered from small everyday tasks, to big life changes and can affect anybody including all ages. For example, exams cause students a lot of anxiety, work stress can cause adults anxiety and the rising cost of living will be worrying pensioners causing them anxiety around finances and their pension etc. So, anxiety can happen to anyone but it’s how you manage it and recover, that is key.
Steps to help with anxiety
Like most issues around stress, mental health and anxiety, the following tips will help manage and hopefully reduce these issues:
- Take deep breaths. Probably the most common piece of advice and one that we have all heard, but taking a moment to breath slowly will instantly calm you down and relax your body.
- Talk to friends, family or colleagues. Talking about the issue will help get things off your chest or even to talk about something else will distract you and help not concentrate on the issue.
- Spending time doing what you love. Connecting with positive activities that you associate being fun or relaxing, can really help minimise anxiety levels.
- Get some sleep! Ensure you are well rested, but we know this is easier said than done. If you have worrying thoughts keeping you up at night, try writing them down before bed to clear your mind.
- Financial anxiety? Reach out for extra support from government schemes you’re entitled to and other organisations that are there to help.
- Get active. Moving your body and concentrating on whatever exercise you are doing can keep your mind off anxious thoughts. It doesn’t have to be running a marathon but even a walk, some stretches or a fun fitness class, can be the key to reducing your anxiety.
- Eating healthy. Having a bad diet or unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking, drinking or drugs, will just make matters worse for your health and anxiety.
- Question your thoughts. If you’re having anxiety, really think about what it is about or what is triggering these thoughts, most of the time they are temporary issues that won’t exist in a month or a year and you’re overthinking it. This will get you thinking if the issue really is likely to happen or if it’s a realistic situation.
CSP playing their part
At CSP we have an open-door policy where employees are encouraged to talk to each other or to specifically trained staff in this area, about any concerns or worries that may impact their performance at work. CSP already have a weekly well-being meeting to check-in with everyone, but we also offer a safe space for anyone who feels they need to talk confidentially.
What we have implemented here at CSP:
- Treating mental and physical health as equally important.
- Making sure employees have regular one-to-ones with their managers, to talk about any problems they’re having.
- Encouraging positive mental health, for example arranging mental health awareness training, workshops or appointing a mental health ‘champion’ who staff can talk to.
- Keeping an open-door policy and creating a positive working environment.
Going forward
So, if you challenge your thoughts more, reduce overthinking or repetitive thinking, you can minimise the risk of becoming overwhelmed and combat anxiety. A good tip is to compare situations in the past where you were anxious but the outcome wasn’t actually as bad as your anxiety made it seem. Apply that scenario each time your anxiety levels creep up again. Anxiety affects everyone but doesn’t have to be permanent or take over your life. Try and get it under control through helpful advice, organisations offering support and your local GP.