Green - 50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Anxiety

50 things you can do
today to manage

anxiety

Foreword by Joanna Sale, Senior Lecturer in
Mental Health, University of Bedfordshire

Wendy Green

PERSONAL HEALTH GUIDES

50 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO MANAGE ANXIETY

Copyright Wendy Green 2010

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Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this book is accurate and current at the time of publication. The author and the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any misuse or misunderstanding of any information contained herein, or any loss, damage or injury, be it health, financial or otherwise, suffered by any individual or group acting upon or relying on information contained herein. None of the opinions or suggestions in this book is intended to replace medical opinion. If you have concerns about your health, please seek professional advice.

To my husband Gordon and my brother Keith

Acknowledgements

Id like to thank Joanne Sale, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of Bedfordshire, for kindly agreeing to write a foreword. Thanks also to Jennifer Barclay for commissioning this book and to Anna Martin and Sarah Scott for their very helpful editorial input.

Other titles in the Personal Health Guides series include:

50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Arthritis
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Eczema
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Hay Fever
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage IBS
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Insomnia
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Migraines
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Menopause

Contents

Authors Note

We all feel anxious from time to time, for example before sitting an important exam or giving a public speech. This may be partly because our lives are increasingly busy, with many people combining full-time jobs with raising a family and perhaps caring for elderly parents; there are also many other aspects of modern life that people find stressful. When we are feeling under pressure, its natural to feel anxious. I am normally a fairly calm person, but I do become anxious sometimes usually when Im feeling as though I have too much to do. Ive also noticed that I often worry about what might happen, rather than what is happening.

Ive found that an effective way to banish anxiety is to focus on dealing with what is important now, rather than thinking about something that hasnt happened yet and perhaps never will. I also find that taking good care of myself by eating well and exercising helps me to cope better when Im feeling under pressure. As with most conditions, there is no magical formula that will work for everyone with anxiety. However, I believe that an integrated approach, combining dietary and lifestyle changes with modifications to the way you think and behave and appropriate supplements and medication where necessary, offers the best chance of relief from anxiety for most people.

Wendy Green

Foreword

by Joanne Sale, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health, University of Bedfordshire

In its clinical guidelines on the management of anxiety, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) states that anxiety disorders are neither minor nor trivial. It goes on to suggest that experiencing anxiety disorders can cause the sufferer great distress and that this can be persistent. Self-help encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their well-being is now being promoted as a way of overcoming anxiety, so any book that can help individuals who are prone to anxiety is to be welcomed. I believe that I would have found this a very useful resource, had it been available during the period of anxiety I experienced when my mother was dying.

This book offers people who are suffering from anxiety clear and current information and approaches. It manages to balance complementary approaches (where the evidence is often anecdotal) with the frequently predominant medical model (with its focus on evidence based on research findings). In doing this, it provides a comprehensive range of explanations and strategies, thus enabling the discerning reader to try out a multitude of options.

This book is written in a manner that allows the reader to dip in and out of it, whilst focusing on the particular approaches that may interest them. Its explanations are brief but precise, making it easy to follow, in particular during periods of anxiety or panic.

Many of the approaches discussed in this book may seem to be common sense, but these are often the things that we forget, and the benefits of being reminded of these is this books strongest asset.

Introduction

A report published in 2009 by the Mental Health Foundation, called In the Face of Fear , estimated that over seven million people in the UK suffer from some form of anxiety an increase of 800,000 since the early 1990s. It suggests that a culture of fear, fuelled by the media and public bodies over-exaggerating the threat of negative events such as violent crime, terrorism, economic problems, disease and global warming, is at least partly to blame. In addition, people are generally living much more stressful lives in comparison to previous generations.

Women are twice as likely to be affected, with 11 per cent admitting to regularly experiencing anxiety and fear, compared to just five per cent of men. People aged between 18 and 34 are also more at risk, with 13 per cent describing themselves as generally anxious or fearful compared to just six per cent of those aged over 55.

There is a strong link between anxiety and depression and physical health problems such as asthma, allergies, a weakened immune system, gastrointestinal problems, raised blood pressure, and heart disease. Experts believe that this is a result of the physical effects that stress has on the body. Also, people with anxiety often adopt unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking too much alcohol and consuming too many sugary, refined foods and drinks containing caffeine to help them cope. Poor diet has been linked to unstable moods, anxiety and depression.

This book explains how social, biological, psychological, genetic and lifestyle factors, such as diet, can all play a part in anxiety. It offers practical advice and a holistic approach to help you manage your symptoms. Youll discover how eating a balanced diet rich in the nutrients needed for good mental health and taking regular exercise can help to reduce anxiety. Youll learn strategies to help you to manage stress and relax, as well as exercises to enable you to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Information about appropriate supplements and medications and techniques from complementary therapies that may be beneficial are also included. At the end of the book youll find recipes based on the dietary guidelines as well as details of helpful products, books and organisations.