ANXIETY

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It is a natural human emotion that protects us from taking foolhardy risks. Fear is a very useful signal that warns us of potential danger. As such this powerful emotion has enabled the human race to survive, and to thrive, for millennia.

Every emotion has its place, but if the emotion occurs in situations where it is not needed then it can be debilitating.  If you have felt anxious for no apparent reason then the anxiety mechanism has been in overdrive.  Many of the symptoms of anxiety such as pounding heart, sweating and fast breathing, happen as a result of the body being primed for action, the “fight or flight response”. 

Sometimes the brain tricks us into thinking there is danger when there isn’t.  This is due to the survival mechanism being over cautious and airing on the safe side. If this mechanism is being triggered inappropriately then there are some effective ways of controlling it, so that it serves us better.

The first step is to be aware of the anxiety itself and the three elements that make it up: the physical sensations that you experience, the emotions you have while experiencing them and the thoughts that go through your mind at the time.

There is a very useful anxiety management technique that you can lean to help you deal with inappropriate anxiety. It is known as the AWARE technique and it has 5 steps. To make it easy to remember each step starts one of the letters of the word AWARE:

Accept the anxiety: Decide to be with the experience rather than fight it. Replace your anger or rejection of it with acceptance.

Watch your anxiety: Observe it without judging it to be good or bad. Be detached from it. Move into your “observing self” and study it. Rate it on a scale from 1-10 noticing when it goes up and down. Remember, you are not your anxiety. Be in the anxiety but not of it.

Act with the anxiety: keep behaving normally and doing what you intend to do. Breathe normally, in a relaxed way. If you run from the situation your anxiety will go down but your future anxiety will go up. If you stay you will de-condition the anxiety.

Repeat the steps: Continue accepting your anxiety, watching it and acting with it until it goes down to a comfortable level.

Expect the best: what you fear most may never happen. Why not surprise yourself the next time you have anxiety by the effective way you handle it with the above steps.

By practicing the AWARE technique on a regular basis you will find that anxiety can be tamed.

If you want any help in gaining more control over anxiety then a few sessions of Human Givens Therapy will be very beneficial.

Kevan Owen HG.Dip.P, MHGI, DHypPsych (UK).  Human Givens Therapist

The Bell Surgery, 453 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 8AU

Tel:  0161 8812128. Mobile: 07717 289373