Anxiety | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK скачать в хорошем качестве

Anxiety | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Hi, It’s mental health awareness week, a chance for us to show kindness and tackle stigma. Anxiety is a hidden epidemic that is affecting millions of people worldwide from children to seniors. This pandemic has been a difficult and challenging time for everyone. Increasing the stress and anxiety in people's lives. 40% of Canadians have reported a deterioration in their mental health since the beginning of the pandemic. 1 in 5 Canadians deals with mental illness or a mental health related issues in any given year Anxiety is like the virus; it is intrusive irrespective of our best intentions and leaves us sick with fear. Afraid & scared of how we will interact with the world. We feed our anxiety and our underlying fear with our worst case projections about the future. There is a difference between danger & fear. Fear is the mental response to an idea that something could go wrong. Danger is the immediate response to a threat. Overthinking situations, creating worst-case scenarios in our head is what creates anxiety, amongst a host of other reasons. Anxiety is defined as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts & physical changes like increased blood pressure. It becomes an issue when it hinders our daily activities. When dealing with anxiety often there is a feeling of shame associated with the feelings being experienced. No one wants to feel like something is wrong with them & there isn’t. Anxiety makes you feel alone. Like no one on the planet understands how or what you’re dealing with. This is not true. You are not alone, no matter how hard your mind and brain will work to convince you that you are. For example, you feel sudden panic when there’s no visible threat. Take Joseph, he drives into work, parks his car. His hand starts to sweat. His heart rate goes up, He feels a pit in his stomach. His mind starts racing. “What’s going to happen?” “What if I can’t finish that project?” “How am I going to keep this job?” “What will my girlfriend think if I lose my job?” “What are my parents going to think?” “What is going to happen in the next five years?” Yet only 1 minute has passed. This is the reality, living with anxiety. Perpetual self-reflection to the point of self-destruction. It is a natural function of our mind to take data and experiences from the past and present & project possible outcomes in the future. The problem is, our mind never gets access to the future, It has only used what has happened in the past to try and create an image of the future. Rather we have to live & experience it directly. Our mind uses thinking as a survival tool to avoid possible threatening situations. Constantly replaying situations over and over in our head, although never changing the outcome. Accordingly it is difficult to trust the unknown, considering we don't know what lies ahead for us. This is why, even if people tell you it’s going to get better or reassure you it is difficult to believe them. Anxiety is seen as a weakness in mainstream culture, although it’s not a weakness. Living with anxiety is a testament to your strength and mental fortitude. Anxiety can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, religious background, social economic status or race. People suffering from anxiety and depression, often feel they need to deal with it alone. Because people won’t or don’t understand, but this is not the case. People use strategic coping mechanisms in order to distract themselves from these feelings, whether it is work, drugs, alcohol, media or relationships to mask what lies deeper. What’s important is awareness. Awareness paired with new tools that you can use at any time, to get back to your centre. Awareness is the gateway to changing your perspective. These tools are how you physically bridge the gap, beyond an idea. When you practice mindfulness, breath work, meditation, physical exercise you can significantly help to reduce anxiety. Through a practice of mindfulness or meditation you can begin to observe your thoughts. Observing your thoughts consciously allows you to take a step back from being caught in fast paced thoughts, and help you to slow down and take an approach of curiosity towards your thinking instead of control or resistance. Trying to control your thoughts is a recipe for more stress and anxiety. What you resist will persist. Practicing observation will help you to recognize you are not your thoughts. Doing something as simple as taking three slow breaths in and out, can significantly calm your nervous system down. This will help you see your thoughts objectively and help you slow down, returning your attention to the present moment. Our ability to check in with ourselves and access the present moment is the key to managing stress and anxiety. Our capacity to think about our futures and what is to come next is a tool for living, it doesn’t have to stop us from living. There is hope, you are not alone. #GetReal #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #Anxiety