Anxiety, which can lead to developing anxiety disorders or depression, is one of the most common mental health problems experienced in the UK. Up to one in 10 people will have a problem with anxiety or phobias at some point in their lives ‐but many of us don't ask for treatment.
Dramatic changes in all our lives since the COVID pandemic began in 2020, continue to increase anxiety levels for people of all ages including children.
A study involving scientists from the University of Sheffield has found that there was a three‐fold increase in the number of people reporting significant depression and anxiety problems during lockdown.
The research revealed that during the coronavirus lockdown in April 2020, the proportion of people reporting clinically significant depression and anxiety problems reached 52 per cent, three times more than the pre Covid‐19 average of 17 per cent.
Anxiety is more than just feeling stressed or worried. Although feeling anxious is a natural reaction we all feel at some stage, constant anxiety feels like fear which doesn't go away, and if it becomes too intense it can take over your life and stop you doing normal everyday things.
Anxiety can make you feel worried all the time, as well as tired and unable to concentrate. This can cause sleeping problems and can lead to feeling depressed. There are also often symptoms affecting the body, including fast heartbeat or breathing, trembling, sweating, dizziness, diarrhoea and feeling sick. It is therefore important to recognise anxiety early on and know how best to tackle it and keep it under control.
The NHS recommends a number of key steps you can try to help with not only anxiety but also if you're feeling fear or panic:
1Try talking about your feelings to a friend, family member, health professional or counsellor. You could also contact Samaritans, call: 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org if you need someone to talk to.
2Through talking to people, clearly identify the cause(s) of your anxiety.
3 Use calming breathing exercises.
4 Exercise ‐ activities such as running, walking, swimming and yoga can help you relax.
5 Take part in leisure activities ‐ studies on this have shown improvements in self and life satisfaction, which helps in reducing depression and anxiety and enhances a person's sense of wellbeing (Haworth, 2010).
6 Find out how to get to sleep if you're struggling to sleep.
7 Eat a healthy diet with regular meals to keep your energy levels stable.
8 Consider peer support, where people use their experiences to help each other. Find out more about peer support on the Mind website.
You could also try the following:
9 Listen to free mental wellbeing audio guides.
If you're not sure how you feel, try the mood self‐assessment from the NHS.
There are many different causes of anxiety, fear or panic and it's different for everyone. If you know what's causing anxiety, fear or panic, it is often easier to find ways to manage it. Examples of possible causes include:
If you need more support, you can get free psychological therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on the NHS.
You can refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) without a referral from a GP: Find an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT).
Alternatively, you may prefer to see a GP to get a referral, for example if you're struggling to cope with anxiety, fear or panic or if things you're trying yourself are not helping.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, persistent anxiety causes real emotional distress and can lead to us becoming unwell and, at worst, developing anxiety disorders such as panic attacks, phobias and obsessional behaviours.
Experiencing anxiety too much or too often means we risk becoming overwhelmed, unable to find balance in our lives or to relax and recover.
Anxiety disorders can affect a person?s ability to work, study and participate in other activities. Recovery is possible with appropriate treatment. There are different types of anxiety disorders including:
If not managed and controlled effectively, anxiety at this level can have a truly distressing and debilitating impact on our lives and impact on our physical as well as our mental health.
Our ability to find some inner peace and to build resilience to cope with life's varied challenges has never been more important to our well‐being ‐ particularly given the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic.
When you're feeling anxious or scared, your body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.
This can be helpful in some situations, but regular anxiety, fear or panic can also be the main symptom of several health conditions. In some people, it might cause a panic attack.
The Mental Health Foundation indicates that a defining characteristic of anxiety disorders is that psychological symptoms, such as irritability, difficulties concentrating and depression, become persistent and intrusive.
Many people also experience physical symptoms, like heart palpitations, increased heart rate, sweating, tensions and pain, heavy and rapid breathing, dizziness, fainting, indigestion, stomach aches, nausea, sickness and diarrhoea; in acute cases, people have described how it felt as though they were dying.
The lives of those with the most severe forms of anxiety can become completely dominated by their condition, meaning they find it difficult to relax or achieve regular patterns of sleep, becoming stuck in circular patterns of thought that impair their ability to maintain preferred lifestyles, hold down a job or sustain personal relationships.
Co‐morbid depression and anxiety often results from a downward spiral in which anxiety leads to low mood, which in turn intensifies the anxiety.
It is recommended that if you're worried about how you're feeling, do not self‐diagnose ‐ it is better to speak to a GP.
