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Are you or your child struggling with anxious thoughts? Psychologist Dr Anna Colton explains seven quick, easy and simple techniques that you can try at home, with your child or by yourself, to manage these thoughts and tackle day-to-day anxiety.

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How to tackle anxiety with Dr Anna Colton

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Are you or your child having trouble with anxious thoughts? Try these super-quick and easy techniques from psychologist Dr Anna Colton. Part of the Parents' Toolkit.

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Reading Well for mental health provides helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions, or dealing with difficult feelings and experiences. Some books also include personal stories from people who are living with or caring for someone with mental health needs.

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The Wellbeing Zone is packed with free resources to support teachers, parents and young people with mental health and wellbeing - from advice on coping with anxiety and exam stress, to fun activities and mindfulness.

Take a look at the resources we've pulled together below - with much more coming soon!

Coping with anxiety during unsettling times: Advice from a clinical psychologist

For this series we spoke to Clinical Psychologist Dr Helen Care to find out some of her top tips and tricks for helping anxious and worried children and teenagers.

Exam stress and wellbeing

Everyone's experience of exams is different, and we understand that preparing for and sitting exams can be overwhelming. Our guides for students on wellbeing during revision, exams and results days are here to help.

Mindfulness

Practising mindfulness at times like these can help to rewire the brain to work in calmer and more positive ways.

For a great introduction into mindfulness take a look at our Mindfulness for Unsettling Times guide. Here you will find a helpful introductory practice for teachers and parents that can be used with children and students.

Guided introductory practice

Our First steps to Mindfulness guide explains what mindfulness is and how you can start to begin to practice it in your everyday life.

Using play to support children during times of change and uncertainty

For this series we spoke with Play Therapist Emma Brummell who shares her advice on how parents and carers can use play to help their children to process their feelings.

Stoicism with Ben Aldridge

Stoicism is an Ancient Greek philosophy that has had a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Teacher and Author Ben Aldridge gives us an introduction to the philosophy, explains why it changed his life and shows us how we can use it to deal with adversity and challenges.

The Olympic Mindset Podcast

Supported by the NAHT and sponsored by Pearson

Hosted by Dominic Broad, Director of Education at Thrive Education, The Olympic Mindset Podcast takes extraordinary lessons from Olympians and applies them to school leadership and everyday life.

Each episode explores obstacles faced by well-known athletes, educators and leaders and unpicks the principles of a resilient, compassionate and ambitious mindset.

Topics range from wellbeing, overcoming anxiety and imposter syndrome, to surrounding yourself with positive influences and the importance of empathy in leadership.

Spotlight on back-to-school support

As the return to school beckons, we're proud to continue supporting educators and families with making the most of learning. For every step of the journey, we're here to help.

Mental Health Support in Schools Toolkit

We understand how important it is to encourage a culture of positive wellbeing and mental health in today's environment.

That's why our Mental Health Support in Schools Toolkit brings together and practical support from SENCos and psychologists on how to support mental health and the general wellbeing of your students.

Looking for immediate help and support?

If you feel that you or someone you know (be they a parent, child, teacher or young person) are at immediate risk of causing harm to themselves or others, it's important to seek immediate professional help by calling 999.

How ever you or someone you know might be feeling or going through, it's important to know you're not alone. There's lots of information and support services in the UK to help:

Childline is a charity helping anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they're going through.  Call free on 0800 1111, chat to a counsellor online or via email.

The Mix is a charity offering free and confidential support for under 25s via phone, email or webchat.

Young Minds is a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents. The YoungMinds Textline offers free, 24/7 text messaging support - text YM to 85258 to start chatting to a trained volunteer. There's also a parents' helpline and webchat services available.

The Hub of Hope is a mental health support database, bringing together local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place.

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Kooth is your online mental wellbeing community. Access free, safe and anonymous

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Helping children and young people to manage anxiety | Guide to managing anxiety in school

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A collection of mental health resources

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Trauma Response Network (TRN) is a registered charity which provides free therapy and support to people in the UK affected by a mass trauma event. Our service is delivered online.

We aim to provide trauma support for those who have suffered a mass trauma or for those indirectly affected by such events. Examples for traumas we can help with are:

Wars such as the War in Ukraine (refugees and asylum seekers)

Acts of Terrorism such as the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack

Mass Trauma Events such as the Grenfell Tower Fire and Covid-19.

TRN is proud to be supported by the EMDR Association UK.

To access help from TRN, please complete our self-referral form by simply clicking the corresponding button.

We will then add you to the next available online session to talk with a qualified EMDR therapist.

In order to receive our support we need your GP details and a valid mobile phone number in case we need to talk with you.

Do you want to make a difference? We can't do this alone and need your help. If you are a trained EMDR therapist and are a member of the EMDR Association UK, please fill out our online Volunteer Application form.

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EMDR | Trauma Response Network | United Kingdom

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Trauma Response Network (TRN) is a registered charity which provides free therapy and support to people in the UK affected by a mass trauma event. Our service is delivered online. We aim to provide trauma support for those who have suffered a mass trauma or for those indirectly affected by such events.

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The Wellness Society | Self-Help, Therapy and Coaching Tools

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In this unprecedented period of global uncertainty, we felt it was necessary to put together a coronavirus anxiety workbook to provide our community with much needed support. This is an online version of the PDF workbook which you can download for free above.

The first thing to note right now is that it's completely normal to be experiencing a wide range of emotions. Accepting your feelings is an important first step to building resilience. The simple act of naming your emotions has been found to benefit wellbeing. So, take a moment now to tune into your body and notice how you're feeling. You may be feeling:

Remember: It's okay to feel discomfort. Accepting distress is often the quickest way to feel immediately calmer.

The terms stress and anxiety are often used interchangeably. To develop a deeper understanding of mental wellbeing, it's helpful to understand how they differ.

Stress

Kelly McGonigal, an expert in the new science of stress, offers us this definition: "Stress is what arises when something we care about is at stake". Many of us are now in positions where things that matter to us feel more uncertain, which understandably gives rise to our stress response.

Stress is best understood as manifesting in the body. It's the racing heart, sweaty palms and funny tummy we're all familiar with. Central to the experience of stress is the amygdala, the area of your brain responsible for generating your body's stress response.

Experts agree that a core component of stress is the perception of threat and danger. You've probably heard of the 'fight-or-flight' stress response as a reaction to perceived danger. In fact, we have various stress responses. For example, there is one response which encourages us to reach out for social support, named the 'tend and befriend' response.

Dr John Arden, author of several books integrating neuroscience and psychotherapy, recently put forward the term autostress for describing what happens when our body's stress response goes on for a long time. He explains:

"Like autoimmune disorders that hijack the immune system, attacking the body instead of protecting it, autostress [transforms] the stress response system into something that attacks the self rather than protecting it."

If your body is in autostress mode, you'll experience a wide range of physical stress symptoms on an ongoing basis, regardless of your situation. That's why people often reporting feeling anxious for no apparent reason. If you're suffering from high levels of distress triggered by the pandemic, you might continue to feel this way after the virus has passed.

Signs of autostress include:

Chest tightness and feeling like you can't breathe

Muscle tension, aches and pains

Headaches

Difficulty sleeping

Restlessness and an inability to relax

Heart palpitations

Digestive issues

Anxiety

Anxiety is commonly described as having both mental and physical symptoms. The distinction between mental and physical anxiety is important because different tools are required for addressing physical symptoms (what we label autostress) and mental symptoms (what we label anxiety).

Anxiety is best described as the unhelpful thinking patterns we experience when our mind fixates on threat, uncertainty and negativity.

Anxiety can occur on its own, as a response to stress, or it can trigger stress. When it occurs as a response to stress, it can intensify the stress, and, in worst cases, lead to panic attacks.

It's important to understand that you cannot control anxiety from occurring - this is your brain's automatic survival mechanism. What matters is learning how to respond to anxiety helpfully, so that you don't get carried away by it.

Here are five examples of what to look out for:

Threat Scanning

When your mind searches the environment for what you fear (consciously or subconsciously). Threat scanning is often associated with your mind assigning meaning to harmless events.

Examples

Frequently checking your body for coronavirus symptoms.

Obsessively checking the news for coronavirus updates.

Catastrophising

When your mind jumps to worst case scenarios, i.e., 'making a mountain out of a molehill'.

Examples

You feel chest tightness and your mind tells you that you have coronavirus and that your life is in danger.

Your mind gives you the mental image of losing all the people you love.

Hypothetical Worry

It's important to note that worry is completely normal. It only becomes unhelpful when you focus excessively on hypothetical worries instead of practical worries. Hypothetical worries include 'what if' thoughts and are typically about things you don't have much control over. Practical worries concern things you do have control over, and they can help you be more proactive.

If you're very uncomfortable with uncertainty, you're likely prone to hypothetical worry and spend a lot of time focused on the future instead of the present.

Examples

"I know I'm following all the guidelines, but what if I spread the virus?"

"What if someone gets too close to me at the supermarket and I catch it?"

Emotional Reasoning

When your mind tells you that your emotions reflect reality. While emotions can act as helpful messengers, they often aren't reliable.

Examples

"I feel scared, so I must be in danger."

"I feel guilty, so I must've done something wrong."

Fortune Telling

When your mind interprets predictions as facts.

Examples

"I'm going to be stuck inside for months on end."

"My mental health will keep deteriorating and I'll have to go back on meds."

Learning how to recognise and reduce anxiety is an extremely helpful life skill.
In Part One of the workbook, we introduce you to several tools for dealing with anxiety.

Part Two is designed to help you create your Stress Resilience Action Plan for preventing and reducing autostress.

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Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook | The Wellness Society | Self-Help, Therapy and Coaching Tools

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In this unprecedented period of global uncertainty, we felt it was necessary to put together a coronavirus anxiety workbook to provide our community with much needed support. This is an online version of the PDF workbook which you can download for free above.

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Feeling stressed, anxious, low or struggling to sleep? Every Mind Matters and One You can help with expert advice and practical tips. Start the fightback to a healthier you today.

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It might sound obvious but simple self-care, such as getting enough shut-eye (alongside regular exercise and a healthy diet), is crucial to feeling on an even keel. If you're sleep-deprived, you're far more likely to be susceptible to feeling anxious. Our 24/7 screen society and apparent addiction to social media is not helping our frazzled minds. So, stop stalking your past lovers online, and switch off, literally, at least an hour before going to bed. Read a book. That's right, a beautiful book that you can hold in your hands, and you'll be dropping off in no time (not because it's a boring book, unless, of course, it is.)

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BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour - Six ways to cope with anxiety

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It might sound obvious but simple self-care, such as getting enough shut-eye (alongside regular exercise and a healthy diet), is crucial to feeling on an even keel. If you're sleep-deprived, you're far more likely to be susceptible to feeling anxious. Our 24/7 screen society and apparent addiction to social media is not helping our frazzled minds.

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Claudia Hammond examines the effect Covid-19 is having on the UK's mental health and hears of psychological tools to get through an uncertain winter

More than two-thirds of adults in the UK have reported feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect Covid-19 is having on their life. The most common issues affecting well-being are worry about the future, feeling stressed or anxious and feeling bored. So what does the data say about what has really happened to the nation's mental health during the pandemic? Claudia Hammond hears about the short and potential long-term impacts, possible ways to address the effects, and examines the psychological tools to get through an uncertain winter from so called Awe-Walks to the technique of Decentering.

With contributions from:
Tim Dalgleish, Professor of Clinical Psychology University of Cambridge
Til Wykes, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation at King's College London.
Daisy Fancourt, Associate Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology University College London
Virginia Sturm, UCSF Centre for Psychophysiology and Behaviour
James Downs, mental health and eating disorders activist

Producer Adrian Washbourne

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BBC Radio 4 - All in the Mind, What's happened to our mental health in 2020; tools to get through the winter

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Claudia Hammond examines the effect Covid-19 is having on the UK's mental health and hears of psychological tools to get through an uncertain winter More than two-thirds of adults in the UK have reported feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect Covid-19 is having on their life.

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Professor Tanya Byron and Alex Scott uncover the latest science on how to improve your mental health and wellbeing - and reveal some surprising new techniques.

Clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron teams up with former England footballer Alex Scott, who has suffered from depression, to discover how the latest science can help us gain greater control over our state of mind and improve our mental health and wellbeing.

Even in normal times, one in four of us will experience mental health difficulties, but living through a global pandemic has put our mental health under unprecedented strain. Over the past year, a team from Imperial College London, in collaboration with the BBC, have surveyed the mental health of over 350,000 people across the UK. This unique study provides a snapshot before and during the pandemic, revealing its shocking impact.

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BBC One - The Truth About..., Improving Your Mental Health

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Professor Tanya Byron and Alex Scott uncover the latest science on how to improve your mental health and wellbeing - and reveal some surprising new techniques. Clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron teams up with former England footballer Alex Scott, who has suffered from depression, to discover how the latest science can help us gain greater control over our state of mind and improve our mental health and wellbeing.

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Do you find that you spend large periods of the day worrying?

Do you often feel nervous, apprehensive or on edge?

Do you feel that things are getting on top of you?

Do you find it hard to relax and 'switch off'?

Do you often experience unpleasant physical sensations such as 'butterflies' in your stomach, muscular tension, dizziness or breathlessness?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes,' you may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety and you may find this workbook helpful.
This workbook aims to help you to:

Recognise whether you may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

Understand what anxiety is, what causes it and what keeps it going.

Find ways to understand, manage or overcome your anxiety.

Do I have symptoms of anxiety?

If you experience symptoms of anxiety it is likely that you will recognise many of the feelings, physical symptoms, thoughts and behaviour patterns described below.

Please tick the boxes which regularly apply to you.

On edge
Nervous
Panicky
Stressed
Irritable/low patience threshold
Uptight

Tense body/Muscular pain
Dizzy/Faint
Chest tight or painful
Stomach Churning
Trembling or tingling sensations
Heart racing/palpitations
Breathing faster or slower than usual
Concentration difficulties

You often worry 'what if' something bad happens
Your mind jumps from worry to worry
You often imagine the worst case scenarios
You are always on the look out for danger

Avoid doing things you would like to
Pace around/Find it hard to relax
Snap at people too easily
Get easily flustered
Talk very quickly

If you have ticked a number of these boxes you may be experiencing symptoms of anxiety. However don't be alarmed, this is very common and there are things you can do to improve your situation. You will find some useful strategies in this workbook.

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling that we all experience at times. It is a word often used to describe when we feel 'uptight', 'irritable', 'nervous', 'tense', or 'wound up'. When we are anxious we normally experience a variety of uncomfortable physical sensations. These include:

Increased heart rate

Muscular tension

Sweating

Trembling

Feelings of breathlessness

As well as this, anxiety affects us mentally too. For example, when anxious, we often worry for large periods of time, so much so that our worry can feel out of control. These worries are often about a variety of issues and commonly our mind jumps quickly from one worry to another.
Anxiety also influences how we behave. For instance, when we feel anxious, we often avoid doing things that we want to because we are worried about how they will turn out. Although short experiences of anxiety are part and parcel of daily life, it becomes challenging when anxiety begins to follow people around and is a regular feature in their lives.

Often we develop anxiety following a series of stressful life events. This is especially true if we experience many different pressures all at once. For example, if someone has work pressures, financial difficulties, and relationship problems, all at the same time, it is perhaps unsurprising that they become anxious. When thinking about it in this way, anxiety is often the result of feeling as though we cannot cope with the demands placed upon us.

In addition, people can learn to be anxious based on their life experiences. For example, if someone has faced workplace bullying in the past, they may be more likely to suffer anxiety when beginning a new job.

Some people may have a thinking style that lends itself to experiencing anxiety. For example, anxious people have a tendency to expect that the worst possible scenario will always occur. They also feel like they must constantly be on guard in case something bad happens. They believe that by thinking about all the things that could go wrong, they will be better prepared to cope if it happens. However thinking in these ways mean they are on regular alert and find it difficult to relax and 'switch off'.

We also experience anxiety because of its evolutionary benefits. Put another way, although anxiety is largely an unpleasant experience, it also has positive benefits that have been useful to humans over the centuries. For example, when we are under threat or feel in danger (e.g. hear a burglar), we automatically become anxious. As a result, our heart beats more quickly which supplies blood to our muscles (which helps us run away from or fight the burglar); we sweat (which cools us down during this process); and our breathing changes (which ensures oxygen is delivered to our muscles quickly again preparing us for a quick response). When looking at anxiety in this way, you can quickly see how it can be very useful in certain situations.

It has also been suggested that anxiety has familial ties. In other words, if someone in your immediate family is an anxious person, there is an increased chance that you will have similar personality traits.

In reality it is likely that a combination of all these factors influence someone's anxiety levels. However, in some ways it is less important to know what causes anxiety, and more important to know what stops us overcoming it.

What keeps our anxiety going?

Some people have a style of thinking which lends itself to experiencing anxiety. For example, it appears that some people are more likely to overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening than others. It is easy to see how regularly presuming the worst in this way would make someone feel anxious. Unfortunately, when we do feel anxious, we become even less likely to think as clearly as we would like and a vicious cycle occurs.

Anxious people also sometimes believe that worrying has a protective function. More specifically, they believe that being on the 'look out' for danger can help them to recognise and avoid it. Unfortunately, when searching for danger in this way, they soon begin seeing potential danger in many relatively safe situations which of course makes them feel anxious. They may also believe that by considering everything that could go wrong; they will be better prepared to cope when it does. However, often these beliefs mean a lot of extra time is spent worrying than is necessary, as many of our worries never come true. Of course, the more time we spend worrying, the more anxious we feel.

Another way someone's thinking style can keep their anxiety going is because they become 'worried about worrying'. Here, people tend to worry that they are doing harm to themselves (e.g. going mad) by worrying so often (which is not the case) and a vicious cycle occurs. Similarly, people often worry about the physical symptoms they experience when they are anxious (e.g. breathlessness, rapid heart rate etc). Unfortunately, worrying about these symptoms (which are perfectly safe and natural bodily reactions), only makes them feel worse, again creating a vicious cycle of anxiety.

One other important factor that can keep people's anxiety going is that they often change their behaviour as a result of their anxiety. For example, they may avoid going to a party because they have spotted many potential 'dangers' (e.g. what if no one likes me). Similarly, they may put off completing an assignment because they worry about it being negatively evaluated. Unfortunately because people tend to use such avoidance strategies, they can never see that things would often go better than they thought and their anxiety remains as a result.

Not having enough free time to relax and do the things we enjoy we can also contribute to our higher anxiety levels. On the other hand, having too much free time can mean we have lots of opportunities to engage in worry and feel anxious.

When looking more closely at anxiety, you can begin to see that our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physical symptoms all interact and combine to keep our anxiety going. See the diagram overleaf.

How can I reduce my anxiety?

Fortunately, there are a number of strategies that we can use to reduce our anxiety. These include:

1. Understanding more about anxiety.

2. Learning how to challenge your unhelpful thoughts and see things in a more realistic light.

3. Improving your problem solving skills.

4. Learning how to reduce the amount of time you spend worrying.

5. Learning how you can feel more relaxed (physically and mentally).

6. Learning how to stop avoiding the things that make you anxious.

When going through this booklet it can sometimes be more helpful to try out the ideas above one at a time, rather and trying to learn them all at once. However simply take things at your own pace.

Anxiety is undoubtedly an unpleasant feeling, but it is something that everyone experiences. Of course, some people experience anxiety more regularly than others, but it is a completely natural experience that is part and parcel of daily life. Due to the unpleasant nature of anxiety, people often worry that experiencing it is harmful. For example they may fear that regularly worrying will make them go mad or that the physical symptoms of anxiety (e.g. heart racing) are signs of a serious health problem. Such fears naturally make people even more anxious which creates a vicious cycle of anxiety.

However, when exploring anxiety more closely, we can see that it is a very healthy response which actually helps to protect us. By learning more about anxiety and why we experience it in the first place, we can see that it is not harmful. This can help us to be less fearful of the symptoms which in turn has a positive affect on our overall anxiety levels. If however you are concerned that some of your symptoms are not caused by anxiety, contact your GP if necessary.

The symptoms we experience when anxious are often referred to as the 'fight or flight' response. This comes from the idea that people primarily experience anxiety to help them either fight or run away from danger. For example, if you saw a burglar, two options open to you would be to either - fight them off (fight) or try to run away (flight). Our fight or flight response would kick in to help us at this point. For example:

Our hearts would begin beating more quickly (supplying blood to our muscles).

We would sweat (to cool us down).

Our muscles would become tense (ready for action).

We would take deeper breaths (to supply oxygen to our muscles).

In essence, all of these responses would aid our escape or improve our ability to stay and fight the intruder. When considered in this way, we can see how the symptoms of anxiety are helpful to us. Indeed, all of the physical symptoms we experience when anxious play a helpful role in protecting us in such circumstances.
This fight or flight response was likely even more vital to human survival back in the days of early man, when people had to hunt for their food and were under a greater threat from predators. Nowadays we do not face the same threats, but unfortunately, our bodies and minds have not caught up with these changes. As a result, we now experience anxiety in situations where it is not necessarily as helpful because we cannot fight or run away from them (e.g. work or financial pressures). However, the one thing that has stayed true is the fact that these symptoms are not dangerous; it is in many ways the right response but at the wrong time. Remembering this can help you to be less fearful of the symptoms of anxiety which will allow them to pass sooner.

Challenging unhelpful thoughts

The way that we think about things has an impact on our anxiety levels. Many of these thoughts occur outside of our control, and can be negative or unhelpful. It is therefore important to remember that they are just thoughts, without any real basis, and are not necessarily facts. Even though we may believe a lot of our unhelpful thoughts when we are anxious, it is good to remember that they should be questioned as they are often based on wrong assumptions.

The following section will help you begin to recognise if you are thinking about things in an unhelpful or unrealistic way, and discuss how you can start to make changes to this. By doing so, you can learn to see things in a more realistic light which can help to reduce your anxiety levels. You might have unhelpful thoughts about all kinds of things. Here are some examples:

Being judged negatively by others:

They think I'm useless

They won't like me

Being unable to cope:

I'll make a fool of myself

I'm too anxious to manage that

I'll have a panic attack

Something terrible happening:

What if I have an accident?

What if I lose my job?

It is clear to see how this kind of thinking might make us anxious. Do you ever think in any of the ways outlined above? Fill in your examples below:

You might find it difficult to identify an unhelpful thought. Try thinking about a time when you were feeling anxious. Consider what was running through your mind at that time.

Patterns of unhelpful thinking

First you need to be able to recognise an unhelpful thought. Then you can challenge it. Being aware of the common patterns that unhelpful thoughts follow can help you to recognise when you have them. Here are some of the common patterns that our unhelpful thoughts follow:

When we are feeling anxious, it is common for us to spend a lot of time thinking about the future and predicting what could go wrong, rather than just letting things be. In the end most of our predictions don't happen and we have wasted time and energy being worried and upset about them. For example:

Assuming you will perform poorly at your job interview.

Spending the week before an exam predicting you will fail, despite all your hard work studying and your previous good grades.

This means that you make assumptions about others' beliefs without having any real evidence to support them. For example:

My boss thinks I'm stupid.

People think I'm weird.

Such ways of thinking naturally make us apprehensive.
People commonly 'catastrophise' when they are anxious, which basically means that they often blow things out of proportion. For example:

They assume that something that has happened is far worse than it really is (e.g. that their friend is going to dislike them because they cancelled a night out).

They may think that something terrible is going to happen in the future, when, in reality, there is very little evidence to support it (e.g. I'm going to get into serious trouble for calling in sick).

Focusing on the Negatives:

Anxious people often have a tendency to focus on the negatives which keeps their anxiety going. For example:

They focus on the one person at work who doesn't like them, ignoring that they are very popular with the rest of their colleagues.

Do any of your unhelpful thoughts follow some of these patterns? Jot down any examples you can think of into the box below:

We can learn techniques to challenge these unhelpful thoughts. This can help to reduce your anxiety levels. The next part of this handout will discuss how we can go about challenging our unhelpful thoughts. You may come up with a more balanced thought that is accurate and based on evidence.

How to challenge unhelpful thoughts

Once you have recognised an unhelpful thought the next stage is to challenge it. To do this, you can ask yourself a serious of questions. See the example below:

Situation: The end of year exams are approaching.

How you feel: Nervous, stressed and apprehensive.

Unhelpful thought: I'll definitely fail my exams miserably!

Challenges to an unhelpful thought

Once you have asked yourself these questions, you should read through your answers. Try to come up with a more balanced or rational view. For example:

Worrying about failing is doing me no good. I've always done well before so I should be fine, especially since I've prepared properly.

Try to apply these questions to the unhelpful thoughts that you notice. It can help to reduce your anxiety levels. You can use this technique to test your thoughts are realistic and balanced.

You might find it more difficult to cope if you have lots of problems that you can't seem to get on top of. This can have a clear impact on our anxiety levels. Struggling with unresolved problems can often make us feel worse. We can end up worrying or ruminating over our problems without finding a way to resolve them. This can make us feel even more upset, and can end up interfering with our sleep.
It can help to develop a structured way of working through a problem. Beginning to overcome some of your problems might help you to feel better. You can improve your problem solving skills by learning to apply the steps outlined here.

Anxious people tend to spend much of their time worrying. Sometimes they worry to the point that they find it very hard to 'switch off' and relax. Indeed, one of the most frustrating things about feeling anxious is the seemingly uncontrollable worry that often occurs alongside it. Therefore, if we can reduce the amount of time we spend worrying, we can reduce our anxiety levels.

One way you can do this is to assign 'worry time'. This involves setting aside between fifteen and twenty minutes each day that you will allow yourself to worry. Any worries that pop into your head outside of 'worry time' should simply be noted and forgot about until later that day when you try to resolve them during your 'worry time'. By noting them down, you can feel safe in the knowledge that you won't forget about attempting to resolve them later on. This should free up time during the day that is normally wasted worrying. Then - when your 'worry time' arrives, you should allow yourself to think about the things that have been worrying you that day and try to resolve them. 'Worry time' not only helps to reduce the time you spend worrying, but also proves that you can have more control of whether you engage in worry or not. It also shows that worry is often unnecessary. This is because when you come back to consider your problems with a 'fresh eye', many of them have often resolved themselves or simply seem less important. See the steps below for more details:

1. Decide a time in the day that you will have your 'worry time'.

2. At other times, simply note down any worries that pop into your head and try to forget about them.

3. Once your 'worry time' arrives, choose how long you will allow yourself to 'worry' (try to keep it no longer that 15-20 minutes). Begin timing yourself so your 'worry time' doesn't overrun.

4. During worry time, try to resolve your worries proactively. Simply try to come up with solutions to your worries if possible. Using a pen and pad to jot down solutions can be helpful.

5. Stop as soon as your 'worry time' is finished. If any worries still feel unresolved, simply carry them over to tomorrow's 'worry time'.

Here are some handy hints to help you with your 'worry time'.

If you find it difficult to switch off from all of your worries during the day, don't fret, as this should improve with time and practice.

It may be useful to use the problem solving section in this guide during 'worry time'.

When it comes to 'worry time', feel free to cut it short if you have resolved all of your worries early.

Often things that have worried us at one point in the day seem less problematic when we re-visit them during 'worry time'. If this happens great simply forget about them.

Remember, it is usually not possible to resolve every single worry or problem that you have. So if something is outside your control (or has already happened), try not to worry as you have done all you can. There is also the possibility that your worry won't even come true in the first place.

It is important to make time to relax and do activities that are enjoyable. This can help to reduce your anxiety levels by calming the body and mind. It can also help you to sleep. Without taking the time to unwind, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed.

Relaxation can involve doing something that you enjoy, or just being by yourself. Good examples might be reading a book or having a bath. Exercise is also particularly effective at helping us to relax. What you do does not really matter. Try to choose something that you will look forward to and that gives you a break. Doing an activity that you enjoy will also give you less time to spend worrying. Here are a list of activities that might help you to relax.

Suggestions:

Do some exercise (e.g. swim, cycle)

Read a book

Watch your favourite TV show

Go to the cinema

Do something creative (e.g. draw, paint)

Visit a friend or family member

Have a bath

Try to add some of your own ideas into the box below. You will know what works best for you.

Try to find time to relax every day. This might seem difficult, but it is worth making time for. It can help you to feel a lot better. There are audio relaxation guides available that you might find a helpful support.

There are also some exercises described in the next few pages. They are specifically designed to help you to relax. However, you should stop the exercise if at any time you begin to experience discomfort or pain.

This simple technique involves focusing on and slowing down our breathing patterns. Many people find this simple exercise very relaxing. It can be particularly helpful for those who feel dizzy or light headed when they feel worried or stressed. This sometimes happens because people's breathing changes and gets quicker when they feel distressed.

This can be an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. It can make people even more on edge, and a vicious cycle can occur. Learning controlled breathing exercises can help you to manage these feelings more effectively. It can also help to give your mind and body a chance to calm down.

Remember, you can use this exercise to help you relax at any time. You could even use it to help you get off to sleep. However, it is particularly useful if you ever feel light-headed, dizzy or faint.

Tension often builds up when we feel upset or stressed. These symptoms can be painful and can cause anxiety in themselves. Muscular relaxation exercises can help you to control such unpleasant symptoms. They can reduce physical tension and help you to relax in general.

During this exercise you have to tense and then relax different muscles in your body. You should focus on the feelings that you experience whilst doing this. With practice you will then be more able to recognise and respond to the onset of tension.

You can work through as many muscle groups as you like. Don't feel that you have to cover every muscle in your whole body. It can be helpful to stick to the same muscle groups each time you practice. That way you can get into a routine which you can easily remember. If you practice this nearly every day you will probably notice an improvement after a couple of weeks.

Distraction is a good technique to fend off symptoms of anxiety and stress when they feel overwhelming. This can also give you space to deal with a situation in a more considered and positive manner. It is also helpful when you don't have the space or time to use a more proactive approach, such as a relaxation exercise.

Distraction simply involves trying to take your mind off uncomfortable symptoms or thoughts. You can do this by trying to focus on something unrelated. Often this helps them to pass. It is still important to remember that the symptoms of anxiety are not harmful or dangerous. Even if you didn't use distraction or relaxation techniques, nothing terrible would happen.

Ideas to help distract you from your troubling thoughts or anxiety include:

Try to appreciate small details in your surroundings.

Count backwards from 1000 in multiples of 7.

Focus on your breathing, for example, how it feels to breathe in and out.

Count things that you can see that begin with a particular letter.

Visualise being in a pleasant, safe and comfortable environment (e.g. being on a beach).

Listen to your favourite music. Try to pick out all the different instruments and sounds that you can hear.

As with any relaxation exercise, it may take a few minutes before you begin to feel like it's working.

People often get into the habit of avoiding situations that cause them difficulty. This coping strategy can unfortunately make the problem worse. This is because the longer we avoid something, the more intimidating it becomes. By avoiding situations we also stop ourselves from proving that we can cope in them. As a result our anxiety towards the situation continues and our confidence remains low. Take the example below:

Someone who tends to worry about being judged negatively by others.

May avoid going out socially in case people don't like them or they make a fool of themselves. For instance, they may avoid going to work nights out, parties, restaurants, or taking part in a hobby.

May avoid speaking when in large groups, instead staying quiet and not really 'being themselves'.

May avoid all performance situations, such as giving a speech or showing off a piece of work, due to their fear of being negatively evaluated.

By avoiding all of these related situations, they never have a chance to practice in them or prove that they could cope well.

It is easy to see how using avoidance as a strategy to cope can soon begin to have a negative impact on people's lives as they start to avoid more and more situations. If instead we confront difficult situations then it is possible to build up our confidence. This will help your anxiety to reduce significantly.

Things to consider:

Don't fear the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is a natural and healthy reaction that is not dangerous.

Try not to escape situations you fear half-way through. Stay, and your anxiety will eventually decrease.

Your anxiety will reduce each time you confront a feared situation. Try to confront your fears as often as possible.

You may also find it helpful to challenge any unhelpful thoughts as you face a fear.

Look out for other situations that you avoid due to anxiety. Try to gradually reduce your avoidance more and more.

You may confront an item on your list which doesn't go as well as you had hoped. Try not to give up. Persevere, and it should eventually get easier.

If an item on your list seems too hard, see if you can put in an extra step or two before it. This will allow your confidence to rise further before you face it.

We hope that you found some of the ideas in this booklet useful. You can continue to use the techniques you found helpful long into the future and they should continue to benefit you. If some of the ideas are not particularly helpful at first, it is perhaps worth sticking with them for a few weeks to give them a chance to work. If however you feel your situation remains largely unchanged or if you did not find this booklet useful, you should speak to your GP who can tell you about the other options available which you could find helpful.

For further information and self-help resources go to Moodjuice online:

https://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk

Moodjuice is a website designed to offer information and advice to those experiencing troublesome thoughts, feelings and behaviours. In the site you can explore various aspects of your life that may be causing you distress and obtain information that will allow you to help yourself. This includes details of organisations, services and other resources that can offer support. This self help guide comes from a series that you can access and print from Moodjuice. Other titles available include:

Depression

Anxiety

Stress

Panic

Sleep Problems

Bereavement

Anger Problems

Social Anxiety

Phobias

Traumatic Stress

Obsessions and Compulsions

Chronic Pain

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Do you find that you spend large periods of the day worrying? Do you often feel nervous, apprehensive or on edge? Do you feel that things are getting on top of you? Do you find it hard to relax and 'switch off'?

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Self Care, Anxiety, Depression, Coping Strategies | On My Mind | Anna Freud Centre

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