Anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety

?I am not an expert in what I write about, but I read a lot and there are always topics that are of interest to me either professionally or personally. To coincide with the?Konnexus Health in Data Podcast series?I have been looking at some key aspects of the topic of health in more general terms – not from the perspective of data, but a closer look at ourselves in respect to our general wellbeing and how this affects our health. While this is not directly related to recruitment – let’s face it, the better we feel about ourselves and the healthier we feel – the more we will enjoy our work, hit our goals, and work better with our colleagues. I have chosen to write about a few topics, mainly as they have been focal points for my own life – but they all intertwine – Sleep, Anxiety, and Mindfulness.

Anxiety

An article I considered not writing, as it is a topic that requires a lot of consideration and covers many aspects. I have posted several articles about anxiety, but I have never really looked at it in depth. In reality, for the first time in my life, anxiety has been present. Unlike other feelings I have felt over the years that come with running a business, or feeling stressed about my role as a mum, the feeling of anxiety was so much different.

It started one night recently when I woke up and thought I was having a heart attack. The heavy weight that I felt on my chest was so extreme and foreign to me, that I felt this sudden fear. Over the coming days and weeks, I woke up with the same feeling, and even at times just watching TV my whole body would just start hurting. Finally, I was driving home from work one day and I was so overwhelmed that I sat in my car for nearly 2 hours and couldn’t get out (embarrassing to admit) and it wasn’t until I called my sister that I dared to get out of the car.

What was going on? Why was this having such a physical impact on me? Why was I scared? I had to understand what was going on and work out way to manage it… so I started to investigate.

So, what is anxiety?

The American Psychological Association (apa.org) describes anxiety as an emotion that can be explained through feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes to the body – such as increased blood pressure and can be described as having intrusive thoughts or concerns. It is not the same as fear, but they can often be interchangeable (as my example would indicate). ?The Australian Psychological Society (psychology.org.au) describes anxiety as a natural and usually short-term that is a reaction to a stressful situation, feelings of worry, nervousness, or apprehension. However, anxious thoughts or feelings can be more severe with quite strong physical reactions which can interrupt daily life.

When you start to research Anxiety, you soon realize that is comes in different shapes and forms, some of which can be quite severe. Healthline (healthline.com) outlines several anxiety disorders which include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, phobias, separation anxiety disorder, and agoraphobi.

?How is it triggered?

To me understanding why I was feeling anxious and why I was feeling so overwhelmed, particularly the physical impact it was having on me, was important. For those who suffer anxiety, it seems that it can be triggered by many events or feelings including excessive fear and worrying about an array of things – in turn, this can bring on restlessness, agitation, panic, irritability, irrational fear of danger, racing thoughts, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, sleep issues, headache, and stomachache, pounding heart, insomnia, trembling and muscle tension. All experiences can be short-lived but if not dealt with can have lasting effects.

?So how can we manage our anxiety?

Again, I am no expert – in fact, a complete novice when it comes to the topic. How one manages anxiety will inevitably come down to us as individuals and the severity of what it is doing to us. Beyond Blue (www.beyondblue.org.au) highlights that mild anxiety can be managed through lifestyle changes, such as physical activity, whereas severe anxiety is potentially treated by Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which is a psychological treatment that recognizes the way we think and act. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au outlines several ways that we can manage anxiety, including mindfulness, relaxation techniques, building up our self-esteem, breathing, support groups, counseling, diet, and exercise.

For me personally it was about understanding what I was experiencing and looking at ways to manage it that were best for me. I discovered that managing my anxiety had very much to do with other approaches that have come up a lot in my life, particularly sleep and mindfulness. I worked hard to put both my mind and body in a state that it no longer felt anxious or hopeless, and it was the below methods that I have found most useful: –

  • Sleep – and focusing on getting enough sleep and using methods such as mindfulness to get myself into better sleeping patterns
  • Taking one day at a time. Focusing on the achievement of little goals each day, and ensuring that I was acknowledging these small achievements (‘Hi-Five Tracee’).
  • Identifying triggers, which were for me suddenly thinking the worst, and reverting my thoughts to those of a more positive nature (this works)
  • Using mindfulness techniques, not just for sleeping, but for times during the day when I started to feel a little overwhelmed

Anxiety is like anything we experience in our lives; it can sneak up on us when we least expect it. For me being able to tackle things straight on, and just focus on dealing with them, is how I have always worked through things – I do not dwell. I understand that is it not always this easy, and I do realize that many people need to get help from others (be it friends, family, work colleagues, or professionals) and that is great. For me, it is important to acknowledge and deal with things, as they won’t just ‘go away’. ?I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there.

Tracee Rowe

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Tracee Rowe的更多文章

  • The Journey of The Writers Hub

    The Journey of The Writers Hub

    In 2024, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and start engaging with data professionals across Australia and New…

    2 条评论
  • Counter Offers

    Counter Offers

    Counter Offers You decided to leave your current position and the reason for this will be different for each person…

  • Sleep

    Sleep

    Sleep I am not an expert in what I write about, but I read a lot and there are always topics that interest me either…

  • Mindfulness

    Mindfulness

    Mindfulness I am not an expert in what I write about, but I read a lot and there are always topics that are of interest…

    1 条评论
  • Data Ethics. I have questions……

    Data Ethics. I have questions……

    As the co-owner of Konnexus our focus is on working with data & project services professionals who want to build up…

    1 条评论
  • Here we go again!

    Here we go again!

    In 2018, after 13 years, I sold my business - Rowben Consulting. Immensely proud of what I had achieved, and grateful…

    6 条评论
  • Commute Time Training: My Favourite Ted Talks

    Commute Time Training: My Favourite Ted Talks

    TED Talks have become a hugely successful way to learn about a whole host of topics and ideas from some of the world’s…

    3 条评论
  • Interviewing? Prepare for these IT interview questions

    Interviewing? Prepare for these IT interview questions

    While you can’t predict every question that you’ll be asked in your interview, if you’re well prepared you can have a…

  • Stand out from the crowd

    Stand out from the crowd

    Your LinkedIn profile says a lot about you. Here are some simple tips to make your profile stand out.

  • I DO… DON’T I? HOW TO DEAL WITH A COUNTER OFFER

    I DO… DON’T I? HOW TO DEAL WITH A COUNTER OFFER

    You’ve made the decision to leave your current position. The reason will vary from individual to individual – you need…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了