Is your anxiety starting to negatively affect your day to day life?

Over the past couple of weeks, several of my coaching clients have noticed that their anxiety has been exacerbated by lockdown.

And not only has it been getting them down, but its started to affect their ability to carry out normal day to day tasks like focussing work, or summonsing the energy to get started with the cooking or housework.

For some, its been worrying about the possibility of losing their jobs as they've been furloughed.

For others, its been that more time at home has lead to focussing on past traumatic events without their usual outlets and distractions.

For some, its been anxiety around corona itself, either as a risk to themselves or those they care about.

So I just wanted to get it out there.

It is perfectly "NORMAL", reasonable and understandable if you are feeling anxious at the moment. My goodness, for most of us, there has never been a time within our lifetimes when things were more uncertain and where risk was omnipresent. Let alone, the loss of connection, routine, employment and fulfilment that lockdown has represented for many people.

So its even more important than usual to keep an eye on your emotional wellbeing and mental health, when underlying vulnerabilities are more likely to come to the surface.

Ask yourself, is your anxiety at a level where you can put in place strategies that work for you? Or do you need to share your worries with a trusted someone? Or do you need to seek medical advice?

This is vital.

Yesterday, for example, I was coaching a man whose anxiety is having physical effects....severe panic attacks, near blackouts, extremely high blood pressure. He had not seen a doctor for this current phase of anxiety.

"What would you advise a friend to do if he told me what you'd just told me? " I asked him.

"Go see a doctor," he replied without hesitation.

I was relieved when he decided to take his own advice and seek medical support.

Yes I can offer him more frequent coaching but he also needed medical advice.

So please, if you're struggling or you know someone who is, encourage them to reach out for support. And in the meantime I wish you all a peaceful, supported, hopeful few weeks ahead.

If you would like to explore how I can support you via 1:1 coaching, please do get in touch for a complimentary, no-strings attached, strategy session. OFFER: 20% off during lockdown.

Fran Borg-Wheeler: Founding Director of Heart-Centred Leaders