At any one time, over 8 million people in the UK are struggling with some form of anxiety disorder. While the anxiety conditions may vary, the physical symptoms are often very similar. According to mental health charity Mind, these can include:
- A churning feeling in your stomach
- Feeling light-headed or dizzy
- Pins and needles
- Feeling restless or unable to sit still
- Headaches, backache or other aches and pains
- Faster breathing
- A fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat
- Sweating or hot flushes
- Sleep problems
- Grinding your teeth, especially at night
- Nausea (feeling sick)
- Needing the toilet more or less often
- Changes in your sex drive
- Having panic attacks.
So, it makes sense that for many of us, alleviating these symptoms quickly and effectively is desperately important once they kick in.
On TikTok, the hashtag #AnxietyRelief has 4 billion views at the time of writing, and users are relying on the app for tips to deal with anxious thoughts and symptoms. One recently popular technique is placing ice packs on your chest for 15 minutes and taking deep breaths. Users say that this stimulates the vagus nerve, which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Experts aren’t entirely convinced...
Psychologist Robert Common spoke to us about the trend and while he doesn’t entirely disagree with the practice, he thinks people should approach it with caution stating,
“These types of approaches can be useful in the short term or as part of a programme of techniques taught by an expert practitioner. However, they should be approached with caution, and should be performed with the knowledge and guidance of a medical professional in case you have any underlying health issues that need to be taken into consideration.”
However, Jodie Cariss, therapist and founder of high street therapy service Self Space, recommends that instead of trying to “cure” our anxiety, we work with it to understand the underlying issues it may be warning us about stating, “Rather than focusing on eradicating it entirely we recommend clients get curious about their anxiety and to try and befriend it. Try and understand it a little more by looking at your routine and try to notice what mobilises it but also what calms you.”
She added, “Although difficult, it’s also helpful to ask yourself how your anxiety is serving you, is it perhaps masking more uncertain or difficult feelings? As hard as it might be to believe when anxiety can feel so horrid, if it’s a space we often find ourselves in there might be a familiarity there, and with that a level of comfort. Getting curious about where feelings of anxiety arise for you and befriending it can support you longer-term in feeling powerless to it. Through exploring what’s going on you’ll also learn some helpful tools to better support yourself along the way.”
What to do if you have anxiety
Depending on the causes of anxiety, how it manifests for you, and how much it dominates your life, there are a range of different treatments available for anxiety, including:
- Talk Therapies
- Beta Blockers
- Workbooks
- Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Programmes
- Medication
- Antidepressants
Mind also has a range of self-care support and resources on their website as well as a list of helpful contacts for when you’re struggling with your mental health.