ANXIETY AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT MANAGING IT

VIRTUAL ONE TO ONE   ONLINE SESSIONS

How to Manage Anxiety

Part of Life Transitions from Steven Warren.

There are many things we can do for ourselves to manage and reduce our anxiety to take it to more balanced level and then move on to removing the anxiety levels all together.

However you need to be aware that the actual fact of taking action will make you initially feel more anxious at first and even thinking about anxiety can make it feel worse. Therefore it stands to reason that a natural response to anxiety it to avoid what triggers it. For example a person afraid of spiders keeps running away every time they see one which only serves to increase the anxiety because they have never challenged what is essentially an irrational fear.

Avoiding examining the basis of the irrational belief and resulting fear because a person feels anxious is likely to reinforce the anxiety. Therefore facing up to the anxiety and how it makes you feel can be the first step in breaking this cycle of fear and insecurity.

Controlling the Symptoms

I begin when working with people to focus on breathing and relaxation techniques. Here we work together on managing the stress.

I begin by focusing on what triggers the stress so that we can focus on isolating the triggers.

I then create a flow chart where we focus on the worries and concerns and put them in an order starting with those which can be action at this moment in time or very soon and those that cannot be worked on at this point in time.

From this list we tackle each task one at a time and here it is important to alternative between those which are dull and boring with those which are interesting and expansive for the future.

Creating a feeling of being in control again is important and so we select on task which the person can manage - for example making an appointment or doing the dishes on a regular basis.

Taking regular breaks is so important so that we don't reach a point of feeling tired and overwhelmed - time for a tea break or short walk to the shops or just down the road to the park for fifteen minutes.

We then focus on reviewing and listing the achievements which have been gained and something to feel proud of and it is important to write this down in a private journal that I provide people with. Here we include even everyday tasks such as shopping or preparing a meal so when the person feels stressed and caught up the anxiety feelings they can boost themselves by reminding themselves of what they have achieved.

Being active helps us feel both calmer and stronger and so therefore better able to deal whit emotional stress. Going for a walk, dancing, playing a sport or even gardening equals activity.

When we work together discussing problems with me helps the person get ideas about new ways of dealing with problems and resulting stress. Sharing thoughts also help us to feel both calmer and listened to and less isolated.

How I work with you audio introduction and discussion with Steven Warren

Listen to the online audio recording

Virtual online sessions from the comfort of your home. I have flexible hours to help suit your schedule, some evening and weekend appointments available. Get the information and one one one support you need without the high emotional and financial cost of stress and anxiety influencing your life and the lives of others.

How We Work Together

I work with you in a number of ways

(1) via virtual online sessions which last for between one to one and a half hours on a regular basis according to your needs which we establish from our first exploratory online session.

(2) regular email support to continue progress and answer questions between our sessions and a flexible session programme lasting from three to six months or up to a year or more.

Relaxation

Here is a short exercise to relax. There are more recordings which you can listen to by following this link

To begin with here is a short term way of dealing with anger by isolating ourselves for around 15 minutes and then concentrating on relaxing by :

inhaling and exhaling deeply for 3 or 4 times in a row and then count slowly to four as you inhale and the count slowly to eight as you exhale.

Focus on feeling the air move in and out of your lungs and then concentrate and feel your ribs slowly rise and fall as a you repeat the exercise again. Then take a short break and begin the exercise again.

Stop and revert to normal breathing if you start to feel dizzy at any time.

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