Are you experiencing Coronavirus Anxiety?
Anxiety can be described as an unconscious response to fear or uncertainty about the future.
In a world where the future looks very uncertain, most of us are experiencing levels of anxiety to some degree.
Fears for the health and wellbeing of ourselves and loved ones, worries about work, education and finances can all feel stressful.
I think it’s really important to understand that it’s not your fault and it's only human to feel anxious right now.
Anxiety is part of your human survival system. If your unconscious mind notices a threat to your safety, the fight/flight/freeze response drives you to take urgent action to avoid danger.
Your natural survival system is trying to save you from a perceived threat to your safety.
It's not able to differentiate between immediate danger or long-term uncertainty.
In a longer-term situation like coronavirus, the survival system switches on and can be difficult to turn off again.
I hope the information below will help you understand more about anxiety and I've added a free hypnosis recording at the bottom to help you learn how to calm yourself down.
Here are some FAQ’s & A’s about anxiety.
Q. What does an anxiety attack feel like?
A. Your fight/flight/freeze response diverts energy away from your normal maintenance system to operate an emergency safety-first drill.
You might experience a pounding heart as energy is pumped to your arms and legs to help you run away or fight your way to safety.
Urgently needing the toilet happens because your kidneys, and bladder divert blood to your arms and legs so that you can protect yourself.
Sweating keeps your muscles cool in preparation for fighting or running.
It can be difficult to sleep when you're experiencing anxiety because your survival system wants you to be alert to danger and ready to runaway.
Q. Can anxiety make you feel sick?
A. Yes, nausea is another common symptom. Your fight/flight/freeze response diverts energy away from your digestive system to send it to your arms and legs.
Q. Is being unable to think clearly a sign of anxiety?
A. Yes, blood is being diverted from the thinking part of your brain to your arms and legs to help you escape danger.
Q. Is overthinking a sign of anxiety?
A. Yes, your brain is trying to solve the problem and stop the danger from happening.
Q. Does anxiety cause a shortness of breath?
A. Yes. Shallow breathing/hyperventilating allows us to take in more oxygen to increase our energy levels for a quick getaway.See below to learn how you can slow down your breathing, to stop an anxiety attack.
Q. Is it normal to shake when I’m anxious?
A. This happens when you’re shallow breathing/hyperventilating.
Q. Does anxiety make it difficult to talk?
A. Yes, because you’re shallow breathing.
Q. Is Dizziness a symptom of anxiety?
A. Yes, it’s due to hyperventilating.
Q. Is numbness/weakness a symptom of anxiety?
A. Yes, it’s due to hyperventilating/shallow breathing.
Q. How can I stop a panic attack?
A. Learning how to control your breathing and slow your heart rate can help you to stay calm and relaxed.
I’ve added a hypnosis recording below so that you can learn how to use deep breathing to slow your heart rate and to calm yourself.
You'll notice the benefits most quickly if you listen every evening as you go to bed.
It's like learning anything new, the more you listen the easier it becomes.
Don't worry if you get distracted by intrusive thoughts because it's very normal, as soon as you realise, focus back into the recording and carry on.
If you experience discomfort you can stop the recording at any time. Please seek medical advice If you have a medical condition and are unsure about whether this is suitable for you before listening.
Taking exercise, reducing your sugar, caffeine and alcohol intake are all very important steps to reduce anxious feelings.
See your GP for reassurance and to check there's nothing else wrong with you.