Tag Archives: epidemic

The Anxiety Journal Book Review

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Anxiety is on the rise. In fact, according to mentalhealth.org.uk, in 2013 there were 8.2 million cases of anxiety in the UK. There has been an explosion in how many anxiety books are published and magazines are full of articles on anxiety and how to cope. In 2017 the House of Commons guidelines state that the maximum waiting time for NHS mental health services should be 18 weeks. It would be fair to say we have an epidemic on our hands.

The good thing about this is the normalisation of anxiety. It is easy to think you are alone when you have a health problem, but anxiety is normal and it is possible to get help. Not only from the NHS, but also from the plethora of books and articles on the subject. The Anxiety Journal is such a book. Full of great techniques and information, I was mightily impressed. The journal goes through every aspect of anxiety: what you may be feeling, symptoms, the different types of anxiety, self-care, triggers, quotes, exercises to help, CBT and how to leave the anxiety mindset behind amongst other things. It has a great resource list and beautiful illustrations by Marcia Mihotich. This is a great journal which is essential for anyone suffering from anxiety.

 

While some forms of anxiety are natural, even helpful, anxiety disorders can lead you into a spiral of stress and worry, and interfere with your everyday life.

Practical, supportive and uplifting, this is a journal for anyone who struggles with anxiety, whether in the form of phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety (GAD) or day-to-day worrying. Beautifully illustrated by Marcia Mihotich, The Anxiety Journal by Corinne Sweet encourages you to use CBT techniques and mindfulness exercises to help you better understand your anxiety and help you to achieve peace and calm.

Whether you’re awake at 4am unable to turn off those racing thoughts, or struggling to get yourself together before a presentation, The Anxiety Journal will help to soothe stress and reduce worry, identify negative thought-cycles, and provide you with techniques to combat anxiety wherever you are.

 The Anxiety Journal is available here.

 

Stop Worry In Its Tracks — Seven Ways To Keep Calm And Carry On

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cat pictureBritain is on the verge of a stress epidemic. One in five adults now worries for at least 60 minutes every day, and more than seven million Brits are believed to have a certifiable anxiety disorder. Even low-level worry can negatively impact work, home and quality of life and it’s a situation that costs the UK economy over £6.5billion each year.

But you don’t have to put up with your anxieties a day longer. Here, UK ‘Worry Tzars’ Professor Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman — authors of new Pearson stress management guide How to Keep Calm and Carry On — provide seven simple but effective anxiety-fighting tips to help win the war against worry.

PUT YOUR FEARS TO THE TEST

Anxiety is the brain’s way of alerting us to potential dangers and equipping us to deal with them. Avoidance of dangers is perfectly reasonable, but not when the fears are unrealistic. Avoiding these fears means that you never put your anxiety to the test. When what you fear doesn’t occur, we assume it is because of the safety measures you’ve taken. You ignore the simplest explanation: the problem wasn’t very likely in the first place. So meet new people or confront your fear of water or dogs etc.

2.      THOUGHTS ARE NOT FACTS

It is important to remember that just because you think something, it doesn’t make it a reality. The brain makes its judgement extremely rapidly, and it’s not always correct. You may think your neighbour doesn’t like you, or worry that you’re less intelligent than your work colleagues, but it is entirely possibly – and usually more likely – that you are mistaken.

3.      CONSIDER ALL THE EVIDENCE

When thinking about your fears and anxieties make sure you give equal weight to each piece of evidence, rather than giving extra credence to those that support your fears. By acknowledging both sides of the argument you will see irrational worries for what they really are, and overcome them.

WRITE DOWN YOUR FEARS

Three or four times a week write down your fears. Do it in a way that a stranger could read and understand them. This stops irrational fear floating around in your mind. It is as if you physically get the worries out of your head and onto paper.

SCHEDULE YOUR WORRY

Some people can’t stop worrying – no matter what. Therefore set aside a period every day of about 15 minutes and dedicate that to worrying. Choose an uncomfortable spot, a hard chair, or a stool – to ensure you are not relaxing. Then, think through your worries. Don’t run over the 15 minutes and train your brain that this is the period for irrational worrying. If you worry about things during the day, try to put them out of your mind until your designated worry period.

 THINK OF A POSITIVE MEMORY

You cannot stop worries occurring, but you CAN develop techniques and coping strategies to stop them controlling your life. One very simple but powerful technique is to think of a positive memory. When you feel anxious, recall a similar situation involving the best outcome rather than the worst.

7.      REMEMBER TO RELAX

Many scientific studies have shown a strong link between exercise and stress reduction, so make some time in your daily routine to relax body and mind. Utilise proven relaxation techniques such as yoga, or light to moderate exercise . . . then Keep Calm and Carry On!

 

How to Keep Calm and Carry On: Inspiring Ways to Worry Less and Live a Happier Life by Daniel & Jason Freeman (Pearson) is out now, priced £10.99, from Amazon and all good book shops.

 

Time To Give Up Sugar? Mentor Me Off Sugar Days 10 & 11

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Still going! Which is quite surprising to me. Yesterday went well. I have been trying to get my taste buds to like tea without sugar. I’m not there yet but Laura is confident that one day I will be.

It hasn’t been completely no fun. I had a roast chicken for dinner and I still had champagne left over from my birthday which I drank in the evening. I still had some grapes left over and I had a few because I have an ability to throw out food. I know it breaks the diet for week two but it was three grapes. Well, that is what I am telling myself anyway.

Although I find the diet hard I am also quite enjoying it. I like to push myself and do hard things. My energy has returned, in fact, I seem to have more than ever. The headaches come and go but with less intensity.

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I have been eating a lot of vegetables which makes me feel healthier and I am sure there is an improvement in my skin and hair. The truth is; in the past years I have read a lot of books and articles about the dangers of sugar. But sugar tastes nice and is addictive and I never thought I would have the strength to get off it. I am shocked at how well I have been doing during the diet. I miss sugar, to be perfectly honest I might love sugar, but when something is bad for you, you need to find the strength to cut back. I am not saying I will never eat sugar again- that would actually be impossible- but I will always be vigilant and watch my sugar intake, even after this diet has finished.

There is great food out there that is actually good for you as the two pictures show. Vegetables do taste nice and can be cooked a variety of ways. Cheese and bread are great. Although I am getting sick of the latter.

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Sugar gets a lot of bad press. Yesterday’s Daily Mail had this blaring headline:

Is sugar an invisible killer? Even ‘safe’ levels of the sweet stuff could lead to an early death, scientists warn

Scary stuff indeed but read this article from NHS Direct before completely freaking out.

Another point to make is that we are in an obesity epidemic and the reason so many people are overweight is because of sugar. A calorie is not a calorie, sugar tends to covert quickly to fat and spikes your insulin levels. No wonder over three million people in the UK now have diabetes. Sugar has also recently been linked to a higher dementia risk.

Our diets are killing us and if we exercised the power of ‘no’ we would be living longer, healthier lives. I am going to be researching sugar and bringing you my findings along with recipes and my progress. Please add your own comments and any recipes below.

I have managed to do well until day 11 but I am not perfect. After a piece of devastating family news yesterday I had a cup of tea, two sugar. That along with the grapes means I could definitely be doing better, something I promise to do for the rest of the week. Wish me luck!