Anxiety
This is our dedicated page to learn more about how to cope with Anxiety. Keep scrolling to discover more...
How Anxiety Can Differ
Low/Normal Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal emotion that helps us navigate potentially dangerous situations. For example, if you’re walking down a dark alleyway alone at night and you hear a loud noise, your anxiety will heighten your senses and fill your body with adrenaline in order to perceive and then help you escape danger.
A lot of people will feel anxious when performing certain tasks such as public speaking, taking a test or meeting new people. It only becomes a problem when it’s excessive, persistent and interferes with daily life.
- Symptoms: Anxiety is experienced only in explicable circumstances, with correlating physical responses. When experienced, physical symptoms may include, rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, tight chest, feelings of fear or unease.
- Concern Level: Experiencing anxiety in normal anxiety provoking situations is entirely normal and should not be cause for concern.
Medium/Moderate
Moderate anxiety represents a middle ground between mild, everyday stress and severe, debilitating anxiety. It’s characterized by persistent worry and unease that goes beyond normal stress but doesn’t completely derail daily life.
​
- Symptoms: Moderate anxiety may disrupt daily life but individuals should still be able to function. You may feel restless, fatigue, irritability, you may have difficulty concentrating as well as headaches, muscle tension, stomach-aches, trouble sleeping, sweating and dizziness.
- Concern Level: This level might be enough to be recognized as mental health condition and can be managed through therapy, medication and exercise. However, medical intervention is not always necessary so it’s important to ask your doctor to see which options are best for you. Seek medical guidance for an official diagnosis and advice.
High/Severe
Severe anxiety refers to an intense and persistent state of excessive worry, fear, or apprehension that significantly interferes with daily functioning. It can be overwhelming and debilitating, making it difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks. The severity can be referring to the severity of the symptoms or the length of time you feel them.
- Symptoms: Racing heart and changes in breathing, headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue, nervousness, sweating, and exaggerated fear, persistent worry about everyday activities, sleep disturbances and mood changes. Anxiety is classed as severe when they significantly hinder your daily activities.
- Concern Level: Severe anxiety can be a big problem and it is advisable to consult a doctor to see what the options available to you are. Options may include therapy or other professional help, medication, meditation, as well as self-help techniques.
Our
Top Tips
- Seek professional help: A doctor can help you figure out if your experience requires professional treatment such as medication or therapy.
- Practice focused deep breathing and grounding techniques
- Challenge your thoughts and ask yourself what is fact and what is an assumption or emotional reaction.
- Keep it in proportion: most anxiety provoking situations won’t kill you.
- Eat and sleep: your brain is more relaxed when you have a proper night sleep and a good amount of food.
- Seek support: talking to friends family and professionals can be highly beneficial
- Exercise can be a good outlet for anxious energy and can reduce symptoms and improve your mood
- Activate your parasympathetic nervous system: the part of your nervous system responsible for calming you down after an anxiety spike. You can do this by gargling water, humming or touching your lips. If you’re feeling brave you could try yoga or cold water exposure.
- Say thank you instead of sorry: gratitude in all forms can boost mental health,
improve emotional resilience and strengthen social connections.
- Listen and validate: Active listening and validating their feelings can provide comfort and support.
- Encourage professional help: If appropriate, encourage them to seek help from a mental health professional.
- Be there for them: Offering a listening ear and being present can make a significant difference in their life.
- Understand their triggers: Being aware of their anxiety triggers can help in providing better support.
- Encourage relaxation activities: Engaging in relaxing activities together can help reduce anxiety symptoms.
- Remember, each person with anxiety is different, and what works for one may not work for another. It's essential to listen to their needs and provide the support they require.
How You Can Help Others
What Does The Bible Say?
- The Bible offers a compassionate and direct approach to anxiety,
addressing it as a natural human reaction often triggered by uncertainty or feelings of abandonment. It emphasizes the importance of trusting God and seeking His presence amidst anxiety. In the bible, anxiety is often referred to as fear, and “do not fear” is widely considered the most common command in the bible. We are encouraged to “cast all our anxieties on Him” (1 Peter 5:7) and Jesus gives us His peace as a parting gift before his death and resurrection “My peace I give you” (John 14:27).
​
- Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for blessing us with emotions that allow us to engage with the world around us. Thank you that you care about the things that we care about and are moved by the things that bother us. I ask you to quiet my anxious mind with your peace. Surround my thoughts with the peace that only comes from you. Guard my heart from fear and steady my spirit when I feel overwhelmed. Teach me to lean on you instead of my own understanding. Thank you for being my refuge when I feel afraid. I place my trust in you alone today, knowing you will never fail me.