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3: Be Mindful
Being aware of our body and surroundings in a
non-judgemental way can reduce feelings of
anxiety and bring a state of calm.
Close your eyes and observe your
1: Nurture Yourself
breathing: notice your body, how the intake
Eat regular well-balanced meals (e.g. three
ANXIETY
of air feels and what sensations you
nutritious meals a day).
observe.
MANAGEMENT: Avoid or reduce alcohol, nicotine, and
Shift your awareness to what you can hear,
caffeine intake.
10 TECHNIQUES
smell, and touch, being aware of the
Exercise regularly, particularly with a
environment outside your body.
cardiovascular or relaxation component.
Anxiety can affect your body, mind and
Shift awareness back and forth from your
Perform regular self-care - such as relaxing
behaviour. Here are some helpful tips* for
body to your surroundings several times.
activities and regular planned breaks.
managing anxiety by addressing these three
Have a good sleep routine.
areas. We suggest you choose a few to
4: Use Cues to Relax
start with that seem most relevant to you.
When you are aware that your body is tense or
2: Breathe
you feel that you cannot let go of worry or
Breathing well can slow down or interrupt the
stress, use this as a cue to practice more
anxiety response, and provide a sense of calm,
regular relaxation.
grounding, or relaxation.ยท
Try tightening and releasing different muscle
Practice conscious deep breathing for 1
HEALTHY BODY
groups, to practice relaxing the ones that
minute at a time, whenever you are waiting
are most tense.
for something (e.g. waiting in line, for an
Imagine when you breathe out that any
Physical symptoms of anxiety can include exam to start, when stopped at a traffic
tension in your body is flowing outward, and
muscle tension, racing heart, dizziness, light).
as you breathe in, imagine it is being
sweating, and shortness of breath. These can Try lengthening your exhalation or outward
replaced by warmth, energy, and peace.
occur unexpectedly and be quite distressing. breath - breathe in for 4 seconds and
Think of an image or scene that is relaxing to
They can be prevented or reduced by regular breathe out for 5 or 6 seconds. Practice this
you, and picture this when feeling tense or
self-care and relaxation. cycle a few minutes each day, or whenever
under stress.
you think of it.
Schedule regular relaxing and enjoyable
activities - such as massage, warm baths,
exercise, or being in nature.
7: Contain Your Worry
If your worry is hard to control, distracts you
from your daily tasks, and consumes your
thinking, try some ways to limit the worry and
HEALTHY MIND
allow yourself a break.
Identify if your worry is solvable (has an
Anxiety can be accompanied by mental activity
aspect within your control) or
that is distressing, distracting and
6: Interrupt Anxious Thinking
unsolvable (outside of your control).
unproductive. This includes worry and
Sometimes it's hard to use logical thinking,
Use problem-solving to focus on solvable
preoccupation with fears or imagined negative
especially when anxiety is high. Temporary
worries. Clearly identify the problem,
outcomes. The more you worry, the more it is
disruption of anxious thoughts can help you
brainstorm possible solutions, use pros and
likely to occur.
access your logic and choose what you would
con lists to decide on the best solution(s),
prefer to focus on.
and make an action plan to address the
5: Be Realistic
Identify if endless and aimless worry or
problem.
Often when people are anxious, they think of 'what if?' thinking is a problem for you.
For unsolvable worries, use relaxation and
the worst possible outcome to their situation, Try some different (and silly) ways to
other techniques to reduce your negative
even if this is unlikely to occur. This increases interrupt this negative process such as:
reaction to the situation.
anxiety and its effects. Sing your worries to a silly tune, or speak
Worry well and only once - use a worry
Notice if you are thinking the worst about them in a funny cartoon voice.
journal or diary to list your worries once a
your symptoms or situation. Pick a pleasant thought to focus on or
day (up to 20 mins). When and if those
Remind yourself that feelings are not facts - imagine, such as something you look
worries re-occur during the day, remind
just because you dread a certain outcome, forward to or are proud of doing.
yourself that you have already worried
does not make it more likely to occur or make Listen to music or an audio book.
about that today.
your worries come true. Intentionally revert your attention back
Imagine an empty container to store your
Employ logic - challenge yourself to think of to the task you are performing, reminding
worries - picture yourself placing your
an outcome or conclusion that is less yourself that worry is unhelpful.
worries into this, naming them as you go,
catastrophic, and more likely to occur in
then mentally put on the lid. Invite a
reality. You may need to ask others to help in
peaceful thought or re-focus onto the task
the start. Write down your response as a
you are working on.
future reminder.
Think of times in the past when your worries
have proved false.
HEALTHY MIND
CONTINUES...
Make a list of ideas for back-up activities
8: Coach Yourself
during unexpected free time, preferably a
Some anxiety is normal in life, but avoiding range of relaxing or enjoyable activities (e.g.
HEALTHY
things in everyday life that we fear only makes go to the art gallery, read a book) with a
anxiety stronger. If we are able to approach range of durations. During an unexpected
BEHAVIOUR
valued but anxiety-provoking situations, they free time, choose one from your list.
become easier over time and with practice. Do not do tasks that are not your
Assess your avoidance - be aware of places responsibility. Sometimes, allow others to
In overcoming anxiety, it is usually not enough
and situations you avoid due to anxiety but contribute to tasks or help you, even if you
to change our thoughts alone. Improving the
which you would like to approach. believe they won't do it the way you would.
way we manage stress and approach anxiety
Rate your fear of these on a 1 to 10 scale Practice doing small tasks imperfectly (e.g.
provoking situations can often be the most
(with 1 being low levels of anxiety and 10 intentionally miss a spot when sweeping the
important step.
being the highest possible anxiety). The goal floor, or leave out a full-stop in an essay).
of coaching is to decrease this fear. This will feel uncomfortable, but will help you
Assess your self-talk - What unhelpful things 9: Reduce Over-Activity relax more by reducing your focus on
are you telling yourself about the situation unnecessary details.
Some people do more when anxious. Whilst
which increase anxiety? Balance your time Use a diary, schedule, or
high activity can reduce anxiety in the short-
List your goals - How is avoidance pie-chart to track how you are spending
term, as you might achieve some goals, it
interfering with these? Write down what you time in different areas. Make sure the
can worsen anxiety in the long-term as you
would like to do if anxiety was not in the categories that are important to you are
begin to feel over-worked and
way. included e.g. sleep, eating, exercise,
overwhelmed.
Begin to practice in small doses tolerating social/relationships, work, study and so on.
Check if over-activity is a problem for you:
some anxiety without trying to escape it Laugh and have fun - a revolutionary idea,
Do you feel the need to be constantly
immediately (you may need some help with but practice laughing from your belly. Have
busy?
this if your levels are high).Practice coaching on hand some things that make you laugh
Do you find it hard to slow down or relax
yourself in more useful statements to counter (e.g. funny pictures, messages) for use on
and get more anxious when you have
negative self-talk e.g. 'I may feel anxious stressful days.
unplanned free time?
but I am still able to do this.' Think of
occasions when you have coped well or
when the feared outcome has not occurred.
Write them down to help remind you.
HEALTHY
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
BEHAVIOUR
DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
CONTINUES...
STUDENT WELLNESS SERVICE
10: Make a Plan and Practice
Counselling services:
To feel confident and competent using the
We are a student counselling service, offering
strategies you have chosen, make a plan to
predominantly short-term counselling and
practise these regularly so they can become
CONCLUSION
psychotherapy, with the aim of ensuring that
new, healthy habits.
whatever personal, emotional or psychological
Learn about anxiety. It will reduce if you can
These skills require patience and
problems you experience, the impact of these
unlearn the fear through good coping
determination. However, once learnt, on your academic studies are kept to a minimum
experiences.
and your capacity for achievement is optimised.
Become well-practised at quick calming you can build confidence in overcoming
techniques such as deep breathing for use
anxiety through your own effo
when anxious. Health services:
Set meaningful goals for your life and The Student Wellness Service offers a
identify the skills you need to achieve these. comprehensive outpatient medical service by
Find out where/how you can learn these both medical practitioners and nurses, who are
skills, and build on them through practice. dedicated to helping students to remain
Get help with this if it seems daunting. Start healthy, and to make the correct life choices
with one small step (the least scary) to while pursuing their academic goals.
approach your goal, and practice this until
you feel ready to try the next level.
For appointment please use the
Remember that nothing is perfect - setbacks
*Derived from Margaret Wehrenberg (2012).
online booking system:
The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques:
will occur and this is normal. Reflect on what
http://www.dsa.uct.ac.za/student-
Workbook, W.W. Norton & Company Inc., New York.
you could learn and do differently in the
wellness/about-student-wellness
future. Modify your plan if needed.
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