Dr Michael Moseley recently confessed on television that he was concerned with increasing anxiety and problems sleeping. I was not surprised by this confession as I am finding an increasing number of people who are suffering from generalised anxiety. This manifests as an unpleasant emotional state where you increasingly imagine the worst possible outcome rather than adopting a positive/confident outlook. A generalised anxiety state can be caused by stress especially repeated episodes of stress. Trauma and excess alcohol can also trigger generalised anxiety. The state is often described to me as worrying about everything together with increasing difficulty in relaxing. In order to avoid drifting into this state i get clients to focus on identifying times and techniques for relaxation. Exercise has always been recognised as an effective way of reducing stress and recently group exercise has been found to boost endorphin levels to a greater extent than solo exercise. Increased endorphin and serotonin levels are associated with making you feel good and providing an antidote to stress. I have always thought that having a sense of humour is useful for lowering stress levels and we now have laughter therapy as well as talking therapies and other psychological techniques. It is absolutely critical that time is spent identifying the most effective method of relaxation for each individual. Music can be very effective for some people and often they suddenly remember how important music was in their life and getting back into the habit can have an immediate stress lowering effect. Another common finding is that repeated stress or anxiety can lead to snacking on convenience and processed foods rather than taking care to eat a healthy diet. i read recently that adopting a Mediterranean diet after a heart attack is almost three times as powerful in reducing mortality as taking a statin. That made me think of my diet as a method of improving health and wellbeing. It is a mistake to only visit our GP when we are really ill, our GP can refer us for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which helps us to respond more positively to potentially stressful situations or prescribe medication such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Talking Therapies have received good publicity and are available on the NHS but talking to partners, friends, colleagues etc can also be helpful. Finally remember to take holidays and activity holidays can be great if you find it difficult to sit still and sunshine is an added bonus as it boosts your vitamin D level.
“Stay Healthy’
Recent Comments