Anxiety Journal | How to help someone with anxiety.

As someone who suffers with anxiety I know how important it is to have someone there supporting you through panic attacks or periods of anxiety. I thought I'd write this post to help those who have a loved one experiencing anxiety but you may not know what to say to them or how to respond to an attack. 

I want to start off by saying everyone's anxiety is different and there are many various and simple things that can help ease the situation. The most important thing you can do is talk to your friend/partner/family member to understand what they are feeling and what they will be experiencing during a panic attack. Sitting down and having a calm conversation about what you can do for them during an attack will be both beneficial to you and them and it will reassure them that someone is there and knows somewhat was they're going through.

It can be quite hard to tell someone close to you that you are suffering with anxiety or panic attacks as it can be seen as a weakness or they may feel people will treat them differently. When they tell you it may come as a shock and you might not know what to say. Below are a couple ideas of things you could say to them to have more of an understanding of what they are going through.

1. I may not fully understand what you're going through but I will always be here for you and to help you through this.

2. Tell me about it and what causes it?

3. I understand that your anxiety may come out of nowhere at times and that is may set you with limits but I will help you push through them. 

Here are some things that help me but I do stress that everyone is different and these things may not work for everyone. 

1. The first one is really simple... hold their hand. This simple act is very reassuring to let them know they're not alone and that you are there for them. 

2. This sort of follows the last one but giving them a hug and just holding them can also be very comforting due to the pressure and being able to feel safe. 

3. Talking to your loved one enables you to find out what can trigger their anxiety and what symptoms they will be feeling at that period of time. By finding this out you will be aware of what situations can be particularly difficult and you can help them to either avoid the situation or face it head on. 

4. Talk to them and find out what could help them during a period of anxiety or when they are having a panic attack. For example I go very quiet and feel quite nauseous so I wouldn't want to be asked too many questions. But rather have the person i'm with just talk to be about anything random or do breathing exercises with me.

5. Learn their breathing exercises. By learning these you can help them during a panic attack when sometimes is can be difficult for them to focus. 

Below are some things you could say to a loved one when you can sense they're feeling anxious:

| It/You will be ok |
| It wont last forever |
| I'm here with you |
| I'm here for you |
| Is there anything you need? |
| Your safe with me |
| It can only last 20 minutes |
| I wont let anything happen to you |
| It's ok to feel what you're feeling |
| You can get through this |


To sum up actions can sometimes speak louder than words and talking to your loved one about it is the best thing you can do. As someone who has to deal with anxiety knowing that you have people who love and support you is one of the most comforting things.

I hope this has helped you approach the subject with a loved one and that you can move forward together in support for one another.

Until next time, Sophie x

Anxiety Journal | Medication and Depression

So like most of my anxiety posts they're always written pretty spur of the moment when I feel like sharing my thoughts and experiences.

I've been holding off writing this post for a while as the subjects I'm going to talk about are very personal but I feel a shift in how I feel now and think its time to just get it out in the open. 

I'll link my initial anxiety post here for if you want a bit of a back story to my anxiety and how it all started. 

So the main subject I'm going to touch on in this post is about medication and what it can do for anxiety and my experience with taking it. I'll also briefly touch on my depression and how I feel it was linked to my anxiety. 

So back in May I wrote a post about how I had done a series of hypnotherapy sessions which I will again link here. I mentioned that I think it helped to relax me however day to day I didn't feel it was that effective as I was still getting weekly sometimes daily panic attacks. I then said that I felt my next step was to go to the Doctor's and seek some medical help. Usually I'm someone who will hold off taking paracetamol or drugs when possible but for me this was a no brainer step and I felt that this was the right time to try some medication after trying so many different things already. 

After having to wait a couple weeks for an appointment ( how ludicrous) I finally sat down with a doctor and told her about my panic attacks and what I'd already tried to help deal with it. She agreed with me that I hadn't rushed straight into taking pills and that I'd really chosen it as a last resort measure. From there she gave me a prescription for a pill to take once a day and advised to see me again in a months time. She did mention that this pill not only helped for anxiety but they also prescribe it for depression. Now I wont mention what pill I am taking as you really have to have the right one for you, plus its quite personal.

I'm now going to backtrack a little bit. Before, during and after my hypnotherapy sessions I was battling with some depression (that I feel was partly linked to my anxiety). For a while I kept it to myself and thought it would just pass and sometimes it did ... but it would always come back again. At the time I just thought i'd ride it out not tell anyone and hope it would just go away one day. I just didn't want to go to work and even found myself crying whilst driving or in the staff room before a shift, I love my job so I knew something wasn't right. I'd just be really down in the morning about going and would hide how bad I felt through joking about it. Previous to this year I have had spells of depression (especially during my brief time at university). One event that sticks out most to me is when my Dad and I went and saw Jersey Boys perform in the West End in London. I was really looking forward to seeing it and spending some time with my dad but during the show I just felt this wave come over me that prevented me from really enjoying the show and ultimately ruined the experience for me. At the time I just dealt with it by myself didn't tell anybody and I thought I could do the same again this time. 

However one night I was having a particularly bad attack when I just broke down to my mum and confessed everything I was feeling. We agreed it was time to see the doctor.

So I'm about 2 months into taking these pills and I can honestly say that I feel so much better. To start with the panic attacks did get worse and I got one common side effect but that was all to be expected and completely normal. My Mum and other people around me have also said they can see a difference in me and the way Im acting, that I just seem happier. I feel like I can talk about this now because I'm in a different state of mind. I feel a lot more positive about life itself and don't see everything as being such doom and gloom. I'm much more willing to see friends and go out whereas before the pills I literally didn't want to go out or see anyone. I've had a huge amount of support from family and friends both new and old and I'm really grateful that I am able to talk to them about what I am going through.

Since taking my pills *touch wood* I havn't had a panic attack since and things that would usually trigger anxiety havn't been. I really feel positive now about my future and for it to be less about my anxiety and more about me! 

I definitely wouldn't suggest going straight to pills if your suffering with anxiety or panic attacks but I do feel for me that its been the most effective and has been for other people I've talked to who also deal with it. 

Theres such a stigma about mental health especially when taking pills is involved but really who are we to judge something someone can't help?! For me I don't care that I take them because at the end of the day they make me happier and control my anxiety. 

As always if you have any questions or need someone to talk to about anxiety, depression or anything else I'd be more than happy to listen and talk about it. 

Until next time, Sophie x

Where are all the anxiety storylines?

So this was quite an unexpected post for me to write but I thought I'd just sit down and write about some of my thoughts and feelings surrounding anxiety in the public eye.

This sudden burst to write was brought on by watching a fellow YouTubers video. I've been watching Beckie Brown otherwise know as Beckie0/TrichJournal on and off for years now and followed her on journey with Trichotillomania. This is the condition in which one feels the compulsion to pull out their own hair. Now the video that particularly inspired me to write this is titled "A Trich Casualty" in which she recaps the latest episode of "Casualty" where one storyline features a woman suffering from Trich.

What sparked this post wasn't about Trich or the storyline itself it was that I have never seen a programme, storyline or documentary about Anxiety! Surprising when we really think about it. Yes there may be some out there, that I don't doubt, but nothing has ever crossed my path. Before writing this I even searched on YouTube for some documentaries and very little came up. However if you type in "Anxiety" you are flooded with people experiences and stories, this shows that as a community we ourselves are trying to educate people as the media simply doesn't. Zoe Sugg most known for her beauty videos also suffers from panic attacks and anxiety,  she documents this within advice videos and vlogs on her channel and has even gone on to talk about the subject on This Morning. For me she is the leading celebrity figure talking about it.
Whilst researching for this post I came across Sam from Pixiwoo's video about her anxiety and I could relate a lot to what she was saying, it was also interesting to see how her sister deals with Sam's anxiety. I think I'd one day like to interview one or both of my parents as they see first hand how I suffer and try to deal with panic attacks.

Anxiety is such a wide subject that there is a lot that we, including myself, don't know about it. There are many forms of it from Panic Disorder to Social Anxiety Disorder and many more. For me its not just about educating those who have never experienced it but to reassure those suffering that people are standing up and really taking notice of this disorder. We like to think that as a country we are more accepting of Mental Health and we are but there simply is a lack of knowledge and often compassion for people suffering with anxiety and panic attacks.

So back to my original point. We see so often ground braking storylines on soaps and other tv series for example ones on teenage pregnancy and HIV but why is it that they are yet to tackle a storyline on anxiety or panic attacks? It would be really interesting to see how they portray the feelings, emotions and consequences that anxiety brings. However there is the risk like the Casualty episode that it would get misinterpreted or over dramatised but I feel that would be far outweighed by the attention the storyline brings to the subject.

I will continue to talk about anxiety and panic attacks as it is important to me to share my story and thoughts in the hope of helping just one person to know they're not alone in their feelings. I also see this as an online diary although I suppose diary isn't the right word seeing as I'm making it so public!

I thank you for reading this far as it means you either have some interest in me, anxiety or just what I have to say.

Until next time, Sophie xx