Anxiety Q&A

 Hey guys!

Welcome back to my blog or welcome if you're new!

So a few months ago now I posted a blog post titled 'I'm ready to talk about this' and in that blog post I talked about how I have anxiety, I also said I wasn't going to do much anxiety related content but later decided I would do a little Q&A just answering any questions people maybe had

This post was originally supposed to go up sooner than this but then I decided to re-launch my blog haha so if you have any other questions, if you didn't see when I asked on my Insta stories for questions, feel free to leave them in the comments

*Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and I do not have all of the answers nor do I know, or claim to know, everything about anxiety, everything in this post is simply something I've read or learnt for myself*

Okay, let's get into it shall we?

So,  I'm going to group a few questions together as I was asked the same question or very similar questions a fair bit, this way it just means I'm not answering the same thing twice

What is the difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack?

I actually wasn't aware they were different until probably a few months ago, so I've Googled it to remind myself and to answer this correctly, from what I can gather, Google says that an anxiety attack comes on gradually where as a panic attack is sudden and comes on more abruptly

Whilst Googling I also read that panic attacks usually don't have a trigger where as anxiety is a response to a perceived stressor or threat

And finally I read that panic attacks usually subside within a few minutes whereas anxiety symptoms can be present for long periods of time

(Again this is just what I read by Googling haha so hopefully it makes sense)

Who helps you cope with it?

When I'm anxious about anything I always tend to go to my Mum for help/advice

What gives you anxiety?

It varies to be fair, I have GAD (generalised anxiety disorder) so I can get anxious about pretty much anything haha

Obviously because my anxiety begun after a car accident, certain cars can make me super anxious, for example I don't like smaller cars, I feel much better in a big car. I also can't watch traffic shows or things like that where accidents are shown as they make me crazy anxious, but it can be anything really, this one's kind of hard to answer because it varies so much but I hope that answers it a little

What should I do when I get an anxiety?

I would say talk to someone you trust about it, a family member, friend, anyone you can trust

I also sometimes like to watch a YouTube video or listen to music to distract myself if I can't talk to someone at that time

Meditation apps can be helpful, I've used Headspace a few times after seeing Zoe recommend it and I find the meditations can help

Get outside, if you can go for a walk or a run or something, getting outside and getting exercise can help too

Also don't forget to just breathe, I know that sounds cliche but try to relax your breathing

Those are just a few things I can think of, I hope that helps

How do you cope with it?/How do you cope with everyday anxiety?

Honestly again it varies, some days I distract myself, I bake, I edit a video, I stretch or workout etc, some times I just sit and play the switch (Animal Crossing of course haha) or I just chill or have a bath and take it easy

How do you tend to deal with your anxiety and overcome it?

I'm far from overcoming it haha, it's just a case of dealing with it the best you can, but just like in the question above it varies, depending on what's making me anxious. Some days I find not even turning my phone on helps, or avoiding social media for a day or sometimes a week or longer

It's all about finding what helps you feel better

I get anxiety from answering questions when I am in a virtual meeting, do you have any tips?

Honestly this is kind of hard as I've never been in this exact situation but I'll try my best

Again it's all about finding what makes you feel better when anxious, I'd say just remember you can only answer the best of your ability, if you get it wrong, there's nothing wrong with that and as much as you probably thing everyone's jusging you, they're probably not

Try taking a deep breath and just remmeber you can only do your best and maybe try listening to music or something beforehand or if you know what kind of questions you could be asked, prepare how you would answer them so you have an idea

Also you could maybe have friends or family practice this type of scenario with you so you get used to being asked questions unexpectedly

Sorry I couldn't answer that well but I hope it helps

What do you advise to do when getting a panic attack?/Any coping methods? (How to lessen or prevent an anxiety attack)

If you start to feel panicky a few things I sometimes find help are to take yourself out of the situation, if you're in a place where you can step outside, get some fresh air

You could use a relaxation app on your phone, headspace is a good meditation app I find helps me

If you're with someone you trust, talk to them, I know sometimes it can feel a bit awkward the thought of talking about something like that but trust me, just saying whatever is bothering you out loud can help

Also try to calm your breathing and remember they don't last forever (even though it sometimes feels like they do)

Okay, and that's it for this blog post, I hope it helps you at least a little bit,

I'm sorry if it seems like I repeated myself a fair bit, again I'm not a professional, if your anxiety is really bad I recommend seeing a medical professional for more help

Let me know in the comments if this is helpful at all

Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you next week for my tips for starting a blog,

Hanna x