Dealing with Anxiety (taken from CMHA Halton)

 Understanding Your Anxiety

◦ arming yourself with key facts and general

information will be the first step in creating a

plan of action for managing problematic

anxiety. 

◦ Anxiety is normal and adaptive. . Everyone

experiences anxiety from time to time. Anxiety is our

internal alarm system.

◦ It alerts us to potential threats, protects us

from danger and helps us reach important

goals. 

◦ Anxiety can take over.

◦  Although anxiety is normal and adaptive, for some

people it can take over their lives. If you’re

constantly feeling anxious, worried, or on edge.

◦ We avoid daily activities, work, or socializing

because you’re too scared, anxiety has become a

problem.

◦ Think of anxiety like fog: if it covers everything,

makes it hard to see, stops you from doing what you

usually do, and generally gets in the way, then it’s

become a problem.

◦ In small amounts we can maneuver through the fog

and get to our destination, but when the fog is so

thick we’re “stuck” it’s time to take action!

◦ When we experience anxiety, it triggers our

“fight-flight-freeze” response, and prepares our

body to react. (Peer shared Fawning/Appease

response – we don’t want to rock the boat)

◦ For if our heart beats faster to pump blood to our

muscles, so we have the energy to run away or

fight off danger.

◦ We need some anxiety. Without it, we would not

survive.

◦ Anxiety isn’t dangerous. Although anxiety feels

uncomfortable, it’s temporary and will eventually

decrease.

◦ The body sensations we experience when we’re

anxious, are designed to keep us safe.

Check out the website for all the peer support workshops

and drop-in groups – all over zoom

https://halton.cmha.ca/peer-support/

Call-In Counselling at CMHA 289-291-5396

Tolerating Uncertainty 

https://youtu.be/mIRkYljN_tA

Guided Meditation -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcbN7vbIrGs

Neuroplasticity video on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g

 Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in Canada.

 Approximately 12% of Canadians will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, with the

most common being Specific and Social Phobias.

 Perfectionism, Avoidance and Negative Self-Talk are big contributors to anxiety

 We do not all experience /respond to anxiety the same way

 Anxiety can be reduced either by;

o decreasing your Perception of danger or

o Increasing your confidence in the Ability to Cope with (Person, Place, Situation)

Perception

 Perception is the meaning we make of different information that comes in, based on how we are

looking at it.

 Different people perceive reality in different ways based on their interpretations.

 Thinking is working with our perceptions in different ways based on our needs and goals.

 Perception is influenced by, thoughts, beliefs, experiences), habits, values

Perfectionism

• The relentless striving for extremely high standards (for yourself and/or others) that are

personally demanding

• Typically, to an outsider the standards are considered to be unreasonable given the circumstances

• Judging your self-worth based largely on your ability to strive for and achieve such unrelenting

standards.

• Perfectionism can fuel Procrastination == A LOT of DISTRESS

Procrastination is and is not

• Procrastination is an issue around managing our emotions;

anxiety, insecurity, frustration, self-doubt, resentment

• Procrastination is not a unique character flaw

• Procrastination is not about our inability to manage time

• Procrastination is not about laziness

How to Escape from Depression - Michael Beckwith

https://youtube.com/shorts/HvCGxj2w8Ok?si=Lb7oSnaESgKOgiQ7

Trauma and the nervous system: a polyvagal perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH5JQDAqA8E