^Li» Life Coach

D

o you ever pan ic before

a n exam ? Or get cr azy

butt erflies before a first

date? For most of us , stress is

that funny little feeling we get in

our stomachs before som ething

important's about to go down.

But for some, t his feeli ng can

escalate

until

it becomes totally

unb earable and takes over their

lives.

Little everyday things

like

stopping by the corner store can

become terrifying. This is way

more than being stressed - this

i s an anxiety disorder.

Wh a t is a n x i e t y ?

A y e a r a g o , M e g a n *, 15, was

l e a d i n g a n o r m a l l i f e as

a

teenage

g i r l w h e n

s h e s t a r t e d to

f e e l d i f f e r e n t .

WHEN

ANXIET

Sh e w a s n o r m a l l y a carefree s t u d e n t ,

b u t s m a l l t h i n g s s t a r t e d t o m a k e h e r f e e l

s i c k w i t h

stress.

" I s t a r t e d f r e a k i n g o u t

a b o u t e v e r y t h i n g , e v e n s t u f f t h a t d i d n ' t

m a t t e r ," M e g a n r e c a l ls . " M y h e a r t w o u l d

s t a rt b e a t i n g f a st er a n d I d get a l l r e d

f a c e d a n d s w e a t y . "

H er c o n d i t i o n s o o n i n t e n s i f i ed

to t h e p o i n t w h e r e she s u f f e r e d f r o m

f r e q u e n t a n d i n t e n s e p a n i c a t t a ck s .

" I ' d

get t o t a l l y stressed

o u t a n d e n d

u p h a v i n g f u l l - o n p a n i c a t t a c k s . I ' d be

i n

tears a n d f e lt l i k e I c o u l d n ' t b r e a t h e

p r o p e r l y , " she

e x p l a i n s . " I t w a s u s u a l l y

l i t t l e t h i n g s th a t w o u l d set it off, l i k e

a b a d d a y at s c h o o l or t h i n k i n g a b o u t

m y

b r e a k - u p la s t y e a r ."

A t f i r s t , M e g a n

d i d n ' t

w a n t t

w o r r y

h e r f r ie n d s a n d f a m i l y w i t h h e r p r o b l e m s

b u t she e v e n t u a l ly r e a l i s e d she n e e d e d

h e l p to get p a s t her a n x i e t y d i s o r d e r .

She's n o t a l o n e - a n x i e t y is one o f t h e

m o s t c o m m o n m e n t a l h e a l t h p r o b l e m s

e x p e r i en c e d b y

teenagers.

I n f a c t, on e

i n

25

teenagers

e x p e r i e n c e a n x i e t y

each

y e a r * * . I t ' s a s e r i o u s c o n d i t i o n t h a t affects

h o w

y o u d e a l

w i t h

p e o p l e , s c h o o l a n d

w o r k , a n d t h e f e e l i n g c a n l a s t fo r

w e e k s , m o n t h s or e v e n l o n g e r .

I s

T h e s y m p t o m s

o f a n a n x i e t y

a l l g et

stressed f r o m t i m e to t i m e , b u t w h a t h a p p e n s

w h e n a n x i e t y s t a r t s to t a k e o v er y o u r l if e ?

42 D O L L Y D O L L Y N I N E M S N . C O M . A U

 

d i s o r d e r - s u c h as a p o u n d i n g h e a r t

a n d t h o u g h t s l i k e "I ' m g o i n g c r a z y " -

c a n o f te n g o u n n o t i c e d o r b r u s h e d o ff

a s s im p l y b e i n g a teenager. B u t y o u

c o u l d b e a t r i s k i f y o u ' v e

been

f e e l i n g

p a r t i c u l a r l y w o r r i e d a n d s p e n d m o s t

d a y s f e e l i n g tense, n e r v o u s o r a n x io u s .

" A n x i e t y becomes a c o n c e r n w h e n

it ' s

i r r a t i o n a l , d i f f i c u l t t o manage a n d i s

i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h y o u r l i fe - f o r e x a m p l e , i f

y o u a v o i d p o t e n t i a l l y e n j o y a b l e s i tu a t i o n s

a n d exper iences because y o u ' r e scared

o r

w o r r i e d , "

e x p l a i n s c h i l d a n d f a m i l y

s o c ia l w o r k e r E r i n O ' Su l l i v a n .

G e n * , 1 6, r e a l i s e d s o m e t h i n g w a s

s e r io u s l y w r o n g w h e n sh e d i s c o v e r e d

t h a t s h e c o u l d n ' t g o o u t w i t h h e r f r i e n d s

w i t h o u t f e e l i n g i r r a t i o n a l l y n e r v o u s .

" I r e f u s e d t o leave t h e house f o r a b o u t

t h r e e m o n t h s , " s h e says. " I

w a s s o

scared

t h a t i f d i d g o o u t, I 'd e n d u p h a v i n g a

p a n i c a t t a c k i n f r o n t o f e v e r y o n e . "

O T H E R

S Y M P T O M S

I N C L U D E :

D i z z i n e s s

Shortness o f breath

S h a k i n g

N a u s e a

A v o i d i n g p u b l i c places

A v o i d i n g e y e contact

w i t h people

A

b e l i e f that y o u can' t

control

your

fear

H o w t o d e a l

If y o u r a n x i e t y is in t e r f e r i n g w i t h y o u r

l i f e , y o u need t o d e a l w i t h i t A S A P . D o n ' t

ju s t l e t i t g o ; i t 's i m p o r t a n t t o n i p a n

a n x i e t y d i s o r d e r i n th e b u d before

it gets w o r s e .

" Yo u n g g i r l s w h o

exper ience f r e q u e n t

o r intense a n x i e t y

o f t en f e el b a d a b o u t themselves a n d f e e l

l i k e there's s o m e t h i n g w r o n g w i t h t h e m , "

says E r i n . " Bu t i t 's im p o r t a n t fo r g i r l s t o

k n o w

t h e y ' r e n o t alone - o t h e r g i r l s t h e i r

a g e a r e e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e same t h i n g

a n d h e l p is a v a i l a b l e . "

Remember t h a t t re a t m e n t takes t i m e ;

y o u m i g h t s t i l l have

some

b a d d a y s i n th e

m i x , b u t i t i s p o s s i b l e t o g e t o v e r it .

St art sm al l

Talk about it

E r i n suggests f ir s t c h a t t i n g w i t h

close f r ie n d s a n d f a m i l y i f y o u f e e l

c o m f o r t a b l e . " W h e n y o u ca n t a l k t o

someone

y o u t r u s t a b o u t h o w y o u ' r e

f e e l i n g , y o u ' l l o f t e n f i n d t h a t y o u ' r e n o t

alone a n d t h a t y o u r exper iences a r e

n o r m a l a n d c a n b e m a n a g e d w i t h t h e

r i g h t h e l p , " s h e says.

S et

your

doc

Y o u r d o c t o r w i l l b e able t o suggest t h e

best w a y to manage y o u r a n x i e t y o r

r e f e r y o u t o a p s y c h o l o g i s t . G e n says

h e r p a r e n t s d i d n ' t r e a l ly u n d e r s t a n d h e r

d i s o r d e r , s o i t h e l p e d t o t a l k t o

someone

else. " T h e y j u s t d i d n ' t g e t i t , " sh e says.

"Bu t w h e n I spoke t o a c o u n s e l l o r , t h e y

c o u l d t a lk m e t h r o u g h e v e r y t h i n g .

N o o n e s h o u l d g o t h r o u g h t h i s a l o n e ."

Find the triqoars

T r y t o w o r k o u t w h a t sorts o f s i t u a t i o n s

k i c k

o ff y o u r a n x i e t y a n d u s e p o s i t i v e

s e lf -t a l k a n d p r e p a r a t i o n t o g e t y o u

t h r o u g h .

A f e w deep brea ths i n , t h e n o u t ,

w i l l w o r k w o n d e r s .

Squash Htoailirc thoughts

Take u p c o p i n g strategies t o challenge

a n d

chang e those

n i g g l i n g l i t t l e f e e l i n g s .

E . g . replace " I ' m g o i n g t o f a i l t h is e x a m "

w i t h " I' v e d o n e a l l t h e p r e p I c o u l d ; I ' m

c a l m a n d i n c o n t r o l ". " W i t h t h e

r i g h t

t o o ls a n d s u p p o r t , y o u c a n

change

t h e

w a y y o u exper ience c e r t a i n s i t u a t i o n s , "

says E r i n .

lakecart

of yourself

A h e a l t h y b o d y encourages a h e a l t h y

m i n d . Ea t w e l l , exercise r e g u l a r l y , g e t

g o o d sleep a n d f i n d w a y s to r e l a x .

class,

m e d i t a t e o r t a k e a s t r o l l w i t h

a f r i e n d .

Remember

t h a t

a l co h o l a n d d r u g s

a r e N E V E R

It x . t h e a n s w e r .

Sarah* 17. u s e d t o l i v e i n c o n s t a n t

fear a n d c r i e d a l l d a y e v e r y d a y ,

w i t h o u t

r e a l ly u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h y .

E i g h t m o n t h s l a t er , she's h a p p y to

s a y t h a t she's n o w o v e r c o m e h e r

a n x i e t y d i s o r d e r .

A

g r e a t t r i c k Sarah u s e d t o face

h e r fears w a s to challenge herself t o

d o t h e l i t t l e t h i n g s sh e w a s a f r a i d o f

Start s m a l l w i t h o n e a c t i o n , l i k e g o i n g

to

t h e shops a l o n e , t h e n b u i l d u p u n t i l

y o u f e e l c o m f o r t a b l e

p a r t i c i p a t i n g

i n

e v e r y d a y a c t i v it ie s a g a i n .

"Y o u m i g h t b e t e r r i f i e d before y o u

d o it , b u t t h a t r e l ie f a ft e r w a r d s makes

it so w o r t h it ," sh e says. " D o n ' t le t y o u r

w o r r i e s t a k e o v e r y o u r l i f e . "

A f r i end in nee

If y o u t h i n k y o u r fr i e n d m i g h t b e

e x p e r i e n c i n g a n a n x i e ty d i so r d e r ,

y o u t h b e y o n d b l u e . c o m suggests

t h e f o l l o w i n g a p p r o a c h :

1 t o o f a fo r s igns o f anxiety,

2 L i s t e n to your f r i e n d ' s

experience.

3 T a l k about wh at's going o n .

4 S e e k h e l p together .

WHERE TO GET HELP

C h e c k o u t youthbeyondblue.

c o m or R e a c h O u t . c o m , c a l l

L i f e l i n e o n 13 11 14 o r K i d s

H e lp l i n e on 1800 55 1800 fo r

24-hour h e l p .

C A L L

1 3

6 1 1 6 T O S U B S C R I B E D O L L Y 4 3