Which of these anxiety triggers (?) do you see in yourself?

[biscuits]

Do you recognise any of the following as having a detrimental effect on your anxiety?

Do you feel that the anxiety you experience makes you engage in these?

Do you feel like anxiety makes it challenging to break away from any of these things?

Are there any that you want to break away from?

Do any of them actually help you cope or bring you comfort?

Also there's no shame in any of this - anxiety is hard to live with. I know I get really messy when I'm struggling with my MH and my poor plants don't always make it through it alive like I do.

(Poll is multiple choice)

[BFG_]

Every single one which is why I avoid all the negative ones on the list and do all the positive ones.

Instead of the six o'clock news I put on an episode of only fools and horses each night.

[Chess&Junkfood]

Irregular sleep: I've been sleeping well lately. So no problems with that one.

Caffeine: This is definitely the one that heightens my anxiety the most. Which is why I avoid caffeine when I need to take myself off autopilot mode.

Alcohol: My anxiety is usually fine when I drink my Ben Shaws Shandy.

Sugar: It's probably a 50/50 with this one. I appreciate a good sugar rush, but the coming down part isn't always fun.

Messy living space: I'm very tidy. Not overboard tidy, but I always try to keep everywhere looking presentable. Which I think helps my anxiety in some way.

Skipping meals: Sometimes this happens. When I skip breakfast, I do find that I'm not as zesty as I usually am. Or something like that.

Not enough exercise: I used to exercise a lot in my 20s, but not so much anymore. Idk, I think I would rather stick with my mental exercising at the moment. Which is my journaling. Although I do lift my pencil when writing, so that's something I suppose.

Too much time online: It depends on how busy my day is. But even on a quiet day, I don't spend a great deal of time online. Well apart from morning, noon and night that is. Other than that, not that much.

Not enough fresh air: I'm usually out and about most days. So I think I'm well topped up on the O2.

Not enough water: I'm a big fan of the H20! Usually a few pints of water a day, maybe? Although to be sure, I will have to measure it and report back to you .

Watching the news: Mainly in doses. It's getting the balance. Although I like watching the end of the news, where you see the newsreader tidying up what's on their desk. It's a quality I appreciate in a newsreader.

Processed food: I'm not called junkfood for nothing! Although I have been trying to incorporate more fresh ingredients into my diet. Broccoli and pot noodle for example. But it would be more beneficial if I did lower the junk and increase the chess. Or something like that.

[Scurrilous Rumour]

Caffeine is the one that I notice the most, which is why I very rarely drink caffeinated drinks. It is an absolute no-no if I need to do something I am worried about. Caffeine makes me jittery at the best of times, when I'm in anxiety mode it's a disaster.

All the others on the list are things I monitor in a sort of haphazard way without making strict rules about them.

[Jen.]

Alcohol, I guess. It would be useful for getting through anxiety-inducing situations, but the anxiety that inevitably came afterwards from things I might have said or done while drinking (even if not even "bad", or even remembered by anyone else) was always bigger and longer lasting, so I decided to stop and haven't drank since last September. I don't really miss it at all, it was surprisingly easy to get used to.

[biscuits]

For some there is instant anxiety:
Lack of sleep
Caffeine (although I find caffeine either makes me excitable or sleepy)


For some it's a few hours later:
Sugar - the come down
Forgetting to keep hydrated


For some it's the next day:
Alcohol

For some it's a build up over time:
Too much exposure to news stories (Twitter, YouTube, daily mail!)
Too much internet
Not enough fresh air
Not enough exercise
Messy environment

I think with a lot of them there isn't instant anxiety. They can become things that over time contribute to anxiety, especially when depression is thrown into the mix . I know for example, if I spend too much time indoors that the next time I go out I feel brand new and anxiety is strong. Whereas if I've been out (with lots of little exposures) then big things like going to London (gig, tube) or out for a meal with others don't feel as big.

Constant news exposure over time is also very bad for MH, especially when it's mainly opinion based sources. Twitter and YouTube are not reliable sources, but they seem to be valued.

It's definitely worth stepping out of yourself and thinking about how much exposure you have to the news and how much "doom scrolling" takes up your day. Anxiety loves exposing yourself to events that are out of your control. It's good to think about what benefits you're getting from it.

[Appear]

Of the above, probably only lack of sleep. Drinking alcohol used to make me anxious the day after but it doesn't really anymore. I struggle with mess and will regularly go out of my way to tidy things in my immediate area/eye line but I wouldn't say it actually makes me anxious - except in the TikTok sense.


Not above:

- Seeing unflattering (most) pictures of myself, especially when I'm out and therefore have to adjust my self-image to reflect the horror

- Thinking too much about the future

- Leaving the house in just chaps, despite the lovely breeze in and around me

[biscuits]

Originally Posted by Jen.

Alcohol, I guess. It would be useful for getting through anxiety-inducing situations, but the anxiety that inevitably came afterwards from things I might have said or done while drinking (even if not even "bad", or even remembered by anyone else) was always bigger and longer lasting, so I decided to stop and haven't drank since last September. I don't really miss it at all, it was surprisingly easy to get used to.

This reminds me of when a counsellor encouraged me to drink to deal with social situations. Recommending depressants to the depressed, ten out of ten counselling skills

I don’t drink for several reasons and one is because of worrying that I’ll get out of control and say or do things … not awful things. It’s the idea of not having any knowledge of what happened. Plus waking up dehydrated or unfresh doesn’t appeal.

Others are definitely more accepting of people who go out socially and don’t drink. In the past I’ve been looked at like I’m an alien. But these days I find other people are glad that there is someone else that isn’t drinking

I heard that in Canada they’re going to put warning labels like they do on cigarettes on bottles of alcohol.