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Paperbark Conversations - Anxiety

Updated: Sep 6, 2023

Geographe Bay Yacht Club, 19 April 2023

The Geographe Bay Yacht Club proved to be a fabulous venue that suited our Paperbark Conversations to a tee. It was a full house, and it was lovely to see some old familiar faces and to meet so many new people for the first time.


A huge thankyou to all the practitioners who put their hands up to be part of what turned out to be a wonderful evening of sharing knowledge and experiences with the audience, and thanks also to our community who once again put their faith in us to be able to deliver a night full of information, connection and learning.


Plus a big heartfelt thankyou to Michelle and the Geographe Bay Yacht Club for being a wonderful community mental health supporter and allowing us to use their venue for the evening. By the way, the club apologised for the noisy gremlin that came and went throughout the evening. It has never been there before, so it caused much head scratching as Anton tried unsuccessfully to pin it down. Thank you for trying, Anton.

It’s always great to be in the company of people who are interested in taking charge of their own health and wellbeing, and that Wednesday night was no exception. This commitment was matched by the wonderful practitioners, who volunteered their time as they have a passion for sharing what they know so that the community can make informed choices for their own and their families' health and wellbeing.




Helen Shaylor (Naturopath), Heather Lowndes (Psychologist), Dr Candy Leeb (GP), Genevieve Morrissey (Counsellor and MC) and Kelly Fritsch (Kinesiologist).


ANXIETY was our topic, and there was a huge amount to try to get through during the evening. I think we did a pretty good job of covering most things without cutting people off or boring them with too much detail!


As we found out during our discussion, there is a large overlap between anxiety and depression. Therefore, alongside new links, we have also referenced here many of the resources that we listed in our blog on our Paperbark Conversation on Depression in February.

Introduction

Anxiety is your body’s response to threats, either real or perceived. Your heart might beat faster, your breathing rate might increase, your hands might become sweaty or you might feel butterflies in your stomach.

It is a powerful, unpleasant, stressful emotion that we experience when we believe we are in danger of serious risk or harm. The perceived threat, however, is often not real and usually not in the present moment. One of the hallmarks of anxiety is that it is usually full of "what ifs". This is where it differs from fear. With fear, the perceived threat is real and in the here and now. Anxiety, on the other hand, is directed towards what we feel might cause us harm; it is a protective mechanism designed to keep us out of harm’s way.


For a good explanation of anxiety and its symptoms, read Health Direct's page on ANXIETY.


As stressful and unpleasant as anxiety is, there was a general consensus on the panel that it is a very treatable condition and, with the right practitioners/team supporting you, you can look forward to reducing your anxiety to normal levels.


But the first step towards understanding your experience of anxiety is knowing that you are not "faulty", but rather that something within you is not coping with your circumstances, be this work-related, physical, relational, mental or nutritional. Once you understand what this thing is, you can start to make changes for the better.


All the practitioners agreed that in some circumstances medication has a role to play, but it should not be the first or indeed only line of treatment.


Check out the following Beyond Blue links:


Deal with your history


Where we have come from, what we have experienced and how we have interpreted that consciously or unconsciously have a major impact on how our mental, physical and emotional body operates now.


Psychology and counselling are very helpful to work through personal and family history. Even if you don't feel like you have a significant issue with your history, getting an objective point of view may be very helpful if you feel like you're going around in circles and ending back at the same place again and again. Family patterns are very sneaky things and can be handed down from generation to generation, keeping us trapped in habitual behavioural and thought cycles.


At this point in time, frustratingly, it is very difficult to find a psychologist or a psychiatrist who doesn't have a lengthy waiting list. If you are struggling to get in to see a psychologist, consider a counsellor or psychotherapist. Their waiting list may be much shorter as they are not within the Medicare system. Nevertheless, they are qualified mental health practitioners who work regularly with clients who experience anxiety, and many offer their services at a very reasonable price.


Also, as the panel suggested, look around for holistic healthcare professionals who can support you with other areas of your life while you wait to see a mental health professional and, even if you are already seeing one, still consider that option of treating the whole body, not just emphasising one area because other players such as nutrition, sleep and movement, etc. also contribute to our overall psychological wellbeing. We are blessed with many wonderful holistic practitioners in this region, who all play their part in supporting people with anxiety from a range of modalities, such as naturopaths, kinesiologists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, sound therapists, and reiki, yoga and pilates practitioners.


Take a mental health course


As we mentioned on the night, PWP runs an adult psycho-educational course called Hello To Me (video and more info). Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed of upcoming courses.


Hello To Me is an 8-week prevention and early intervention mental health program that is open to adults of any age and gender. It is designed to facilitate growth in our most basic emotional and cognitive needs by providing new tools and skills. It is aimed at anyone who is feeling stuck, numb, unfulfilled, stressed, anxious, directionless or lacking in confidence, for whatever reason, whether that’s in their relationship with other people, in their job or in their life generally.


Check out what other mental wellbeing courses there are on offer in your community. It may feel daunting to sign up to a course like this, but they can often be the best way to make real and lasting change as being in a group can in itself be a life-altering experience.


Genevieve Morrissey recommends the following resources:


Unwinding Anxiety with Jud Brewer, MD, PhD - Rich Roll webcast


Pay attention to your nutrition, diet and exercise


Our panellists talked about the importance of a whole foods diet and the role that the gut microbiome plays in regulating anxiety. There is a wonderful article in the Guardian newspaper highlighting the work of Professor Felice Jacka and her team at the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University: Nutritional psychiatry: can you eat yourself happier?



Also check out the following:

An audience member asked a question regarding MTHFR gene mutation. Here is a article that not only explains it but also has some suggestions for how to treat it: The Functional Medicine approach to MTHFR.


Helen Shaylor referred to the amino acid GABA a few times. Here is a link that explains the role that GABA plays in anxiety: What is Gaba?


As we found out, hormones play a huge part in our anxiety levels as well. Here are a couple of links from our Paperbark Conversation on Depression that address the issue of hormone health:

Our panellists also touched on the importance of movement. Exercise and movement have been a recommended treatment add-on for anxiety for many years, and now science and technology are able to pinpoint why.


This article from The Better Health Channel in Victoria gives a simple fact sheet outlining why exercise is of such benefit: Exercise and mental health.


Genevieve recommends the following:

Make lifestyle changes


Anxiety at its core is simple enough to understand but its complexity plays out in so many different ways because it is such an individual issue. It can be the sum of where you were born, who you were born to and the patterns and lifestyles that you have lived for your whole life.


The brain changes according to how you use it and what it has been exposed to. and while it's important for researchers to continue to try to understand the mechanisms of anxiety, including how our brain chemicals interact, many are now including lifestyle in the mix as a key component that can also have an effect on our body and brain chemistry. This is known as neuroplasticity.


Heather Lowndes referred on the night to Dr Dan Siegel. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and a leader in the field of neurobiology, and he is worth checking out. He has published extensively for both professional and lay audiences on brain plasticity and neurobiology. His Healthy Mind Platter highlights what we should put on our mental health platter.


Psychologists Dr Kelly McGonigal, Dr Pippa Grange and Dr Kristen Neff give some great advice on positive changes you can make in your life in conversations with Dr Rangan Chatterjee.


Dr Candice Leeb recommends Sarah Wilson's book: First, We Make The Beast Beautiful.


Be mindful of your social media and technology use


There was a consensus on the panel that technology, especially social media, is doing us no favours. In fact, it is doing us more harm than most of us are aware of or prepared to face.


Increasingly, there is compelling data surfacing around the damage that our addiction to technology and social media, particularly for our children, is doing to the state of our mental health, the structure of our relationships, our performance at work and in the fabric of our communities.


We talked about and gave away Johann Hari's book Lost Connections, and here is a link to his now famous TED talk relating to the book: This could be why you're depressed or anxious.


Johann Hari's latest book Stolen Focus - Why You Can't Pay Attention is an enthralling read that shows how dreadfully we have become distracted by the many 'screens' we encounter each day. It's as though our ability to pay attention has collapsed, and Johann spoke to many leading researchers from around the world to expose just how bad it has become.


Here is a link to one of the better online video conversations with Johann about his book:


For those of you who haven't seen the chilling Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, about the rise of social media and its lack of accountability, here's a link to the trailer for it:

The Social Dilemma Documentary, and you can watch the documentary on Netflix.


Conclusion


Just as we discovered at the previous Paperbark Conversation on Depression, there are 9 primary things that we need to do in order to resolve, live with and help others with anxiety:

  • Skill yourself up and learn how to deal better with stressors

  • Foster healthy social connections and relationships - find your tribe!

  • Follow a whole foods diet

  • Move and exercise

  • Reduce your screen time

  • Adopt good sleeping habits to restore mind and body - read our blog on Sleep

  • Deal with your past

  • Do a job you find meaningful

  • Take a holistic approach to your health

There are many wonderful healthcare practitioners in this region successfully working with people with anxiety on a daily basis. Seek recommendations from friends, family and colleagues. Get yourself a team.


Other resources that might interest you:


How to contact our panellists and MC


Heather Lowndes: BreakThrough Psychology

Helen Shaylor: Helen Shaylor Naturopath


Photography


Thanks to Kate Heaslip for generously donating her time and taking such wonderful photos. Kate Heaslip Photography


A huge thankyou to our volunteers behind the scenes who make our Paperbark Conversations events seamless: Joanne James, Jeff Higgins and Karen Crutchlow.


Gallery






















 
 
 

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