Source : Perth Now news
In any given week, almost every patient who sits down with psychotherapist Hope Rosenberg is dealing with stress, anxiety or both.
People are feeling overwhelmed by a culture of relentless expectations around success, appearance, productivity and self-improvement — and the result is rising stress and anxiety.
“It is becoming more prevalent,” she told NewsWire.
“They don’t really know how to manage it.
“A lot of people are in a high hustle and grind society, everyone’s wanting to do more, it is very ambitious.
“But when we’re in that overdriven state for too long it really does perpetuate more anxiety, more stress, more burnout if we don’t stop and reset.
“You can be ambitious, but unfortunately life will also happen and we’re inevitably going to get hit with stress or stressor, anxiety and feel overwhelmed as well.”
Stress occurs when people feel overwhelmed, tense, worried or unable to cope with a situation, according to the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
While stress is a normal response to challenging circumstances, prolonged or ongoing stress can negatively affect a person’s mental and physical health.
Anxiety, meanwhile, is typically a short-term response to stress, characterised by feelings of worry, nervousness or apprehension, the APS says.
It can arise in unfamiliar or challenging situations, when people doubt their ability to cope or when the outcome of a situation is uncertain.
However, anxiety can develop into a mental health disorder when it becomes severe or persistent and begins to interfere with daily life.
Ms Rosenberg said social media was a huge factor in younger people feeling stressed and anxious.
She sees children aged 12 and 13 at her clinic distressed about body ideals, beauty standards and expectations to look a certain way.
She said people go to social media to get information, or to figure out what to do or how to feel better, but it often made them feel more overwhelmed and confused.
“Sometimes it’s not about avoiding, it’s about how you manage it … and how you can almost protect and support yourself.
“It’s a matter of protecting your mental health and taking breaks.”
Ms Rosenberg said it was important for people to be able to bring themselves back to the present when they felt stressed or anxious.
According to the Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Centre, eating sour lollies can provide a temporary distraction by drawing the brain’s attention away from distressing thoughts and back to the present moment.
It stated by engaging the body’s senses, the nervous system could reduce the cognitive load of anxious thoughts and relax the mind.
“Eating sour candy during a panic attack, or when symptoms start to emerge, or even before a stressful event might help curb some of the intense anxiety,” the Centre stated on its website.
“While eating sour candy can help curb anxiety, it is only a temporary regulation tool. Treating the root cause of your anxiety often requires more intensive treatment options.”
Sucking on a lollipop slows breathing, increases saliva and gives the brain a sensory task to focus on instead of a spiralling thought.
It is the same principle behind a therapist asking a panicked client to describe the room around them.
Ms Rosenberg has developed One-5 Pops, a lollipop product she says is designed to help people use sensory grounding techniques when feeling stressed or anxious
“People are really overwhelmed … and they don’t know how to help themselves,” she said.
“I wanted to destigmatise the idea of stress and anxiety because we all feel it to differing degrees … it really will affect everyone.
“We don’t always have time in the day to take 20 or 15 minutes, but you might have five or three minutes.
“The lollipop is a tangible, accessible, and practical took that uses sensory technique to help bring you back to the present moment.
“If you are feeling overwhelmed it can be a circuit breaker.”
Billie-May Duckworth, 26, uses the lollipop technique.
As a disability support worker, her job involves supporting highly vulnerable and often non-verbal clients.
It is a role that demands she stay calm even when her own anxiety and social anxiety are peaking.
“Anxiety for me creates restlessness, so having a lollipop gives me that sensory outlet I’m seeking,” she said.
“I keep one in my bag like a security blanket, usually one on the way to work and another later as a bit of a check-in.”
