Avril is our incredible psychotherapist who works with our IBD Mental Health Support Service users. Avril has over 22 years of mental health nursing experience, and has also studied CBT, mindfulness, transactional analysis, life coaching, hypnotherapy and NLP. Her invaluable skills and expertise allow her to put together tailored plans for our Crohn’s and Colitis patients to help them battle with the demands that their condition puts on their mental health and face the challenges ahead.
Avril has shared her easy to implement tips and advice on how how to manage anxiety.
Tips and advice:
- Keep physically active – go for a walk
- Avoid alcohol or Recreational drugs
- Eat healthy
- Prioritize sleep
- Establish a routine
- Name what your feeling
- Take a cold shower ( or if your brave a cold ice plunge)
- Breathing techniques using 555 rule ( breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5, and then breathe out for and repeat)
- 333 rule ( look around your environment to identify 3 objects and 3 sounds then move 3 body part)
- Keep a journal
- Challenge negative thoughts – ( PAUSE, NOTICE, LABEL thoughts, INTENTION)
- Mediation
- Talk to someone
Remember:
- Anxious is how you feel not who you are.
- Anxiety lies, there is a way through it, you just haven’t found it
- don’t worry about the path ahead just focus on your next step.
- Worrying about the future or thinking of the past robs you of the present moment.
If you would like more information or would like to apply to access our IBD Mental Health Support Service visit > https://bit.ly/MentalHealthSupportService
