The recent Paris terrist attacks have caused anxiety to rise in Europe and beyond.
Australia has been relatively insulated from the impact of such large-scale events however the Lindt Café siege and last month’s shooting at Parramatta’s Police headquarters has some of my clients feeling more anxious than previously and finding it hard to relax while at home or out and about.
Anxiety can be free floating; a non-specific feeling of dread that “something bad” will happen.
- This is accompanied by worry (apprehensive thoughts about future negative outcomes) and physiological symptoms like feeling restless, irritable, easily fatigued and having sleep difficulties.
One in four Australians will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime and up to 14.4% in the last 12 months. Feeling anxious is normal, but when it feels controllable and persists on most days for six months, it’s starting to look like a mental disorder.
Anxiety can be useful to help motivate action and to forecast trouble ahead. Unfortunately, it is vulnerable to a few of the cognitive biases that distort our perception of actual risk in our environment.
For example, one cognitive bias is called the availability heuristic. If you can think of an example of an event (its available to your conscious mind) then that event feels more likely to occur.
People often have a fear of flying because they can think of examples of terrible aircraft disasters yet statistically you are much more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident on the way to the airport!
If you can think of a recent example of a terrorist attack, it feels more likely to occur yet the risk of being killed in such an event is microscopic.
Further, the risk is actually no different after the event than before, you are just more aware of it.
As informative as the media is, the availability heuristic is activated by seeing such powerful (and tragic) examples of attacks in newspapers and on Facebook.
Consequently, while the actual risk of being involved in a terror attack has not changed in recent years, an anxious person is likely to feel unsafe because the perceived risk is higher.
So what can we do about this?
Firstly understand the odds. Data from the US suggests that you are 35,079 times more likely to die from a heart attack than from a terrorist attack.
This is a great coincidence because the health behaviours that reduce the risk of heart disease also help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. These include:
- Exercise: clinical studies have shown that exercise reduces the symptoms of anxiety. Regular, moderate exercise (you could talk to a mate while exercising but not sing along to music) can help after as little as two weeks of three sessions per week.
- Eat fresh food: eating a fresh diet that includes vegetables, fruits and nuts helps to reduce anxiety. A diet of processed foods has been related to higher rates of anxiety and depression.
Learn how to manage worry. Communicate your worry to others and be open to their alternate point of view. Talking helps as you use language to apply reason to your emotions, instead of reacting to your emotions without a filter.
Be mindful. Mindfulness is a great way to reduce the impact of worry on how you feel and what you do. Check out how to use mindfulness at http://parramattapsychologyclinic.com.au/news-resources/mindfulness-resources/ or download the app “The Smiling Mind”.
If you don't notice any changes to your anxiety after exercising, cleaning up your diet, communicating your worries and practicing mindfulness, speak to your GP about your concerns.
Your GP will be able to refer to the most appropriate mental health provider for further support.
About the author: Melissa Harries is the principal psychologist at the Parramatta Psychology Clinic located at 22 Hunter Street Parramatta. She has been a psychologist for 10 years and treats common concerns like depression, anxiety and stress. Melissa can be contacted at psychologist@parramattapsychologyclinic.com.au or (02) 9687 9776.
