Anxiety levels soar in Scotland

The Mental Health Foundation has just released a press release citing that more than one million adults across Scotland have experienced levels of anxiety stopping them from living their lives. Out of 1,000 people polled, 58% suggested that they had some form of anxiety that interfered with their daily lives and the figures are shocking.

The figures also underscore why this week, (which is Mental Health Awareness Week), is so important as a marker for us all to think about our mental health.

As someone who works with clients who have anxiety that interferes with their daily lives, whether that be through high stress levels, phobias, panic attacks or generalised anxiety, the figures also demonstrate that we as a species, cannot keep thinking that our bodies can cope with whatever stress levels we put on them.

This could be through the use of increased technology, tighter, more stressful timelines or through some kind of constant desire to achieve more material things through longer working hours. Millions of years of evolution cannot simply be adapted overnight to cope with the huge changes in work and pressures that have taken place in the last one hundred years. Sadly, something has to give and it is usually the mental health of individuals that indicates that the body has had enough.

Anxiety is becoming a significant problem in the UK and the fact is that the NHS cannot provide the volume of therapy or counselling services that are needed. Medication has become the default go-to for many General Practitioners, whilst 10 sessions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, (of which there is a long waiting list), is the next panacea.

However, we all realise as therapists that people with medium and long-term anxiety issues need much longer-term work and work that brings into play a range of therapeutic styles and modalities that resonate with the client. This is why I believe that anxiety is going to continue to be an ongoing issue that affects many lives and communities in the UK. I believe this will continue to be the case well into the next decade.

This also means that unless we do not strive for a better work and life balance, and ensure that we have the time to connect with family, friends, nature and our own thoughts, we will remain in a mental framework that seeks to firefight problems that come up at work. Underlying issues such as trauma and abuse will continue to lie in the subconscious, aggravated by levels of stress that make the body much more susceptible to the impacts of these past events. It is then only a matter of time as the body stores up stress, that a crisis comes to the surface.

So during this Mental Health Awareness Week, make time for yourself. Do something you enjoy, walk, read a book and make sure that the challenges of life and work are somewhat contained. Containing them is the first step to better mental health.

If you're looking for support with anxiety, you can contact Fiyaz or use our search tool to browse therapists.