Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE

Trauma is not only psychological. It is stored in the body.

Organs, tissues, skin, muscles and endocrine glands store trauma. These have peptide receptors that let them access and retain emotional information = your memories are in your brain and body.

We may not be conscious that our symptoms are due to trauma, so we cannot solely rely on talking therapy to process the trauma - we need to get physical!

Strategies to also try:
EMDR
Deep breathing
Yoga
Tapping
Exercise/dance
Walking
Grounding techniques
Crying
Cold exposure
Screaming into a pillow
Pushing against a wall.

Exhausting to read, isn't it?

Imagine “living“ this way, day in, day out.

In the UK, over 8 million people experience an anxiety condition at any one time (Mental Health UK), with less than 50% of people with generalised anxiety “disorder“ accessing treatment.

To the uninformed, we appear to be “high maintenance“, “a pain“ and neurotic. We don't mean to be. We acknowledge how much of a drain our panic-stricken behaviours are on those around us.

Genetics, ongoing (toxic) stress, previous traumas, medication and physical health issues can all trigger anxiety and while a little anxiety can be useful, left unchecked, it can ruin lives.

If you suffer from anxiety, there is always something you can do to gain some control (after all, this is a key part of the problem with anxiety - feeling a complete lack of control).

✅ Get physical! swim, jog, walk, whatever floats your boat. The activity boosts those feel good hormones as well as confidence and energy

✅ Talk about your feelings to health professional or counsellor

✅ Try different grounding techniques

✅ Practice deep breathing

✅ Journal

✅ Take social media breaks

✅ Practice sleep hygiene

✅ Celebrate “small“ wins!