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Tips to Alleviate Anxiety

Mon 15 May 2023
Anxiety is a common experience for all of us, whether it stems from a specific situation, such as going to school or a job interview, or is something more ephemeral. It is your body’s natural response to stress.

Monique from Beautiful Minds, spoke with us at the HFA conference about anxiety, and how we can overcome it.

Watch her presentation where she explores wellbeing and mental health and shows some simple techniques to feel calmer and more relaxed.



 

What are her top tips for alleviating anxiety?

 

The Body Thump Technique

  1. Stand up
  2. Place one palm out
  3. Form a fist with your hand
  4. Gently thump your fist up and around your body
 

Face Tapping

  1. Spot pressure with your fingerprints along your face
  2. Lightly tap with your fingers
 

Breathing

  1. Inhale through your nose
  2. Exhale through your mouth, with your lips pinched like they’re holding a straw
 

STOP Strategy

  • S – STOP
  • T – Take long, slow breaths out
  • O – Observe your surroundings
  • P – Proceed
 

54321 Activity

  • 5 things you can see
  • 4 things you can feel
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  • 1 thing you can taste
 

Ice Technique

Simply hold some ice in your hand. This:
  1. Lowers your temperature
  2. Stops the adrenaline
  3. Hones your focus – it’s the only thing you can feel
 

Colour Walk

  • Go for a 10 minute walk around your block and count how many different colours you see
 

Write and Rip

  • Write down your fears and then rip them up. This gets them out of your head and onto paper.
 

The Calm Palm

  1. Hold one hand up
  2. With your other hand, use your pointer finger to trace your hand
 


Beautiful Minds also assisted us during the conference with a three-part workshop focused on mental health and wellbeing. The workshop was free to all young people aged 10-30, run by HFA with the support of an education grant provided by CSL Behring.

If you are concerned about your anxiety, please reach out to a loved one or talk to your GP.

Who else can you talk to?
There are several support agencies where you can have a chat anonymously on the phone or online, for example 

Submit your story to Factored In

You can also upload a video and a photo, just make sure you look over and understand ‘read me first’!

READ ME FIRST

Please read this important information before you upload!

Under 18?

If you are under 18 and would like to upload a story, image or video that identifies who you are, we require your parent or guardian to send an email to factoredin@haemophilia.org.au stating that they give their permission for your story, image or video to be published. We have to do this for your privacy and protection. Or you parents can download this form and send it to us.

Anyone else under 18?

Also, if you are using a story, image or video that identifies someone else who is under 18, you will need to get their parents’ consent. You can ask their parents to email us at factoredin@haemophilia.org.au  or download this form and send it to us

Parents can simply copy and paste this into an email and fill in the blanks …
I, (parent/guardian name here) give permission for (son/daughter name here)’s story, image or video titled (put title here) to be published on Factoredin.org.au. I also give permission for HFA to reproduce the story/image/video in other HFA publications, reports or web site.

Identify anyone at all?

Finally, if you are using a story, image or video that identifies someone of any age, you will need their consent as well and they can provide this by emailing us at factoredin@haemophilia.org.au or downloading this form and send it to us.

Anyone over 18 can simply copy and paste this into an email and fill in the blanks …
I, (put name here) give permission for my story, image or video titled (put title here) to be published on Factoredin.org.au. I also give permission for HFA to reproduce the story/image/video in other HFA publications, reports or web site.

How can I get around this, I hear you ask? Don’t make yourself or anyone else identifiable!

This is the title of your story - get creative (don't just use your name!)



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mental health