Is it possible to view anxiety from a different lens other than what is considered “normal” in society? Absolutely! Helen Ball is proof of that – and she’s thriving!
Even though Helen didn’t realize it at first, she figured out that she has been living with anxiety since she was a teenager. She was given an anti-depressant medicine at age 16, but didn’t know that’s what she was taking at the time.
“Although I wasn’t aware exactly what the medication was, I believe it was absolutely the right course of action for me at the time and that it quite possibly saved me!” Helen said. “It gave me the small lift I needed to be able to get some normality back and as a teenager that was so important.”
She was able to be off medication for a while, but in her early 20s, she experienced physical and mental symptoms again. She found a different medication that helped her. “I came to realize I was suffering from health anxiety with physical symptoms,” she said.
When she was in her 30s, she was in a stressful situation at work and experienced an episode of numbness and a panic attack. She ended up having to take time off from work to focus on her well-being.
What is health anxiety?
Health anxiety can be defined as excessively worrying about one’s health by believing that specific medical symptoms are a serious illness when they may not be.
To help with health anxiety, many people use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which is considered the most effective treatment. It needs to be noted, however, that it is possible to suffer from anxiety and have a serious medical condition, so it’s important at the beginning to have a physical exam to determine if there are any medical problems.
A turning point for Helen
The turning point for Helen was when she started CBT. She saw a therapist every week for about 10 weeks. “The therapist I saw was extremely good,” she said.
Helen also started meditation to consciously quiet her mind and reduce cortisol in her body. This enabled her to better cope with stressful situations.
“I recognized my need for limiting stressful situations.”
She has focused on getting to know herself and her triggers. She concentrates on preventative care (versus reactionary) by learning self-care. “You have to make time for self-care,” she said. “You have to prioritize.”
Some of Helen’s self-care practices include:
- Relaxation, meditation, and the “Miracle Morning” (by Hal Elrod)
- Doing something for herself such as being outside in nature or taking a soothing bath
- Doing things that bring joy
- Giving herself time to be quiet, time to reflect
- Taking care of her well-being through good nutrition
Importance of good nutrition
Helen is passionate about sharing the importance of good nutrition, especially gut health, to help with anxiety. Because there is an extremely important link between the gut and the brain, what a person eats affects not only the gut but also the mental state. “Your gut and brain have a serious connection (via a massive nerve called the vagus nerve) that sends messages up and down every second of the day and night,” Helen explained.
A person’s gut health determines energy levels, sleep quality, skin appearance, mental state, stress and anxiety levels, productivity, and concentration.
“I have experienced first hand how good gut health has helped,” she added. “If someone is struggling with anxiety, one thing to look at is what they’re eating.”
“Something that doesn’t help is ‘Dr Google,’” she added with a smile – meaning only looking online for symptoms may cause more harm than good.
Vulnerability
“Talking about it with others really helps,” she encourages. “Don’t keep it to yourself. Open up to people and find out you’re not alone.”
Why is being vulnerable so hard? Helen explained: “Society suggests from an early age that being vulnerable means:
- a sign of weakness
- people will think less of you
- you won’t be seen as a strong leader
- you can’t be relied upon under pressure
- stirring up negative emotions.”
Helen looks at vulnerability through a different lens. “Through showing your vulnerability to others you are in fact showing amazing strength and leadership. To truly connect and empathise with others we need to show our vulnerability and this is a sign of a brilliant and effective leader! We need to all play our part in encouraging a vulnerability culture!”
Statements like: “Man up,” “Pull yourself together,” “Grin and bear it,” and “Buck up” are not helpful and encourage a toxic environment where people feel like they can’t share their emotions and grow.
Instead, Helen suggests to try saying these encouraging words instead: “That’s tough,” “I hear you,” “I’ve felt like that too,” and/or “You are totally not alone.”
“People want to see you…warts and all because then you are human and you are relatable! Just watch as people start to open up and you can learn how to support them better,” she added.
Choose joy
Helen’s advice today (which has come from years of suffering from health anxiety) includes:
“Always choose joy! If you’re feeling stuck, do what makes you happy. When you are living in joy, you are vibrating at a higher frequency and things will naturally work themselves out just as they are meant to be. Nothing else matters!
If you want to change your life you need to put the work in but that work doesn’t need to be hard! It doesn’t need to be blood, sweat, and tears. Find something that gives you both.
I promise that it is possible! You just need to open your eyes, have faith, take the leap and have FUN!”