The theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is anxiety, so we decided to ask Simon Kingsman, a Team Manager at The Devon Moorings service about how they support people experiencing anxiety.

“As a service, we often support people who are suffering in some way due to anxiety, sometimes it’s the main reason for their concerns and other times it may be a side factor to other issues they are facing.

Either way anxiety can cause a lot of difficulties for people and it can be exacerbated by the uncertain and often uncomfortable time that we live in. One thing that seems to help a lot of people that we support is by simply just talking through what it is that is affecting them. After talking things through, we are often able to identify one or more thing in their lives that they can change which will have a positive effect on their mental health and reduce feelings of anxiety. Some people benefit from planning their time throughout the week and ensuring that they factor in time to enjoy the things they like to do. Others benefit from trying strategies or techniques to help ground them or to practice mindfulness. For many, simply talking about their struggles with someone who is non-judgemental and supportive can help in itself. Whatever the benefit, this always starts with opening up and talking about the things that make you feel anxious. It is important that everyone understands that their concerns matter and talking it over can help in ways they may not expect.”

If you feel you might benefit from talking to someone about your feelings of anxiety, we have a number of services that can offer support. Please visit our service lookup page to learn more about what is available in your local area.

 

Left: Devon Moorings Exeter  Right: Simon Kingsman, Team Manager