Pandemic Anxiety 101 – If you’re feeling a bit wobbly…

IN CRISES, WE START DOING WEIRD STUFF: Over the last week I have struggled to sleep, stayed up late into the night reading endless news articles, bought pasta I don’t even like very much, got angry with my mum for not staying home. My spelling is a disaster and I’m definitely drinking more. I’ve been a bit teary, and all I really want to eat is cake, cake and more cake. From what I got back from my post yesterday, I’m not alone.

If you’re having a wobble, you may also have noticed all sorts of weird stuff going on. Are you arguing more, talking faster, struggling to sleep, restless, desperate for information? Or are you teary and overwhelmed, perhaps feeling a bit sick? Struggling to make decisions? Just want to stay in bed? Tummy upsets? Having palpitations, butterflies, headaches? Ranting, picking fights or getting into arguments? Laughing unexpectedly or saying random, inappropriate things? Developing Very Strong Opinions on epidemiology overnight? Or have you just completely gone to ground?

If you are feeling any of these things: good news! You are not going mad. And you are 100% not alone. You are, in fact completely normal: a fully emotionally functional human being. Congratulations! Why? I’ll explain: take a seat and put the kettle on.

WE ARE LIVING IN TURBO-ANXIOUS TIMES. Well, no kidding. We’re in the middle of an unprecedented crisis that has showed up unexpectedly (they do that) and which presents a mortal threat to ourselves, our loved ones and our way of life. It’s terrifying and it’s getting worse and it makes us feel totally out of control. And this is on top of anything else we have going on.

HERE’S THE SCIENCE BIT. When we are exposed to threats and need to deal with them, our brain springs into action. Specifically a tiny, innocent-looking thing buried behind your ear called the amygdala (fun fact: it’s the size and shape of an almond). It’s the bit in charge when we are frightened and right now, it’s in full tin-hat klaxon mode. Unfortunately, it’s also very ancient bit of kit. It came into being when threats basically consisted of being eaten by large scary animals like bears. You know that thing about when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail? Well, to the amygdala, everything looks like a bear. It’s also pretty basic, so it really only has two settings. They are no bear 🙂 and BEAR!!!

SETTING: BEAR!!! Because all threats look like a bear to the amygdala, it preps you accordingly. There are really only two reactions to a bear about to eat you: fight it, or run away really fast. So this is what the body gets you ready to do. It’s called the Fight or Flight response (there’s also freeze, meaning you just get paralysed). It does this by flooding your body with chemicals like cortisol, and adrenaline. Your heart rate goes up, you feel super alert, your breathing goes shallow, your muscles are ready for action. These chemicals are also largely responsible for the huge range of other cognitive/physical/emotional reactions in my intro. In group fear situation like a pandemic, this tends to happen whether you think you’re scared or not – anxiety is even more infectious than COVID. Your body reacts even if your conscious mind doesn’t.

BEAR V VIRUS: Obviously this is all great if you really are running away from a bear. But we’re now in a situation where we’re being asked to do the EXACT OPPOSITE of running away. We are being told to sit tight. Literally stay still. Process large amounts of information, make complicated and life changing decisions, and stay calm. All while a bit of your brain is running around yelling BEAR!!! BEAR!!! BEAR!!! This isn’t easy. The result is an awful lot of stress and anxiety. And if you’re anything like me, you end up feeling really overwhelmed and having all sorts of reactions.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Anxiety isn’t just mental – it’s also physical, cognitive and behavioural. You will notice all kinds of things: stomach upsets, headaches, insomnia, changes to eating, changes to the way you talk. It’s also cognitive: it’s very difficult to think straight when you’ve got the BEAR!!! BEAR!!! BEAR!!! thing going on – so we also become very bad at making decisions, absorbing information and generally thinking rationally. Which is EXACTLY what we need to do.

SO WHAT TO DO: well, the good news is it is possible to calm down. We can turn the amygdala from BEAR!!! to NO BEAR 😊, and not just by distracting it with cake and tea. Here are some solid, scientifically proven things you can do.

BREATHE. It’s so basic, but breathing exercises are basically magic. They work in minutes and you can do them anywhere. They work because of all the physical reactions the amygdala triggers, rapid breathing is the only one over which we have conscious control. Control your breathing and you are basically telling your body: it’s OK. There is no bear. Your body will then start to dial down the adrenaline and cortisol and all the other reactions will slow to a halt. How to control your breathing? It’s easy – and if you want help just put “two minute breathe bubble” in into YouTube. The golden rules are these:

• In through the nose, out through the mouth. SLOWLY
• Make the outbreath longer than the in breath – imagine there’s a candle in front of you and it mustn’t go out
• Breathe from the tummy not chest – really make your tummy go out when breathing in.
• Do it for two minutes – time yourself – and see how you feel

Seriously, try it – this technique is used by everyone from top athletes to the US military to help stay in control while under stress. There are all sorts of versions – from yogic breathing to box breathing to 4-7-8. Google them, mess around, figure out what works for you.

CALL A FRIEND: Don’t suffer alone. Call a mate – someone who’ll listen while you have a bit of a rant, or a cry, or a general wobble. Someone you can trust not to judge you and who’ll just sympathise. And if you get one of those calls, just be nice to them. You only need to be kind. You can’t fix what’s going on so just give them a bit of space to rant and tell them they’re normal and doing great. And if you’re OK, call your friends and check in on them. Especially if they’ve gone silent.

LAUGH: it doesn’t matter what is funny – laughter is a huge releaser of endorphins. Silly memes, silly jokes, stand-up, rolling around with your kids – videos on YouTube. The sillier the better. Also v good for bonding with friends, which will also help you feel less alone.

DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HANDS. Yes you can meditate if this is your bag, it’s amazing. But if it’s not, and personally I’m rubbish, then trying to start when you’re already anxious is really hard. So do something instead with your hands that you have to focus on to get right. Cook. Tidy. Knit. Draw. Bake. Garden. Mend things. This is what nice middle class therapists like me call Mindfulness.

TREAT YOUR BODY: We hold stress in our bodies at least as much as our minds. Take a bath or a shower. Put on things that feel good on your skin. Use nice smelling body creams. Stretch. Skip. Do yoga. Dance. Eat healthy but delicious things – fresh if you can get it. All of these will help calm you down.

SUNSHINE. It’s SPRINGTIME amid this horror – enjoy it. If you can’t go outside, open the windows and feel it on your face and breathe it in. If it’s safe for you to go outside (maybe you live in the country) do it, while of course observing social distance. Go for a walk. Being outdoors, connecting to nature, is hugely calming. 

STEP AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA/THE NEWS: All it will do will scare you more and make things worse. Turn off the telly and for god’s sake avoid the psychopathic digital Wild West that is Twitter. Stick to sensible sources like the BBC and the NHS, and limit yourself to short need-to-know bits a day. You’ll feel better immediately. Talk to friends instead – this is physical, not social distancing

STEP AWAY FROM TERRIBLE COPING MECHANISMS: They will all translate as BEAR!! to your poor brain. Especially don’t get drunk, especially if you’re alone (BEAR!!!), take drugs (BEAR!!!), stay up all night reading (BEAR!!!), get sucked into conspiracy theories (BEAR!!!), pay attention to ANYTHING Donald Trump says (BEAR!!!).  See? Stress levels going up already. Breathe.

BE KIND: to yourself and others. Now is not the time to go on a diet. Nor is this the time to start on Proust or makeover your life. You’ll probably struggle to concentrate, fail and make yourself feel worse (hat tip Laura Gordon for this bit). Don’t make this more stressful than it already is. Think comfort books, comfort telly, comfort everything. Personally I re-read children’s books. Everyone is wobbly, everyone is going to have a meltdown at some point. Understand that if someone is angry or aggressive, then they are also just scared. And eat more cake. Cake makes everything better.

So, there we go. Hopefully a bit less BEAR!! Now, that kettle should have boiled by now. Go make a nice cup of tea… We are British after all. And save me some cake!

Author, Imogen Wall – Mental Health First Aider and qualified therapist – thanks for letting us share this.

Link to article in sign language can be found here – https://youtu.be/RVKaJH0jU6c

COVID-19 Service Update

Our waiting list will remain open to new clients, YPCS is continuing to offer a full counselling service to local young people (11-18) and their families, this will now be provided by our therapists remotely as our centre in Yaxley, and other locations such as Whittlesey Queen Street are now closed to the general public. We will be either using a secure online portal or telephone support, please call 0800 634 4395 or email Admin@ypcs.uk for further information.

YPCS joins the Community Hive

The Young People’s Counselling Service is thrilled to announce that we’ve been invited to be a part of the Peterborough CVS Community Hive programme!

Community Hive is a a 1 year project, funded by the Connect Fund and delivered by PCVS, to deliver a social impact and investment readiness programme for the Greater Peterborough VCSE (voluntary, charitable and social enterprise) Sector.

Thank you to Rebecca Jackson (Community Hive Project Lead) for inviting us to attend the launch event.

We can’t wait to get started!

#jointhehive #socialinvestment #itsjustthebeginning

Charity Champions Conquer the Coals

The Stilton Firewalk results are in and what a spectacular night it was!

Thank you to our firewalkers, YPCS volunteers, YPCS trustees, sponsors, raffle donors, Young Technicians CIC, Kayleigh Stephens and Yaxley Youth Club, the The Talbot Inn, Stilton, Kitty Devereux, Tim Alban District Councillor, Shelley Jude, Tony Chard, Clark Howe, Howsafe and everyone else who supported the event.

You helped us raised £5761.71 to support young people!

Aarsleff agree to help strengthen the foundations for YPCS

Another note of thanks, this time to the team at Aarsleff Ground Engineering who have nominated Young People’s Counselling Services (YPCS) as their ‘Charity of the Quarter’.

Aarsleff Ground Engineering is a market leading specialist ground engineering contractor based in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Aarsleff specialise in the installation of piling, ground beams, geotechnical and retaining solutions servicing the residential, rail, commercial, infrastructure and energy construction markets.

Aarsleff run a charity pot where staff have a ‘Dress Down Friday’ and every quarter this money is donated to a nominated charitable cause.Furthermore, Aarsleff’s Zoe Yeoman’s will be taking part in the YPCS Fire-walk on the 20thOctober and the money raised from Zoe’s fire-walk will also be fund-matched by Aarsleff Ground Engineering.

Aarsleff Ground Engineering’s Marketing and Communications Manager Jessica Banham said “We have selected YPCS as our ‘Charity of the Quarter’ because of the extraordinary work they do supporting Young People & their families not only through the treatment of mental illness but by the way that they are also focusing on prevention. We are absolutely delighted to be supporting such an inspirational organisation and look forward to watching them progress along their exciting & innovative journey”.

YPCS is a non-government funded charity that offers free one-to-one counselling for 11-16 year olds identified as requiring help with their mental health. In the UK, 1 in 10 children are diagnosed with a mental health issue but only 30% receive the correct treatment. £360 covers the cost for providing 12 free counselling to one Young Person in need of help.

For more information about Aarsleff Ground Engineering and its corporate responsibility, contact the company on 01636 611140 or email jessicabanham@aarsleff.co.uk

Thank you to everyone at @aarsleffgroundengineering

Rotary raises £1000 for YPCS

The Whittlesey Rotary were able to handover a cheque for £1000 to Mrs Nicky Baker, a trustee for the local Charity. The money was raised through a beer festival organised and supported by the group in the town earlier in the year.

At the meeting held at the Falcon on in August, Mrs Baker was able to share information about the charities accomplishments over the last 18 months and also discuss some of the main issues that some of our young people, looking for help, struggle with.
The group showed increased concern over the long waiting lists and expressed an interest in supporting the charity in the future.

Conquer the Coals for YPCS

Firewalking is an ancient ritual that has existed for thousands of years in many cultures around the world. As a demonstration of courage and faith it has traditionally symbolised an acolyte’s ability to conquer both inner doubt and a primordial fear of the destructive power of the flames.

In 2018 YPCS invites the brave to take the challenge and raise money for young people at Stilton’s famous Talbot Inn. This friendly village pub, once home to the rituals of Stilton’s Ancient Order of Foresters will host the fiery spectacle on the 20th October.

Participants will take a barefoot walk over red-hot embers measuring around 800 degrees and younger guests and pyrophobes will be able to walk a virtual firewalk created by Young Technicians CIC.

Spectators will be treated to a stunning fire show by Kitty Devereux, a performer who has entertained crowds at some of the UK’s biggest festivals.

FIREWAKK YPCS
Kitty Devereux

If firewalking is on your bucket list and you want to help us to help local young people, please download a registration form and start fundraising. Just £100 sponsorship gets you a pass to the path of fire! You can register your support on Just Giving or click here to download a sponsorship form.

Response EPR Championing the Fight Against Mental Health

Inspired by the work undertaken by the team at Young People’s Counselling Services (YPCS) helping children and families impacted by mental health issues, the team at Response EPR have been amazing by donating £1,080 to sponsor 3 children through 12 counselling sessions.

Response EPR is one of the UK’s leading emergency electrical contractors offering 24/7 nationwide support to restoration companies, building contractors and home owners. With over 30 years of experience, they pride themselves on their expertise and customer service skills supported by the latest technology that allows home owners to track the progress of an engineer deployed to their emergency.

Graham Warby commented ‘We are very pleased to be able to support YPCS, when you look at the increasing pressures being placed on our children today and then realise that there are so few options for parents to get help, charities like YPCS are becoming more critical in safeguarding our future. The team at YPCS have some very interesting plans that I hope to see come to fruition very soon’

YPCS is a non-government funded charity that offers free one-to-one counselling for 11-16 year olds identified as requiring help with their mental health. In the UK, 1 in 10 children are diagnosed with a mental health issue but only 30% receive the correct treatment.

What does £1,080, mean for YPCS?

Thanks to the team at Response EPR, 3 children will now receive counselling with a professional and qualified counsellor.

Today 3 children’s lives have been improved and possibly, a life potentially saved.

Thank you to everyone at @epr_callout

Warwick Davis Becomes YPCS Patron

Young Peoples Counselling Service (YPCS); a child counselling charity committed to providing all referrals, free one-to-one sessions with fully qualified counsellors, is delighted to announce the appointment of Warwick Davis, as a patron for the charity.

Warwick is well renowned for his work as an English actor, television presenter, writer, director and producer but also highly respected for his charity work including his role as Patron & Co Founder of Little People UK.

Alison Graham, Chair of Trustees of YPCS, commented on the appointment:

“We are delighted and honoured to have Warwick Davis as a patron.

Warwick’s support will be key in helping us to raise awareness of the vital work we do supporting children across Cambridgeshire, Rutland & Lincolnshire with mental health issues and we look forward to working closely with him”.

Warwick Davis reciprocated:

“I’m proud to be a patron and supporter of YPCS as they embark on their journey to help more children with mental health issues as well as their ambitious plans to create ‘The Annabelle Davis Centre’.

They already do amazing work for young people within the community and this new centre will allow them to help even more individuals who might otherwise have been neglected by the system. Young people today face more challenges in life than any generation to date, and YPCS will be there support these challenges”.