Anxiety - When Worry Becomes Overwhelming
Anxiety is Australia’s most common mental health condition. Discover expert insights, grounding techniques, and practical ways to calm the mind and body.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is Australia’s most common mental health condition, affecting 1 in 4 people (APS, 2023). It can feel like a false alarm system stuck on repeat - leaving you tense, restless, and unable to switch off.
Why It Matters
Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010) found that a wandering mind is often an unhappy one. Anxiety thrives on worry about the future, pulling us away from the present. Somatic experts like Pat Ogden remind us that the body holds stress, and calming anxiety often starts with the body, not just the mind .
Small Steps that Help
Practical strategies to calm the false alarm system:
- Try [4-7-1 Cyclic Breathing] - slow inhale, hold, then exhale to calm the nervous system 【34†source】.
- Use the [5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise] - notice what you see, hear, touch, smell, and taste to bring yourself back to now.
- Reduce stimulants - less caffeine and late-night phone use reduces spikes.
- Move gently - yoga or walking meditation help release tension.
Professional treatments such as CBT, mindfulness-based therapies, and exposure therapy are highly effective - but even these small steps can help you feel more in control today.
👉 Learn more: https://psychology.org.au/for-the-public/psychology-topics/anxiety
Further Reading / Try This:
• Try the Cyclic Sighing Breathing Exercise (5-min reset) – see resource: Cyclic_Sighing.pdf
• Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise to return to the present – see resource: 54321_Grounding.png
• Explore mindfulness and meditation practices – see resource: Mindfulness_Workshop.pdf
• Reflect with The Anatomy of Peace Breathing – see resource: Anatomy_of_Peace.pdf
• Support adolescent wellbeing and identity – see resource: Building_a_Powerful_Self.docx
If you're struggling and need immediate assistance, please call Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14 or emergency services on 000 – Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Other service helplines:
- Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
- Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
- Mensline: 1300 78 99 78
- Relationships Australia: 1300 364 277
- Gamblers Help Line: 1800 858 858
- Directline (Alcohol and Drugs): 1800 888 236
- Domestic Violence: 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732
- Butterfly National Helpline (eating disorders and body image): 1800 33 4673
References & Further Reading
Australian Psychological Society. (2023). Anxiety. Retrieved from https://psychology.org.au/for-the-public/psychology-topics/anxiety
Beck, A. T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Gilbert, D. T., & Killingsworth, M. A. (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006), 932.
Hassed, C., & Atkins, P. (2012). Mindfulness workshop. Mindfulness in daily life and work applications.
McEwen, B. S. (2004). Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress: Allostasis and allostatic overload. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1032, 1–7.
Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
Resick, P. A., Monson, C. M., & Chard, K. M. (2016). Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Manual. Guilford Press.
Stephenson, T. (2021). Building a powerful self-identity: Why it matters for adolescents. Unpublished manuscript.
Stanford University Study on Cyclic Sighing Breathing (2023).
Achor, S. (2010). The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. Crown Business.
Roedel, J. (2019). The Anatomy of Peace. Retrieved from https://www.johnroedel.com/