Anxiety (Ang-zie-uh-tee)
“Did that person read my message? Why haven’t they responded?”
“I don’t want to leave the house today, but I said I would go out with friends. Are they going to hate me if I don’t go?”
“They signed off the message with ‘night’, rather than ‘goodnight’. Are they upset with me?”
“I can’t explain it, but something bad is about to happen.”
These are just a few thoughts/examples of what races through someone’s mind if they’re suffering from anxiety, whether they are justified or not. These thoughts can cause feelings of uneasiness/nervousness, or in extreme cases, can progress to panic attacks.
We all may have had these thoughts sometimes or may have been anxious about something in particular – such as an upcoming doctor’s appointment or an exam that we’re feeling nervous about. Still, others amongst us suffer from these thoughts on a daily basis.
Your brain is a mighty organ that keeps your body going and fuels your thoughts. As with physical health, some people’s brains are in peak condition, whilst others are not so much. It’s not always something that we have control over, just as some people are genetically predisposed to obesity,
some brains are wired differently from others and can’t process information in the same way.
At RBM, this month’s chosen charity is Shelter which specialises in providing assistance to the homeless, but this goes hand in hand with mental health as homelessness can often be caused (or indeed be the cause) of poor mental health. I know that we focused on the Mind charity back in September, but I believe this is something that should be talked about all year round.
The conversations on mental health are a lot more commonplace nowadays than they were even as recent as 10 years ago, but thanks to the internet, there are so many places you can go to get more information or get the help you need. The Mind charity has a brilliant section on its website with tons of information on all things mental health:
https://www.mind.org.uk/
Talking to someone is always better than not talking to someone.
Some people with these sorts of issues can become very good at hiding them from the outside world, so you could have a good friend going through some issues and not even know it. If you are struggling, speak to someone. You may find that they are struggling with similar problems and by talking to each other, you have opened a two-way street of support.
Talking to someone may seem like a scary thing to do, or you may feel that you don’t want to lump your problems onto your friends, but if they truly are your friend, I PROMISE you, they would rather hear your problems than let you suffer in silence.
If you really feel like you can’t speak to your friends about it, for any reason, then call me. I am by no means a professional in the subject, but part of my job as a mortgage advisor is to listen to people’s financial issues/problems and work together with them to find a solution. I can’t promise that I will find a solution for you, but if speaking to a stranger feels easier than speaking to a friend, then I will be that stranger.
By Oli Smith (CeMAP)
Mortgage & Protection Advisor
Email: oli@rbmsolutions.co.uk
Mobile: 07306 430212
Direct Dial: 02394 217261
Gatcombe House, Copnor Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5EJ
