Anxiety is something that touches most of us, to a greater or lesser extent. Although it may just be a temporary blip for some people, for many, anxiety is a diagnosed condition that blights their lives. Indeed, Mental Health UK estimates more than one in 10 people in the UK are living with an anxiety disorder – that’s over eight million of us. And World Mental Health Day (October 10) is a chance to address the topic, agrees clinical psychologist Dr Kirren Schnack – author of the new book Ten Times Calmer: Beat Anxiety And Change Your Life. “It’s a reminder that mental wellbeing is just as important as physical health,” she says, pointing out that anxiety disorders are among the most widespread mental health issues globally. “Clinically, I’ve seen more and more people coming in with anxiety issue. The pandemic has played a significant role in this surge, introducing unprecedented levels of uncertainty, fear, and social isolation. At the same time, global economic instability and job losses have intensified stress and anxiety for many,” Schnack adds. “The widespread use of digital technology and social media has exposed people to a constant stream of alarming news and comparison-driven content that also feeds anxiety.” Schnack explains that anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which causes chronic worry and hinders decision-making; health anxiety, where there’s an excessive preoccupation with diseases and illness; panic disorder, which is marked by sudden overwhelming panic attacks; and social anxiety, which leads to avoidance, isolation and low confidence. “They can blight daily life through physical symptoms, cognitive impairment, social isolation, disrupted routines, and emotional distress,” she says. Schnack suggests these five ways to combat anxiety problems and find calm… 1. Calm your stressed nervous system Anxiety places significant strain on the nervous system, Schnack explains, but there are simple daily practices that can help alleviate this stress. One is focusing on breathing, extending your exhale longer than your inhale. To do this, Schnack says you need to inhale gently through your nose, pause for a few seconds, then exhale slowly and deeply, ensuring an extended exhale. “A longer exhale helps by increasing the activation of the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts stress hormones, lowers heart rate, and reduces overall physiological stress,” she says. She suggests around three to five of the breaths are repeated on multiple occasions throughout the day, and stresses that consistency is key. “Recognise that if anxiety has been a longstanding presence, it will take time and patience to restore your nervous system’s sense of safety and stability.” 2. Address anxious thoughts Schnack explains that anxiety often generates anxious thoughts that can seem like undeniable facts that are often dwelled on and reacted to, thus intensifying anxiety. “To break free from this cycle, it’s crucial to consciously confront and process these anxious thoughts,” she says. To do this, write a simple record, noting the date of your anxious prediction, describing what it was, and then, after a specified time like a day or two, return to what you’ve written and confirm whether the prediction was accurate by marking it as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. When the prediction doesn’t materialise, make a note of the actual outcome. Revisit the record, especially during anxious moments, and count the yes or no entries to reflect on your progress. “This practice trains your mind to adopt a broader, less anxious perspective,” explains Schnack. 3. Stop over-focusing on anxiety“People struggling with anxiety often find it challenging to shift their attention away from anxiety symptoms, leading to a persistent preoccupation that can worsen their problems,” says Schnack, who explains that this preoccupation can lead to excessive self-analysis, fixation on physical sensations or repetitive thoughts, and being hypervigilant. To shift your attention away from overwhelming anxiety, Schnack suggests trying this exercise: choose a colour, such as blue, and actively seek out blue objects in your surroundings. Name them out loud, and count them as you move around, possibly describing the item too. “Strive to maintain this focus for a few minutes, switching to different colours if necessary. Again, consistency is crucial, so make an effort to practice this regularly whenever anxiety hijacks your attention,” she advises. 4. Learn to tolerate uncertainty Recognising and addressing uncertainty is vital when dealing with anxiety, Schnack stresses. “You can’t resolve every uncertainty in life – the key lies in enhancing your ability to tolerate uncertainty so you can reduce your anxiety,” she explains. “Being more accepting of the fact that things may not always go as planned or that the future is uncertain can be incredibly liberating.” To help build resilience against uncertainty, Schnack advises people to take a moment to slow down and not immediately engage in reactive behaviour demanded by uncertainty, such as checking, Googling or avoiding things. Instead, she says, note your feelings, observing what uncertainty is doing to your mind and body, and write out an affirmation such as: ‘I’m feeling anxious because I’m uncertain about… My typical response to uncertainty is to engage in… behaviour. I recognise this only worsens my anxiety. My goal is to distance myself from anxiety rather than gravitate towards it. I can sit with the feeling of uncertainty for as long as I can, and build on this time until I get better and better at it.’ 5. Gradually face your fearsConfronting your fears is an effective way to overcome them, observes Schnack, although this can often feel overwhelming. “When you confront your fears, you’re essentially acting in opposition to your anxious thoughts and what anxiety is telling you. This process weakens anxiety’s grip on you, and when the actual outcomes don’t align with your anxious predictions, your mind can naturally adjust its thinking.” She suggests starting with small steps and gradually building up. So, for social anxiety, gradually start by saying a simple sentence or asking a basic closed question, and gradually building up from there. For health anxiety, gradually reduce and eliminate excessive online researching about illness and diseases, starting with small-time durations and then building on that. For panic disorder, gradually spend more time in places you typically avoid, starting with short durations like 30 seconds, then a few minutes, and gradually keep increasing the time. “Remember to repeatedly face your fears to make meaningful progress – it’s not just a one time thing,” adds Schnack. Ten Times Calmer: Beat Anxiety And Change Your Life by Dr Kirren Schnack is published by Bluebird, priced £16.99. Available now. Read More Alternative veg to grow for next season How to spot if your child is struggling with their mental health – and what to do next Does your pillowcase make a difference to your skin and hair health? Sarah Jessica Parker channels Carrie Bradshaw on the red carpet in mismatched shoes Does your pillowcase make a difference to your skin and hair health? As transphobic hate crimes rise by 11% in a year, how to be a better ally

Save $70: As of June 29, the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer is

Hoping to stave off inflationary pressures on a diet staple, the Indian government is banning exports of non-Basmati white rice varieties

After receiving a bit of backlash from players regarding new age restrictions on some in-game

For the ultimate NBA experience, you can snag tickets to every big game for a

As car shoppers continue to flock from economy cars to small SUVs, sales are booming for this budget-conscious sport-utility segment

The best affordable art prints can take your living space from drab to fab with just a couple of mounted frames or even a few push pins. From simple black-and-white line art to kooky Western drawings, vintage floral paintings, and more — the internet is home to pretty prints aplenty. Some burst with personality while others complement spaces with their subtlety. But the size of their price tags all depends on where you buy.

McLaren boss Zak Brown has called on Formula One’s governing body to ensure the track-limits fiasco which overshadowed the Austrian Grand Prix never happens again. Drivers were penalised throughout the weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg for crossing the white lines – with the final classification for Sunday’s race only settled five hours after the chequered flag. Eight of the 20-strong grid were dealt post-race sanctions by the FIA, with Lewis Hamilton demoted from seventh to eighth. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz slipped two places to sixth, while Frenchman Esteban Ocon was handed an extraordinary half-a-minute’s worth of combined penalties for track-limit infringements. Earlier in the weekend, world champion Max Verstappen accused race director Niels Wittich of making the grid’s stars look like “amateurs”. In all, more than 100 laps were deleted during Sunday’s race. “It definitely wasn’t ideal what happened, and that’s stating the obvious,” said Brown. “Where we need to do a better job is that we knew this was going to be a problem on Friday and yet we just kind of watched it happen. “We need to make sure it never happens again, and that we do a proper debrief and understand how we could have prevented it in the first place or handled it differently.” McLaren driver Lando Norris benefited from Sainz’s post-race penalty to be promoted to fourth to take his best result of a difficult season for the British team. Brown, speaking at the reveal of a one-off livery for McLaren’s home race at Silverstone this weekend, continued: “I’ll take my hat off to the FIA for addressing the issue and I think it would have been easy to say, ‘this is going to cause a lot of noise, let’s just kind of get it right next time’. “For them to put their hands and say there were some penalties that needed to be addressed, I thought that was a brave decision. “But we can’t have it again. We can’t have a race and then five hours later you have that degree of change in the result.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lando Norris says Just Stop Oil protest at Silverstone would be ‘stupid’ Don’t put your life in danger – British GP boss has stark warning for protesters Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win

Air Canada has issued an apology after two passengers were told to sit in poorly cleaned seats that had been covered in vomit on a previous flight.

In a huge step for first aid in the UK, more than 20,000 defibrillators – which are devices that give an electric shock to the heart of a person who is in cardiac arrest – have been delivered to state schools across the country since January. Cardiac arrest can affect anyone, of any age, but according to St John Ambulance research, when a defibrillator is used within the first three minutes of a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival increase by up to 70%. Knowing how a defibrillator works could save someone’s life, but what should you know before using one? What is a defibrillator? “A defibrillator is an electrical device that provides a shot across the heart to help bring people out of cardiac arrest,” explains James McNulty-Ackroyd, head of clinical projects and paramedic at St John Ambulance. They are often labelled as an AED which is “an automated external defibrillator, and it recognises when using one would be beneficial for the patient. When we talk about cardiac arrests, we talk about shockable and non-shockable, and an AED is useful when the heart is in particular shockable rhythms”, he says. When used, the electrical shock stuns the heart to send it back to its normal function “from the right shoulder down to the left armpit”. The AED knows when it should work after the pads have been applied, because it “recognises the rhythm like an ECG automatically, and it will not shock if the heart is not in one of the relevant rhythms”. When should you use one? You only need a defibrillator in an incident of cardiac arrest. “They should only be used when the patient is not breathing normally, or the heart has stopped,” explains McNulty-Ackroyd. “Their breathing may be like a fish out of water, there is no rhythm to it, there is no real air entry, or non-purposeful gasping. “The heart is not pumping in that situation – it is not working, but there is some movement. They need a defibrillator and high-quality CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).” What should you be wary of? The good news is, there’s not much to worry about when using one. “Ideally, you should not have anyone touching the patient when you press the big red button, but there are lots of different devices on the market and most have written and audible instructions, and tell you what to do, so it will say to stand clear and tell you what to press and when,” he explains. You need to take or cut the person’s shirt off, though. “There is quite a lot of disinformation about taking someone’s bra off. If you do not take their bra off, you cannot get the pads in the right place. Cut down the middle of the bra, and let it fall open.” What do you actually do? So, you have seen someone go into cardiac arrest or found someone who has collapsed. What do you do? “If you find someone who you think is in cardiac arrest, start CPR, shout for someone to bring you a defibrillator, and ask them to call for help,” advises McNulty-Ackroyd. “The first thing the ambulance service will ask is, ‘Are they breathing?’ They will ask if they’re awake and you will say ‘no’, as they are in cardiac arrest. “An ambulance will be sent as the highest priority in that area. In the meantime, you should be using an AED and performing CPR. “When you ring 999, they will tell you how to do CPR. Do not worry about hurting someone you are doing CPR on. That person is dead, they cannot feel pain, if they sit up and go ouch, they are not in cardiac arrest.” When using the defibrillator, “the first pad goes on the upper right, touching the clavicle [bone of the pectoral arch], and the other into the left armpit, nice and high”, he explains. Every minute you don’t shock that abnormal rhythm, the person loses a chance of life, so use a defibrillator and perform CPR if you are in any way worried about someone who has collapsed. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What you need to know about the massive LVMH deal with the Paris Olympics Bisexual people ‘experience worse health than other adults’ What’s the coolest bedding to survive summer heat and night sweats?

Ever since Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion last year, it's been a widely

Save 50%: The Nutribullet Pro is a powerhouse personal blender, and as of June 29,