Ageing and anxiety: What to know and where to find help
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Do you find yourself worrying a lot? Between climate change, Brexit, Covid, and the war in Ukraine – to say nothing of more personal concerns like ageing parents, the rising cost of living, young people’s housing situation, your pension… it would seem unnatural if we weren’t a bit disturbed.
During the Covid pandemic, our background level of anxiety rose, because of the fear of catching it, and the unpredictability of, and changes to, everyday life. The World Health Organisation recently released data that showed a 25% increase in stress and anxiety in the first year of the pandemic.
We tend to worry more as we get older, because we’ve experienced more stressful life events, such as deaths and illness, so we’re more conscious that bad things happen. And, to put it bluntly, this is when we begin to become aware of our own mortality.
What is anxiety?
We often use the words ‘stress’ and ‘anxiety’ interchangeably, but they’re not the same, although there’s some overlap. Anxiety UK, a charity for those affected by anxiety, stress and anxiety-based depression, explains it like this: ‘stress is usually a response to an external cause, such as a tight deadline at work or having an argument with someone, and usually disappears or reduces once the situation has been resolved.
‘Anxiety is typically described as a feeling of apprehension or dread in situations where there is no actual real threat and is disproportionate to the situation faced. Unlike stress, anxiety persists even after a concern has passed. In some cases, anxiety can escalate into an anxiety disorder and can affect day-to-day life.’
Anxiety is a perfectly normal response to certain situations, but it’s not usual to feel anxious all or most of the time.
The physical symptoms of anxiety can include, according to mental health charity Mind: a churning stomach; light-headedness or dizziness; pins and needles; restlessness; headaches, backache or other aches and pains; faster breathing; fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat; sweating or hot flushes; problems sleeping; grinding your teeth, especially at night; nausea; needing the toilet more or less often; changes in your sex drive.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a long-term condition where you feel anxious about a wide range of issues and situations, not one specific event, and on most days. GAD affects up to 5% of the population, slightly more women than men, and it’s more common between the ages of 35 and 59. The NHS says, ‘as soon as one anxious thought is resolved, another may appear about a different issue. People with GAD often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed.’
Feeling fearful about things that we previously used to take in our stride can come with age, too. Anxiety in general is a symptom of menopause, and fear of driving is particularly common. The hormonal changes can cause a spike in adrenaline, provoking the fight-or-flight response, which can feel like you’re scarily out of control when all you’re doing is navigating a slip road on to a motorway. And some, like me, dread walking down slippery slopes…
Assess your anxiety
The NHS has an online quiz to determine your levels of anxiety (and depression) here. There are just 18 questions, and discovering your score might be reassuring.
Photo: Pexels
Help for anxiety
There are self-help strategies to try. Relaxation is helpful, whether achieved with breathing exercises, mindfulness (I use the Headspace app) or calming movements such as yoga or Pilates. Avoiding caffeine, smoking and alcohol can help, too.
As anxiety may be caused by an imbalance of the feel-good hormone serotonin, exercise of the type that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, which makes your body release more of it, can be beneficial for your mood. This was borne out by a survey of 1,000 people over 50 by Legal & General, which revealed that two hours of vigorous exercise a week helps reduce the chances of being stressed by at least 20%, and having sex twice a month makes for less stress and more joy. The top 10 sources of joy – several very easy to achieve – named by respondents in the survey are: spending time with friends and family; going on holiday; reading; going to live events; caring for your children; going for walks; learning new skills; being creative; voluntary work; caring for your partner.
In the UK the NHS offers cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based self-help programmes, and other ‘talking therapies’ for free here. A friend has recently been following the DARE response to help her with panic attacks, and is making brilliant progress.
Ask your GP about support groups for anxiety in your area or search the NHS for local services here. Age UK also lists details of self-help groups and support for carers.
Something you can try right now – or whenever and wherever you need – is exhaling for longer than you inhale. This simple breathing technique makes us relax, calming the autonomic nervous system. Breathe in to a count of four, then breathe out to a count of six. Repeat… and relax.
Adrienne Wyper is a health and lifestyle writer and regular TNMA contributor.
Discussion (17 Comments)
Lucie says:
A fascinating book on the simple act of breathing and its profound impact on our well-being (and anxiety) is “Breath; The New Science of a Lost Art” by James Nestor. Highly recommend in these wild times!
Jane E says:
Excellent article and very timely! A really useful resource for people who are suffering at this most difficult time.
Cindy says:
Thank you for this wonderful article. I don’t live in the UK, and I was diagnosed with GAD a few years ago. I was relieved to know this, and get the help and support needed. I had people (including some doctors) tell me that feeling down and stressed out was a part of life. I tried a self help group (left after the 3rd session). I found a wonderful therapist who I keep in touch with (we have a session every 6 months now, used to be every month). I was on medication for about a year and a half (don’t use anymore). I use meditation and I go out for long walks (weather permitting) every day. My friends and family are supportive.
Please remember that we are not defined by our anxiety. I have finally learned to love and accept myself for who I am. I AM ENOUGH.Thanks Cindy – agree with you and that’s a good mantra. I think we have all felt down/ stressed out at some point over the last few pandemic years. And walking does help. I walked a fair distance from one meeting to another today & feel much better for it.
Maria D says:
Headspace is surprisingly good. I thought it looked gimmicky and lightweight so I put off trying it.
I was completely and utterly wrong.
It’s intuitive and clean, efficient and helpful. I’d recommend it to anybody.Another wonderful book is “Bittersweet: How sorrow and longing make us whole” by Susan Cain. Reframes the pressure we can feel to be happy and “up” all the time. (Especially here in the US–maybe less pervasive in UK?)
Patrish says:
I have had a copy of Herbert Benson M.D.’s book The Relaxation Response by my bedside for at least 30 years.
The book has been updated along the way but the basic ideas remain the same. Highly recommend. Simple,
straightforward.Mrs Tonia says:
Many useful points and comments here. Thanks for this post. So many things to worry and be concerned about as outlined above. The question is how not to be overwhelmed. And brought low by all the challenges we face.
I’m grappling with this now. After two years of successfully not contracting Covid, being prudent, getting my jabs after a three generation family break I now find myself testing positive. We had to be in crowded places doing things when we were tired. I’m trying to deploy my yoga training in living the now, day by day to cope. Making decision trees to subdue anxieties. Trying not to fret about the many plans for reunions this and next week which need to be cancelled. Mentally challenging from beginning to end. But one has to be patient, flexible and adaptable right now.Oh gosh, where do I start? Anxiety warrior here, for over 12 years. Health anxiety, GAD, agoraphobia, social anxiety….I could go on. Years of GPs pushing anti-depressants at me (I’ve NEVER been depressed!). Of course now I realise it’s peri-menopause & now Menopause, but why didn’t those GPs? On reflection it’s obvious to me now (thanks also to Davina MacCall’s timely documentary). I’m now having to fight (yes FIGHT) For suitable HRT and my GP seems to have packed his bags and disappeared into the sunset 18 months ago, so I’m having to go the private route, only to be told today by a GPs receptionist in no uncertain terms that a prescription written by a private consultant will not be accepted by my NHS GP and I will have to pay, again, even though I’m supposed to have free prescriptions at 62. And round and round we go! No wonder I’m anxious!
Heidi Gedlaman says:
The Work of Byron Katie is the most effective tool that I have found for managing anxiety and stressful thoughts about quite literally anything. It is a method for questioning those thoughts, experiencing them from a different perspective, and unraveling some of their power over us. I am a trained facilitator for The Work, and it has been life-changing for myself and my clients. You can learn all about it at thework.com. Feel free to ask me any questions 🙂
Mary says:
Snap. Just reading her. But I struggle with some of it, like parenting- when your children ‘s issues are you business.
Sandra 
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A very timely post. I thought it was just me that was feeling mentally ‘off-colour’. I shall definitely take up on some of the suggestions. Hope anyone else feeling this way soon starts to move forwards with their mental state. Too often we suffer in silence and try to ignore how we are feeling.