How Anxiety Impacts on the Everyday Life for a Person with Disabilities
We all experience anxiety, it’s a normal reaction to certain situations and helps us respond. It is often said that the right amount of anxiety can help us deal with problems, improve our performance or even stimulate creativity.
Much has been written about anxiety in the last year, the anxiety of isolation, fear of the pandemic, the stress of being with your family 24/7, home-schooling, being unable to visit elderly or sick relatives, discrimination, the inability to live your life in the way that you want to.
But what about those people who are already suffering with anxiety? How do they cope when you add a global pandemic to their already overwhelming worries?
Mental Health Issues are Common
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. Anxiety is a form of mental health and we welcome that this year in particular, talking openly about mental health has become acceptable from celebrities to football players, sharing how you are feeling can help others open up about their own anxieties.
There are mental health helplines, charities and support workers but there is often a long waiting list and their seems to be little funding or training within GP practices and the NHS in general to deal with the amount of people presenting with mental health issues.
Overwhelmed with Anxiety
The clients we deal with very often have anxiety issues which come along with their physical or mental health issues including comprehension, literacy, autism or lack of family support. Their anxiety can seem overwhelming at times, it can paralyse them into not taking action because they fear that they will do the wrong thing, make mistakes or be unable to communicate their problems and how they need help. Any problems seem magnified, like they are spinning out of control.
That is where we step in, as independent advocates we take the time to listen to our clients and understand their problems, not to judge but to calmly review the issues and help them formulate a solution. We always start with ‘what do you need’?
People are referred to us because they have no-one that they can turn to in times of need, no friends or family, or no one they can trust. They are nervous of approaching large organisations like councils or utility companies, banks or credit card companies, housing associations, social care or the NHS.
Exploring the Options
After listening to the concerns of our clients we help them explore the options without pressurising them. Our experience and network of contacts means we can quickly establish what the issues are and what rights our clients have. When people have the right information, presented in a clear and simple way (and often the solution is simple when you break it down) then our clients can make an informed decision. We contact the relevant people by phone or email or we accompany people to meetings or appointments.
We have numerous examples of how we have helped people, check out our website, case studies, our social media and our annual reports for just a glimpse of what we do every day. Our wonderful team of advocates and support staff make a real difference to a lot of people in Shropshire and we are proud to be able to reduce the stress and anxiety our clients feel.