52 O n this page, think of the unique kinds of faces you’d see on a busy street. What do they look like? Are they wearing something on their head, like a hat or a hijab? Perhaps some of them are wearing glasses. Give your faces plenty of character and personality! On the opposite page, what kind of scene do you see? Maybe it’s the reflection of a bustling city in a puddle, or perhaps it’s a lively dance class, filled with colourful figures. Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƓơƄŎƞ ƏÜƠƄŎ Ɠƨ ƝŇÜƖ ƎƧɌ òĴƎƃƥƢĬƆ ưčÜƓƄƯƞŇ ƘĴƔ Ɵƞ÷ĥ
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hŘĥƋƈƧć ƁƚƜĢ ƅƫĴī ƏƀƧƢì ëƘ ƭč÷ ƏƎưƞŇ Ĵƅ ƭčƑƄƞ T he 3-3-3 rule is similar to the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. It employs our two key senses, sight and hearing, and then finishes with our most fundamental sense, the kinaesthetic: our ability to sense the position and movements of our body. The aim is the same: to move the focus from the feedback doom loop of anxiety to the external environment and then parts of our own body. Doing so sends definite signals to the brain that there is no emergency and it can stop releasing emergency hormones into the body. As with all these grounding techniques, the 3-3-3 rule will work better if you practise it in less stressful situations before having to employ it during a fullblown panic attack. An excellent way to groove it into our mental space is to employ the 3-3-3 rule to deal with mild and moderate anxiety symptoms. Assuming the technique works in these cases will help you feel more confident that it will work in extremis. You will also have experience using the technique when things are more difficult. To do the 3-3-3 rule, first look around your surroundings and say out loud the names of three things you can see. These must be physical things that you are looking at. As you name each object, really look at it, as if you are seeing it for the first time. Notice all the details of the object that you would usually skate past. Even the grain in the paint on a wall can provide something to look at. Look at these objects as a painter would look at them when trying to capture them on canvas. Then listen. Listen and say out loud what you are hearing. Name these three sounds, again paying attention to the subtleties of what you are hearing. Is the noise of a jet plane approaching you or getting further away? Is the sound of the kettle constant or does it vary? What pitch is the ring of the telephone? Having employed two external senses, we then move to our internal physical sense of where our body is in space and how it is moving. Name three parts of your body in turn and move them, one after the other. Say, “Index finger,” and tap it against the table. Touch your lips with your tongue. Rotate your right foot by moving the ankle. As with the first two, concentrate as you move so that you feel the motions as you are making them, feeling the working of the muscles in your body. Combining this technique with slow, even breathing, in for the count of four and out for the count of four, will give your body further cues to shut down its panic response. 55
Over the following pages, really pay attention to what you can see and hear, and how you feel. Take the time to draw them here and be mindful about what it is you’re drawing – notice the texture, shading and smaller details that make them so unique.
62 O ne of the simplest ways of getting out of one’s head is to put your hands in water. Simply plunging your hands into a bowl of water produces an immediate physical effect that pulls us out of the anxiety loop. As your hands go into the water, note the accompanying sensations; feel the temperature of the water and the sensation of liquid on the skin. Some people like to use warm water first and then cold water. Others prefer the opposite. But with both, the key is to put one’s attention into the sensation. Accompany the immersion with controlled, even breathing, breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of four. If the water is too cold, this might be a challenge, so it’s best not to use iced water. Images Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƘƎƮƫ čÜƍƝŎ ƓƎ ƩƮĥƋ ŵĴƔƑƬƞĥƅ ĴƔƭ ƨĆ Ü ƒƩƈŇƚƋ
64 Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƓơƄŎƞ ƏÜƠƄŎ Ɠƨ ƝŇÜƖ ƎƧɌ òĴƎƃƥƢĬƆ ưčÜƓƄƯƞŇ ƘĴƔ Ɵƞ÷ĥ B eaches are lively, vibrant scenes, filled with colour and joy. On this page, draw the kinds of things you would expect to see on a trip to the beach. What kinds of toys did you take with you as a child when you’d go to the seaside? Perhaps you remember your castle-shaped buckets, or your bright-red plastic spade and inflatable beach ball. Or maybe you remember the garish swimwear you’d wear with pride. On the opposite page, think about your dream beach scene. Would you want to be in the sea, or on the sand? Perhaps you’d be tucked away from the sun’s rays underneath a parasol.
O ne of the key steps in freeing ourselves from the doom loop of anxiety is finding out what triggers anxious feelings. A therapist will often ask a client to keep a record of their feelings and the events of the day so that they can then together go back over the events of the week and try to discern if there is a pattern. Other people find it invaluable to write a journal of their feelings and experiences in order to better understand their responses to life. Both of these work very well with mood tracking. In essence, mood tracking, or journaling as it’s also called, is keeping a diary. However, this is a diary of emotions. You keep track of your feelings throughout the day and week by making a record of them. In order to understand how the world affects your emotions, it’s also necessary to note the main details of the day, too. The key part is simply keeping the record. Some people just write it down in a daily diary. Others write sticky notes, or record an account of the day’s feelings on their phone. Nowadays, people also employ spreadsheets or apps. Since it can be difficult to put feelings into words sometimes, particularly when we first attempt to do it, a mood chart might be helpful for identifying different emotions. Some idea of the level of the emotion is often useful, which can be done by writing next to the feeling an intensity scale from 1 to 10. With generalised anxiety disorder, a careful record of periods of heightened anxiety and panic attacks is particularly important. Like keeping a diary, mood tracking is a very personal approach to dealing with anxiety, suitable for some people but not for others. đŎƂƎƯƞŇ Ɠơ÷ čƈƃƝƞĬ ƂŘƄƬ ÜĬƃ ƧƔƚĬƂ÷Ƭ ƎĆ ƘƨŘƫ ĆƄƞƋđƧćƒ 66
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74 Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƓơƄŎƞ ƏÜƠƄŎ Ɠƨ ƝŇÜƖ ƎƧɌ òĴƎƃƥƢĬƆ ưčÜƓƄƯƞŇ ƘĴƔ Ɵƞ÷ĥ A s the saying goes, ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’. Well, we’ve not quite given you lemons, but perhaps you could draw your own fruit bowls or small, citrus, still-life scenes? From apples and limes to nectarines and plums, fruit is a whirl of beautiful colour. On the next page, maybe you see a glorious orchard or a lemon grove at the height of summer…
Images Getty Images S ometimes the physical effects of a panic attack are so severe that it is impossible to focus the mind sufficiently to employ any of the techniques we’ve looked at in this book. The amygdala is pumping so many hormones into the body that it is completely wired, trembling with the sort of energy necessary to outrun a lion or fight off a hyena. With so much physical energy coursing through the system, some people find it necessary to burn off some of the adrenaline first. This can be done by anything from dancing wildly around the room, to running along a corridor or up and down the stairs, or using a treadmill. For other people, something a little more gentle works better – some people have even reported that brisk hoovering or manic cleaning burns off the nervous energy while doing something useful, too. But it could be that going for a brisk walk in a park or doing some gardening is sufficient. We all have different thresholds, and everyone trying to deal with anxiety and panic attacks has to find what works best for them. Once the physical activity has taken the edge off the physical response to anxiety, it is time to employ one of the more mental techniques to slowly convince the brain that it can switch off its emergency response. ŘŇƍ ƎƟĆ Ɠơƞ ÜòƑƄƧƚĥđƍƄ ë÷ƅƎƫƞ ìÜƋƦƈĬƆ ƭčƞ ƌđƧò 76
Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƓơƄŎƞ ƏÜƠƄŎ Ɠƨ ƝŇÜƖ ƎƧɌ òĴƎƃƥƢĬƆ ưčÜƓƄƯƞŇ ƘĴƔ Ɵƞ÷ĥ T here’s no escaping other people. On this page, why not use the silhouettes to doodle the most characterful people you’ve seen on the streets? Maybe you saw a man at your local coffee shop with an owl, or perhaps you saw someone dressed up to the nines on your commute to work! On the next page, what do you see? Can you make out a lively coastal scene? Or maybe you see a fashion show catwalk…
xŇƘ ƭĴ īƄƌƨƫđŎƄ ƓơƞŎ÷ ƂƎƥƨŘŇƒ ë÷ƅƎƫƞ ŵĴƔ ƓƮƫĬ Ɠơ÷ ńƀƆƞɑɑɑ 82
T he cycle of anxiety is perpetuated by distraction. Anxiety before writing an important essay can be relieved by looking at cat videos on YouTube, the instant release of tension brought through procrastination leading to a further deepening of the cycle. However, there are times when feelings of anxiety can become so overwhelming that simply relieving them becomes more important than anything else. In these cases, effective and non-harmful distraction techniques can be both helpful and necessary. Among the most effective of these techniques are exercises that intensively use the most conscious part of our brains, the pre-frontal cortex. This is also the part of the brain that is most prone to worry as a mental behaviour, so finding something else for it to fixate upon can allow the rest of the brain to slowly relax. Any mental exercise that is sufficiently demanding to require complete attention but not too demanding to overtax a mind that is at its limits is ideal. Many people find memory games useful, whether that be reciting memorised poems or learning something new. Visual thinkers might try to remember and visualise something familiar: the kitchen worktop or the face of a loved one, for example. More physical mental games, from jigsaws to Sudoku, can also be effective, as can the many online games. However, as a general rule, high-intensity computer games should be avoided as these will increase stress levels. Over the following pages, give your brain an escape from anxiety with various games, from visual challenges to anagrams. rĴīƄƓƢƦ÷Ŏ ƃƈƬŔƑƚƜŔđƎƍ ìÜƍ ƛƄ ŵƨŘƑ ƟŇƈƞƍƝ 83
đŔƇƎƮƭ ŔŘƑƧƈĬƆ ƛƚìƊ ƭĴ ìƇƄƜĢɌ ŔƑƲ ŔĴ ƂƎƥƨŘŇ ƈƍ ƭčƞ đƋƥƔŎƓƫƚŔđƎƍ ƛƞĥĴƖ ƬƎ đŔ ƌƀƭìƇƞƬ ŔƇ÷ ƜƎĥƨŘƑƟƔĥ ƕƞƫŎđƎƍ ƨƧ ŔƇ÷ ƩŇƄƕƢĴƔƬ ńƚƆ÷ɍ 84
r·XÕ x¯¬ ÅÊ-fiÓ¬QªÆ ÜĬ ƘƎƮ ƷƧò Ɠ÷Ƨ òƈƴƞƑ÷ƧìƄƒ ƛƞŔƖ÷ƄƧ ŔƇƞ ƭůĴ ƏƈƜŔƮƑ÷Ƭɒ Jfi»Õ¬k©ÐÙ ŇĴƒƬ ƎƮŔ Ɠơ÷ ĥƄƓƭƞŇƒ ƭčÜƓ ƀƩńƞÜƑ ƦƎŇƞ ƓơÜĬ ƎƍƜƞɑ čÜƓ ưƎŇƃ ƜƚĬ ƘĴƔ ƦƚĢ÷ Ɩƈƭč Ɠơƞ Ň÷ƌƀƢƧđĬƆ ƥƄŔƓƞƫŎɒ U T H E X T C E X I X D U D A N T X O N X D X U R E I L T S X X D X E Q¨®ÓÂP k÷ƀŇƑƚƧć÷ ƓơƄ ĥƞƓƭ÷Ňƒ ƛƄĥƨƖ ƭĴ ƷĬƃ Ü ƧƈĬƞɡĥ÷ƓƭƄŇ Ɩƨƫòɒ C S R T I K R E T 85
8 5 2 6 6 3 3 9 4 7 9 3 1 7 4 3 3 7 1 6 8 2 5 2 4 3 6 5 9 6 7 1 2 4 8 5 3 2 5 3 1 5 9 8 8 4 9 7 4 6 1 3 7 1 5 9 9 6 8 M E DIU M H A R D r|«¶ÌÖ -đŔ ƓơƄ ĬƮƌƛ÷Ňƒ Ƞ ŔĴ Ȩ đĬƓƎ ƭčƞ ćƑđƝ ŎƎ ƓơƚŔ ƍĴ ĬŘƌƛƄŇ ƨƂƜŘŇƒ īĴƑƄ ƭčƚƍ ĴĬƂƄ ƢƧ ÜĬƘ ŇĴƖɌ ìĴƋƔƦĬ ƨƑ īÜƑƤƄò ȢŴȢ ëĴƗɑ 86
X¹Å ¯¨ÊÏ S T R I G G W R A S L A O H S E R F E S A T S H R E D I L E O F I T R U N U O F G I F W O M P E L I H S E R C I F T F S A R F F U S L U S H P R O T P H E R G E L E S B T E G N A O D A M U T R F L Y N N O N N E T S T E V W S Y E W H T R O E H I A R O R D S W N M T E P S E K N O S A N B D Y H A K E N K A L R K S S T A A E U G A I P L J E M B H H H S G I T E B Y N E U M N N I L N R O S C M I G M T O ĥƋ ĴƟ ŔƇƄ ưƨŇƃƬ ĆĴƑƦ ƎĬƞ ƂĴƧŔƈƍƮĴƔƬ ìƇƚđƧɑ rŔÜƑƭƈĬƆ ưƢŔƇ ƭč÷ ƂƈƫìƋƞƝ ĥ÷ƓƭƄŇɌ ĆĴƋƥƎů ƚƑĴƔƧò Ɠơƞ ćƑđƝ ƎĬƞ Ƌ÷ƭŔƄƑ ƚƭ Ü ŔƈƌƞɌ ćĴƈƍƠ ƮńɗòĴƖƧ ƀĬƃ ƥƞƹɗŇđƆơŔ ƁƔƭ ĬƨƓ ƝđƀćƨƍÜƥĥƘɑ xč÷ ƖƎƫòƒ ƚƫ÷ ĬƎƓ ĥđƒƭƄò Ƣƍ ĴƫòƄƑɌ ĥđƍƄƬ òƨ ƍĴƭ ìƑƎƬŎɌ ÜĬƃ ƄƯƞŇƘ ƥ÷ŔƓƄƫ ƢĬ Ɠơ÷ ćƑƈƝ ƢŎ Ĵƍƥŵ ƔƒƞƝ ĴĬƂƄɑ ANGELFISH BUTTERFLY COWFISH DAMSEL FILEFISH FLOUNDER GOATFISH PARROT PUFFER SHOALS SURGEON TRIGGER TRUMPET WRASSE x¹XѰ³ Ç8r¯ BETJEMAN BLAKE BYRON CUMMINGS HARDY HUGHES KEATS KIPLING MILTON SHAKESPEARE STEVENSON TENNYSON WHITMAN WORDSWORTH hX¬»Ô 87
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92 S napping out of a negative spiral is easier said than done. For those who experience bouts of dissociation – feeling disconnected from yourself and your identity, as well as the world around you – the act of balancing can be a simple strategy to return your mind to the present. Engaging in an activity that requires you to concentrate on balance triggers the same area of the brain that is linked to dissociative states, essentially rebooting your brain to focus on its new task. While many physical activities require balance, such as yoga, skateboarding or rollerblading, there are other, more relaxed methods to engage your sense of balance. Why not try walking in a straight line, one foot straight in front of the other, next time you’re taking a tea break? Balancing a book on your head while you’re working can be another simple way to provide your mind with a balancing task, or you can balance small objects on your arm. It needn’t be strenuous – just enough to provide your brain with a challenge upon which to focus! 4Ĵů ƓơƄ ƚìƓ ĴƟ ëƀƋƚƧìđƍƠ ìƀƍ ƩƮĥƋ ŵĴƔƑ ƛŇƚđƍ ƛƀìƊ ƨŘƭ ƎĆ ƚ ƓÜƈƥŎƏƢƧ
96 Getty Images |Ŏ÷ ƓơƄŎƞ ƏÜƠƄŎ Ɠƨ ƝŇÜƖ ƎƧɌ òĴƎƃƥƢĬƆ ưčÜƓƄƯƞŇ ƘĴƔ Ɵƞ÷ĥ W hen life around us is overwhelming, loud and stressful, sometimes it can be cathartic to imagine an entirely new world. Over these pages, doodle your own planets – some could be like Earth, others could be totally unique. On the next page, what kind of landscape would you want to see on your peaceful new planet? Perhaps your new world is made up of beautiful islands and peaceful oceans…
Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Editorial Group Editor Philippa Grafton Senior Designer Harriet Knight Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker Editorial Director Jon White Managing Director Grainne McKenna Contributors Edoardo Albert, Sarah Bankes, Ben Grafton Cover images Getty Images All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw [email protected] www.futurecontenthub.com Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Printed in the UK Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk – For enquiries, please email: [email protected] Art to Reduce Anxiety First Edition (CTB5516) © 2023 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, ƬƺȸɎǣˡƺƳ ǔȒȸƺɀɎȸɵ ƏȇƳ ƬǝǼȒȸǣȇƺٮǔȸƺƺ ȅƏȇɖǔƏƬɎɖȸƺِ Áǝƺ ȵƏȵƺȸ ǣȇ Ɏǝǣɀ ƫȒȒǸƏɿǣȇƺ ɯƏɀ ɀȒɖȸƬƺƳ and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. All contents © 2023 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number דזזזא٣ ǣɀ ȸƺǕǣɀɎƺȸƺƳ ǣȇ 0ȇǕǼƏȇƳ ƏȇƳ áƏǼƺɀِ «ƺǕǣɀɎƺȸƺƳ ȒǔˡƬƺي ªɖƏɵ RȒɖɀƺً Áǝƺ ȅƫɖȸɵً Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and ȇȒɎ ƏǔˡǼǣƏɎƺƳ ǣȇ Əȇɵ ɯƏɵ ɯǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ ƬȒȅȵƏȇǣƺɀ ȅƺȇɎǣȒȇƺƳ ǝƺȸƺǣȇِ Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com !ǝǣƺǔ 0ɴƺƬɖɎǣɮƺ ǔˡƬƺȸ Jon Steinberg zȒȇٮ0ɴƺƬɖɎǣɮƺ !ǝƏǣȸȅƏȇ Richard Huntingford !ǝǣƺǔ IǣȇƏȇƬǣƏǼ ƏȇƳ ³ɎȸƏɎƺǕɵ ǔˡƬƺȸ Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 AĬƗđƄƭŵ k÷òƔƂƞ to
đŎƂƎƯƞŇ ƏĴƩƔĥƚƑ ƠŇĴƔƍƝƢĬƆ ƭ÷ìƇƧƈņƮ÷ƒ ÜĬƃ ơƎů Ɠơƞŵ ƂÜƧ ůƎƑƤ ĆƨƑ ƲĴƔ .đŮƄ ƘƨŘƫŎƄƋƟ ƚ ìƑ÷ƀƭƢŮ÷ ƎƮƓƥ÷Ŕ Ɩƈƭč ŔƇ÷ƬƄ ćƮđƃƄƝ òƨĴƃƥƈĬƆ ƚƜŔđƕƈƭƢ÷Ŏ xÜĢƄ ƓƢƦ÷ ƎƮŔ ƅƫĴī ƓơƄ ŎƓƫƞŎƒ÷Ƭ ƎĆ ƃƚđƥŵ ĥđƅƄ ƚƧò Ɠƫŵ ƒĴƦƄ īƢƍƝĆŘƋ ƜƎĥƨŘƑƈƧć J÷ƀŇƍ ơƨů ƆÜƦƄŎ ƚƍƝ ìƇÜƥĥƄƍƠƞŎ ƂÜƧ č÷ƋƩ ŵƎƮ ƓĴ ƦƀĬƚƆ÷ ƲƎƮŇ ÜƍƱƈƞŔƘ AĬƗđƄƭŵ to k÷òƔƂƞ 9000 9001