For most people worrying is a natural and healthy response to everyday events which all of us face.

But for some, fears about what has happened, is happening or could happen can take over, reaching a point where worrying has an all-consuming impact on daily life.

A new guide entitled How to Stop Worrying from mental health charity Mind aims to help people cope better with worry.

The booklet looks at the physical and psychological effects of worry which can manifest itself in many ways with headaches, panic attacks, low self-confidence and an inability to concentrate.

It offers tips for taking control of worry which for some people can escalate into anxiety and medication which can be helped by professional counselling.

Worries are basically fears, often about the unknown or worst-case situations and involve spending a lot of time thinking about bad things.

The more people worry the bigger worries become and people can even begin worrying about worrying.

The physical impact leads to the body releasing adrenaline, making people feel ill and leading to headaches, butterflies in the stomach, feelings of nausea and an inability to eat.

Worries can make it very difficult to sleep as they often come on strongest at night and in turn it is very easy to start feeling anxious about the sleep being missed while the original worries become more and more out of perspective.

Psychological worries can make people feel helpless, emotionally drained, reducing confidence and making them more vulnerable to feelings of anxiety in a downward spiral which can lead to panic attacks.

In a bid to sort out some measure of control some people develop obsessional behaviour.

In the booklet, Mind offers advice on how to tackle problems, often by confronting fears as it is often easier to dwell on a fear than to do something about it or accept there is nothing to be done.

Tips include talking to someone, which can put worries into perspective or even throw up a course of action to take whether it is with a friend, family member or a counsellor.

Sometimes writing down worries can help.

Going back to look at them several weeks later may put into perspective how unlikely it is for many events to happen or that they are simply not important.

Other means of preventing worry can include taking direct action to confront fears head-on, relaxation exercises, physical activity or doing something enjoyable to take the mind off problems.

For further details about the booklet, priced £1, call the charity on 0181 519 2122.

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