Meet Amelia & John

Meet Amelia: I have always been a bit of a perfectionist and liked things feeling in control. It got a lot worse when I got promoted at work and then fell pregnant shortly afterwards. I was worrying all the time about work and what my colleagues thought about me. I did more and more work at home in the evenings. I worried whether my boss thought I was doing a good enough job. I worried she thought I shouldn’t have got the promotion. I also worried if I would be a good enough mum or be able to manage work in the future. I also worried about our finances taking an extended maternity leave or if anything happened to my salary. We wouldn’t manage on just Jamie’s wage. I started to feel tense all the time. I couldn’t get to sleep at night, I couldn’t switch off. I became concerned I was worrying so much it would be bad for the baby. I spoke to my neighbour and she recommended that I went to see the local IAPT service. With their support, I used the worry management CBT techniques to feel better.

Physical symptoms

Tension Difficulty sleeping Headaches Aches and pains

Behaviours

Re-checking my own and team members work for mistakes Seeking reassurance from my friends and family Procrastinating Looking online about anxiety and being pregnant Taking work home

Altered thoughts

“What if I can’t manage?” “What if the team make a mistake, it will reflect on me” “What if I lose my job?” “What if my anxiety harms the baby?” “What if I will never be able to stop worrying?”

Meet John: I had always been a worrier, something my family used to tease me about. I thought it helped me to prepare, be more organised and it made me feel more in control. When I got divorced and retired though, my worrying became much more of a problem. I worried if I would have enough money to live on with just my pension and I was always worrying whether I was spending too much. At the time, I worried I would end up having to leave my flat and have nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. I was becoming irritable and short tempered. My sleep was really bad, I had frequent headaches. I felt anxious most of the time, with a horrible sense of dread. I felt sick with worry some days. I couldn’t concentrate and got really forgetful. I was worried it could be a sign of dementia. I had all the tests, but it wasn’t. I spoke to my GP after the tests and she referred me for help with anxiety.

Physical symptoms

Headaches Sleep problems Restlessness Tension in my muscles Sickness

Behaviours

Worrying excessively Checking my bank account Calculating my finances Put off calling my children Asking the GP for dementia tests

Altered thoughts

“What if I can’t pay the rent and bills?” “What if I spend too much money this month?” What if have dementia?” “What if I am losing my mind with all this worrying?”