Marie Claire Australia — December 2017

It can be hard to know when the scales have

tipped from normal worries to an anxiety

condition, but common symptoms include:

PHYSICAL: panic attacks, hot and cold

flushes, racing heart, tightening of the chest, quick

breathing, edginess, restlessness

PSYCHOLOGICAL: excessive fear, worry,

catastrophising or obsessive thinking

BEHAVIOURAL: avoidance of situations

that make you feel anxious, which can impact

your work, study or social life

WHERE TO GET HELP

Your GP can help assess your anxiety and create a

mental health treatment plan, including Medicare-funded

counselling and medication where necessary.

For mental health information, support and services,

visit mindhealthconnect.org.au or beyondblue.org.au.

Pregnant or just had a baby? Visit panda.org.au or

call the national helpline: 1300 726 306.

womanhood seem to serve us with the

perfect storm of triggers. There are of

course hormonal milestones such as

pregnancy, but there is also the fact

women traditionally carry the emotion-

al burden of family life – along with the

bulk of domestic duties. Throw in full-

time work or caring responsibilities and

society has created a tinderbox. Even

when we’ve finally plonked down on the

couch, there’s another anxiety gremlin

waiting to push our buttons: social

media. “It’s not the device itself, but the

interpretations we make of the online

material – that we’re not good enough,

we’re left out, we lack something,” says

psychologist Jocelyn Brewer.

Anxiety treatments aren’t one-size-

fits-all. Therapy, exercise, diet and

medication may work for some people

but not others. The key is early diagno-

sis. One new approach gaining traction

attempts to turn the anxiety narrative

on its head, reframing it as a potential

positive. “Anxiety is not the enemy, it’s

not a weakness and, if anything, it’s a

strength,” says Dr Jodie Lowinger of the

Sydney Anxiety Clinic. “Anxiety can be

a driver of peak performance.’’

However it is defined, it doesn’t

have to be a life sentence – a message

made clear by Selena Gomez. “If you are

broken,” she told her fans, “you don’t

have to stay broken.”

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER

TIFFANY ESTREICH, 27

‘‘I come across as a hyper-organised person,

always on top of everything, so people are

usually surprised when they find out I have

anxiety. The truth is, all my lists are how I

manage my worries, and I only feel settled

when I have a good management system worked

out. I’ve been anxious since I was a child – I

always had this horrible fear that something was

going to happen to my mum – and I started

having panic attacks in my early 20s.

‘‘These days, I’m happiest in the classroom. I’ve

never had a panic attack around the kids. I have a lot

of self-doubt, but the kids calm me down and make

me feel comfortable. When you have 19 beautiful

little people looking up at you, wanting to tell you

their funny stories and share their curiosities,

you almost can’t focus on anything else but them.

They’re really good for me; they pull me back to

reality and make me focus on the here and now.

‘‘Teachers carry a pretty heavy workload.

Finding a balance and making sure I don’t drop

the ball or let people down is a big cause of my

anxiety at work – I’m such a people pleaser.

I love what I do, but I need to say no sometimes

so I don’t become overwhelmed.

‘‘I haven’t always been so open about my anxiety,

but I’ve found that being honest with people when

things are getting too much works well for me. I talk

to my family and friends constantly, and I have a really

supportive workplace. And I’ve learnt that I don’t have

to be in a puddle on the floor to need counselling. I’ll

quite often go just for a debrief. Going to counselling

just means you’re human and need a chat.”

“Social interaction used to cause

me physical pain, sometimes for

days afterwards. I stopped going

out. I shrunk my life. I had this

gorgeous wardrobe and I’d think,

‘This is fashion for a life I don’t

have.’ My turning point was earlier

this year when I realised I’d actually

started to enjoy socialising again.

Medication, Pilates, walking and

my supportive husband all

keep me on track.”

LAWYER DO I HAVE ANXIETY?

LAURINDA WELLINGS, 34

TIFFANY WEARS TOP AND EARRINGS BY COUNTRY ROAD; SKIRT BY ELK; SHOES BY GINGER

& SMART; LAURINDA WEARS BODYSUIT BY WITCHERY; ALL OTHER CLOTHES HER OWN.

SPECIAL REPORT