Beyond Blue has launched a campaign to help Australians recognise anxiety and then to be able to seek appropriate help. The Get to Know Anxiety campaign features the short film above which stars Australian-born and internationally acclaimed actor Ben Mendelsohn. In the video he introduces anxiety’s symptoms and challenges audiences to do something about it once they recognise the signs.
Anxiety is more than just feeling stressed or worried. While stress and anxious feelings are a common response to a situation where a person feels under pressure, it usually passes once the stressful situation has passed, or ‘stressor’ is removed.
Anxiety is when these anxious feelings don’t subside. Anxiety is when they are ongoing and exist without any particular reason or cause. It’s a serious condition that makes it hard for a person to cope with daily life. We all feel anxious from time to time, but for a person experiencing anxiety, these feelings cannot be easily controlled.
Reports of anxiety have increased in recent years in Australia but it’s not just a problem down under. I’m sure that there are people around the world who would benefit from the resources at Beyond Blue.
Roy Morgan research shows the proportion of Australians aged 18 and over who reported experiencing an anxiety condition in the last 12 months has grown by almost 40% in the last four years. The research showed 13.8%, an estimated 2.44 million Australians, experienced an anxiety condition in the year to December 2012, compared to 9.9% in 2008.
If you recognise the symptoms of anxiety or are suffering from other forms of emotional distress, I encourage you to seek help. A great place to begin is at the Beyond Blue website.
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