Mosaic Life Care’s COACH Mentors recently gathered for peer connection and training. Mosaic Life Care’s Board Chairperson and Director, Reverend James Ramsay, spoke about anxiety. Tecia Thompson, COACH Director, was also present.
We started off with a bit of lego building fun in groups. James then provided a mental health presentation that included 4 types of anxiety as follows:
1. Reality Anxiety
· A real historical event
2. Moral Anxiety
· People experience in themselves or others behaviour that is not right
· Public or private
3. Neurotic Anxiety
· Pain caused by the imagination
· Even though the event may not be real, the pain is real
4. Existential Anxiety
· A questioning of life and a loss of meaning
Most people can handle one of these types, but people get overwhelmed when experiencing more than one, or a troop of them.
As a COACH mentor we are likely to engage with people who are overcome by multiple Anxiety Producing Events (APE’s) that narrow their window of tolerance. This means anxious people will more likely function in a hyper or hypo aroused state.
What does this mean for us?
1. We need to do what we can to not add another APE.
· “Do no harm”
2. We need to maintain clear boundaries and not get caught up in others’ anxiety.
· If you are empathetic, you may be more likely to reflect others’ emotions.
COACH Mentors may not have all the necessary skills or time to treat anxiety. However, it is good to have the presence of mind to recognise what is going on, and help people get additional support when required.
