About the use of the word ‘Anxiety' on this blog
‘Anxiety’ is a word that mental health professionals generally use and it can mean different things to different people. On this blog site, we do not attempt to define Anxiety. If you wish to find out whether you are experiencing Anxiety Disorders, the most useful initial contact is your GP or local mental health service. If you are looking for fact sheets about different types of Anxiety Disorders and treatment methods, please go to www.beyondblue.org.au or other mental health websites listed in the ‘Getting Help’ section of this blog.
Butterflies & Anxiety – Some of the ways people in Moreland experienced Anxiety
Anxiety affected the contributors of the ‘Cocoons and Butterflies’ booklet in a variety of ways. Anxiety kept people pre-occupied with the worst scenarios and the ‘what-ifs’. Anxiety persuaded some to be very concerned about how other people thought about them. Anxiety often stopped people from thinking straight or focussing on the task at hand. Besides having an upper hand on our thinking, Anxiety affected some contributors physically as well! ‘Knots in the throat’ and ‘butterflies in the stomach’ were just a couple of examples of Anxiety's effects. One participant said that Anxiety had the power to suck all the happy memories and somehow she could only think of the bad things. It’s like she has an open wound in the inside that other people can’t see. If someone mentions something that triggers the memory, Anxiety and physical sensations (like heart palpitation) appear – suddenly and uninvited.
In some situations, Anxiety uses a powerful tactic called ‘panic attack’. Panic attacks made some of the contributors felt like they were suddenly overcome by panic. A panic attack can immobilise people – making people feel like they can’t breathe or move. Sometimes panic attacks can even make some people believe they are going to die from a heart attack!
In some situations, Anxiety uses a powerful tactic called ‘panic attack’. Panic attacks made some of the contributors felt like they were suddenly overcome by panic. A panic attack can immobilise people – making people feel like they can’t breathe or move. Sometimes panic attacks can even make some people believe they are going to die from a heart attack!
About Anxiety and the use of the ‘red butterflies’ symbol
During the creation of each of the illustrations shown on this blog site, project participants contributed their stories which in many cases included specific symbols, colours and themes that related to their experiences of Anxiety. These symbols, colours and themes were used in the preliminary sketches created for the booklet and were then submitted to project participants for feedback. The use of the butterfly echoed a consistant theme in many stories - some people who have suffered Anxiety experienced butterflies in their stomach. The colour red was also a strong confronting colour that many participants related to their experiences of Anxiety. Therefore having butterflies occur throughout the Anxiety illustrations and colouring them red, became a theme which could connect the Anxiety illustrations together.
Please note that this image is no way an absolute description of all types of Anxiety Disorders. The image may be confronting to some viewers. If the images bring up difficult memories or trigger unpleasant feelings for you, it may be helpful to talk to a counsellor. Please click on the ‘Getting Help’ link on the navigation menu for more info.
Please note that this image is no way an absolute description of all types of Anxiety Disorders. The image may be confronting to some viewers. If the images bring up difficult memories or trigger unpleasant feelings for you, it may be helpful to talk to a counsellor. Please click on the ‘Getting Help’ link on the navigation menu for more info.