<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<bold>Introduction</bold>. The National Health Service cannot chronically sustain the overwhelming demands being placed on it due to financial cuts, staff numbers and presence of Covid-19. As a result, anxiety levels are on the rise thus increasing the need for effective self-care behaviors.
<bold>Purpose:</bold> The purpose of this study was to comprehend and acknowledge the profound influence Covid-19 has had on anxiety levels and explore what behaviors people engage in to manage their perceived stress levels themselves.
<bold>Methodology</bold>: This study was an exploratory mixed-methods design consisting of 110 self-referred adults aged 18-65 with anxiety completed an online survey guided by the “Harvard Anxiety and Depression Scale”. Data collected from the free-text questions were analyzed using the thematic analyses method to evoke the most relevant themes and generate an evidence-based narrative.
<bold>Results and Discussion</bold>: Self-care behaviors used for anxiety self-management pre and during lockdown were walks, virtual family/social peer support, cooking and aerobic exercise. Additionally, it was apparent that a lack of ongoing family/social support was a key predictor for the proclivity of anxiety-inducing thoughts to be experienced. Interestingly, individuals who continually engaged in activity experienced positive mood states irrespective of the current lockdown environment.
<bold>Conclusion</bold>: This study adds to novel literature on the current anxiety levels of adults living in the UK under the Covid-19 pandemic and what self-care behaviors people implement to self-manage their anxiety levels. This study stresses the significance of ongoing peer support as a self-care behavior that can act as a positive meditator for healthy cognitive processes to ensue. Therefore, future self-care programs advocating this strategy may, if not prevent, slow down the rising cases of anxiety and ill mental health due to the uncertain environment of Covid-19
</abstract>

Introduction. The National Health Service cannot chronically sustain the overwhelming demands being placed on it due to financial cuts, staff numbers and presence of Covid-19. As a result, anxiety levels are on the rise thus increasing the need for effective self-care behaviors.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to comprehend and acknowledge the profound influence Covid-19 has had on anxiety levels and explore what behaviors people engage in to manage their perceived stress levels themselves.
Methodology: This study was an exploratory mixed-methods design consisting of 110 self-referred adults aged 18-65 with anxiety completed an online survey guided by the “Harvard Anxiety and Depression Scale”. Data collected from the free-text questions were analyzed using the thematic analyses method to evoke the most relevant themes and generate an evidence-based narrative.
Results and Discussion: Self-care behaviors used for anxiety self-management pre and during lockdown were walks, virtual family/social peer support, cooking and aerobic exercise. Additionally, it was apparent that a lack of ongoing family/social support was a key predictor for the proclivity of anxiety-inducing thoughts to be experienced. Interestingly, individuals who continually engaged in activity experienced positive mood states irrespective of the current lockdown environment.
Conclusion: This study adds to novel literature on the current anxiety levels of adults living in the UK under the Covid-19 pandemic and what self-care behaviors people implement to self-manage their anxiety levels. This study stresses the significance of ongoing peer support as a self-care behavior that can act as a positive meditator for healthy cognitive processes to ensue. Therefore, future self-care programs advocating this strategy may, if not prevent, slow down the rising cases of anxiety and ill mental health due to the uncertain environment of Covid-19

Self-Care practices for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in adults

Mental Health: Global Challenges

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Self-Care practices for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in adults"}

Introduction. The National Health Service cannot chronically sustain the overwhelming demands being placed on it due to financial cuts, staff numbers and...

Self-Care practices for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in adults

Published Online: Feb 04, 2023

Page range: 9 - 23

Received: Apr 21, 2021

Accepted: Jun 28, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32437/mhgcj.v4i1.105

Keywords
Anxiety, Mental Health, Self-Care, Covid-19, Qualitative

© 2021 Antony Laban-Sharman et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Self-Care practices for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in adults

Published Online: Feb 04, 2023

Page range: 9 - 23

Received: Apr 21, 2021

Accepted: Jun 28, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32437/mhgcj.v4i1.105

KeywordsAnxiety, Mental Health, Self-Care, Covid-19, Qualitative

© 2021 Antony Laban-Sharman et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Anxiety, Mental Health, Self-Care, Covid-19, Qualitative