YOUR QUESTIONS
We love hearing from you. If you have a question for any of our experts, please email it to topsante.talkback@kelsey.co.uk.
MIND EXPERTS
Katy Georgiou is a psychotherapist. Her new book Your Mind Matters: How to Talk About Your Mental Health (£12.99, Vie Books) is out February 9.
QI'm a 50-year-old woman and I've started to feel irrationally angry over small setbacks. Not about anything important but silly little details. Could this be related to menopause? And what can I do to reduce the anger?
AIf you're perimenopausal or have recently reached menopause (a full year after having no periods), then this may certainly be part of the wider context to consider. The key is less about why it's happening and more how it shows up: how do you experience the anger physically in your body? Do you shout, cry, use insults, berate yourself? Reflect on this. Also, start noticing patterns – does time of day, sleep, hunger or who’s around you affect it? Consider your wider life: are there stresses at work or home triggering your anger? Stress isn’t always obvious; life transitions, even exciting ones, can affect you. Perimenopause could be a part of that.
Think of your anger as a helpful clue and as opposed to something “wrong” that needs fixing. Sometimes, awareness is all you need for change. A helpful exercise can be to imagine your anger as a dog. What sort of dog is it? How does it approach you or strangers? Does it bark, bite or jump? Does it want attention or space? Take it for a walk in your mind, get to know it. Does it try to run off the leash, or does it respond to you talking to it?
VASCULAR EXPERT
Q I' m feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for my elderly parents as well as functioning professionally and at home. I've started having occasional panic attacks. How can I calm down during an attack?
ADuring a panic attack, think about grounding yourself. Place your feet flat on the floor or sit on the ground, if possible. Focus on your senses. For example, take a deep breath in and name what you smell. Also, look around the room and name five things you can see, three things you can hear and something you can taste. Touch and feel what's around you. The aim of this is to get you out of thinking and into your body.
Focus on your breath: imagine pulling your breath up through your feet from the ground, and feel it rising up into your abdomen and upper body to your heart and head. Then, on the outbreath, push it through your arms and picture it leaving through your fingertips back into the room. Keep doing this until you feel calmer. lf you have a mirror nearby, go to it and look at your reflection, describe what you see in front
