22/11/2025
So I was interviewed on ABC Gippsland last week talking anxiety. What can you add to this story?
FEELING ANXIOUS? OVERWHELMED? HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING? YOU’RE NOT ALONE IN NEEDING A SLOW WEEKEND
As a lived experience counsellor for the past 18 years Mike Carroll, of MC Counselling in Traralgon/ Sale specialises in addiction, mental health and relationship counselling.
He says that more Gippslanders than ever, including people who have never struggled before with their mental health, are suffering with anxiety and other mental health conditions at present.
A turbulent, uncertain post pandemic world, loss of trust in systems and institutions, loneliness, illness, drug and alcohol abuse are just some of factors compounding the seemingly endless struggle fatigue of the nation’s ongoing cost-of-living predicaments.
‘People feel out of control, that their lives have been turned upside down, there’s been record amounts of divorce and relationship breakdowns, people not knowing what’s going on, what the future holds- it’s all really scary stuff for people, not to mention job losses’, says Mike.
With diagnosed anxiety disorders impacting around 301 million people worldwide, including 3.5 million Australians each year, Mike describes constant multi-tasking, phone scrolling and the ‘racing mind’ that comes with constantly shifting short sharp attention patterns, as contributing to the anxiety epidemic.
He encourages people to ‘slow down’, by being mindful of their movements, thoughts, sensations and actions, and appoint specific time on the weekends to stop, recharge and reset for the next week.
‘When we’re anxious we don’t want to do things a lot of the time, which makes it really challenging’, he said.
‘But mindfulness, breathing, just stopping and being in the present moment and observing what is going on around us is important. Putting the phone down, spending time with yourself, with other people, and making it your mission to give your undivided attention to a conversation – there’s just so many things we can do to improve, it’s about doing less, not more.’
Whether it be making a cup of tea, at the speed of tai chi, or allowing more time than necessary to complete tasks, he said that slowing down your actions into mindful steps and sensations to ‘savour the moment’, can help with anxiety as well as addictive behaviour patterns.
‘If your someone who comes home and literally slams down a couple of beers, try actually having that first beer slowly instead of racing to get to the next one- enjoy the taste of the beer. Over time it’s going to be a whole different experience for you, because you’re actually respecting the beer instead of doing something that makes you feel good in the moment’, he said.
He advises people experiencing anxiety to not self-medicate with alcohol or caffeine, but to engage in exercise- or even ‘basic movement’ -as a means of alleviating stress instead.
Mike says that the most basic thing we can do to help with anxiety is to learn to regulate our breathing, with longer deeper inhales and exhales, as opposed to shallow breathing.
With plenty of free apps, podcasts, meditations and websites available online, such as ‘Calm’ and ‘Self Timer’, with anxiety controlling techniques such as belly breathing, box breathing, he suggests people 'google around' to explore free resources that work for them.
He said that getting into the habit of doing breathing exercises every 5-6 hours, can instantly help bring us back to earth from a prolonged space of heightened awareness.
Other tips that can help reset the nervous system include taking a break from social media and doom scrolling, only ‘using the phone as an actual phone’, listening to mood soothing music, taking naps when needed, and reading physical books, as the focus of reading inherently calms the mind and slows the breathing.
He said that although it may feel like an effort to keep up social communications with others, connection with other people can be as important as exercising, spending time in nature and getting enough sleep.
‘Older people can learn a lot from the younger generation about being open and transparent about their mental health and wellbeing’, he said, encouraging people to seek help when they need it - whether it be financial advice, foodbank services or counselling.
'Help is available, you just have to ask for it' he said.
'There are more mental health services available to regional Victorians than ever before, with the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Local free walk in services in Gippsland, and plenty of free resources available online to help people.'
