Anxiety can affect people’s ability to participate in activities, including attending health appointments, work, education and social events. Anxiety can impact anyone, and is particularly common in people with health conditions and autism.
Healthwatch Southampton worker, Rebecca Kinge, has created this anxiety buster. It has been well received, with hundreds of shares and plenty of positive feedback since it was first published on social media in July 2019.
Rebecca says: “This is a resource that anyone can use. People can chose to use the coloured version, or download the black and white version and get the coloured pencils out! I encourage anyone interested to make their own too, to reflect their own needs or those of their family or friends. Including pictures can help it seem friendly and thereby reduce anxiety. The process of getting creative is therapeutic in itself.
The feedback we have received at Healthwatch Southampton is that “Social Stories(1)” can be useful for people with anxiety to attend health appointments and have a more positive experience of treatment. Like all work in the NHS and social care, we encourage health and care services to work together with patients, carers and those with lived experience of health conditions to make sure resources are as effective as they could be and adaptable for individual’s particular circumstances. ”
- Social storiesTM were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. More information is available on the National Autistic Society website.
Thanks to Carers in Southampton, health, community organisations and the many individuals for helping to get this anxiety buster out there. The local Southampton parent support group Re:minds, gave encouragement and feedback whilst it was being developed, so we are very grateful to their input.