University of Plymouth study highlights best ways to cope with anxiety
The School of Psychology has been studying so-called 'Functional Imagery Training'
The University of Plymouth has released a new study looking at the best ways to support students with anxiety.
Researchers in the School of Psychology looked at 'Functional Imagery Training' or FIT, a technique that uses mental imagery to motivate change.
Lead author Jackie Andrade, Professor of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, said: “The move from school to university is a time of people’s lives when they are vulnerable to developing pathological anxiety.
“Finding effective ways to manage it is all about changing how you respond to potentially stressful moments, and we had always thought FIT had the potential to do that. This study has shown that FIT can be used to develop skills through which people can stay focused on their goals without anxiety getting in the way.”
She added: "They found it (FIT) calmed concerns about any perceived negatives a student might have regarding particular experiences, feelings which could normally result in them taking steps to avoid such situations completely.
"In fact, it often had completely the opposite effect, fostering a sense of empowerment within individual students that they were in control and able to manage both their actions and emotions.
"The researchers are now exploring ways to make FIT available to more young people, to help them learn skills for managing anxiety before it becomes a chronic problem.
"The new study is published in the Behaviour Research and Therapy journal, and involved academics working in Plymouth and at the Queensland University of Technology."
Professor Andrade added: “One of the main positives of FIT is that it’s centred around an individual, but we’re not saying it is a miracle cure for anxiety or any other issues.
"The same anxieties still exist within a person’s mind, but FIT means that when those issues try to take over, a person has the personal toolkit which helps them engage with anxiety-provoking activities and learn ways of coping.
"The aim is to help people think more about the positives than the negatives, imagining life in a less problematic way and enabling them to shift to a new way of thinking about the future.”