30 May Folkestone Radio Therapist
Last week I joined presenter Vicky Eldridge on her radio show at Folkestone Academy 105.9 FM, the local community radio station for Folkestone, Hythe and surrounding villages. We discussed anxiety, and, in particular, exam anxiety. It was the first of what will be regular mental health slots on Wednesday mornings, between nine and ten am.
Anxiety is a topic that almost everyone has been impacted by in some form, whether that’s feeling more anxious themselves, or having a child that is dealing with it. We chatted about what anxiety actually is, and I shared how it is a perfectly normal bodily response. It’s actually a sign that our mind and body is doing exactly what it should be doing. We looked at the symptoms of anxiety, such as shortness of breath, feelings of nausea or a racing heart, and how they differ from person to person. Of course, as it is exam season we paid particular attention to exams, a hugely stressful trigger. Finally, we looked at ways to deal with anxiety in the moment, when it has been triggered, and also shared ideas for coping with more generalised anxiety. This is when we can feel anxious pretty much all of the time, and we have re-train our body to a new, less anxious, normal.
105.9 Academy FM is actually an educational charity, in the form of a Community Radio station. It covers news from Folkestone, Hythe and the surrounding areas and is run by both staff and volunteers. Vicky Eldridge, who presents the show I join, is a journalist specialising in the aesthetics industry, for instance. The station trains young people in radio production, which has knock-on effects on their confidence, connections and quality of CV.
The station has won various awards and provides a lovely educational hub for students, but also brings the community together with shows that cover business and community events. I will be joining Vicky most Wednesday mornings between 9 and 10 to talk about mental health. Up and coming subjects include loneliness, screen addiction, depression, sleep and anger.