Managing anxiety

People experiencing anxiety and depression will be able to access more support close to home after the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria (ADAVIC) received a $2958 grant from the Hobsons Bay Community Fund.

ADAVIC executive director Nathan Hobbs said the not-for-profit group gets no government funding and the grant would enable it to reach more people through lectures and workshops in Hobsons Bay.

“We’ve got a lot of feedback from participants and people in the Altona region that there isn’t much out there,” he said. “We live in a society that tends to be high-stress with a lot of the problems that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.

“There’s a range of different symptoms but for some people – and this is probably true of people at our support group in Altona – it can really impact their day-to-day living,” he said.

“Anxiety can really stop people getting things done, especially when it comes to social anxiety.”

Mr Hobbs said the educational sessions could help some people manage their anxiety without medication.

The community fund grant awards will be presented tomorrow night at the Kooringal Golf Club, which has joined Signcraft, Qenos, Compton Green, UMS and

Star Weekly as corporate supporters. The community fund is allocating $30,678 in grants to 11 causes this year, and it has given more than $120,000 to
55 community groups in its nine years.

Goya Dmytryshchak