I once read that anxiety feels like when you're rocking back on your chair and you suddenly feel it go, and having that constant feeling of dread on replay.
Luckily, there are ways to reduce those anxious feelings. Firstly, lets identify the difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack;
Panic attacks are sudden and come out of nowhere, you could be enjoying an evening with loved ones and all of a sudden you can't breathe, you're shaking, sweating and feeling nauseous, possibly thinking you're about to die (don't worry, you're not). Anxiety attacks, however, come on more gradually. You may start to feel butterflies in your stomach, you may feel slight heart palpitations, you might begin to zone out and have difficulty concentrating on your surroundings. People who experience anxiety often feel a tingling sensation throughout their body (I seem to get this one a lot when feeling anxious) and gradually these symptoms become stronger, until you start to panic and feel a loss of control (anxiety attack). With this can come great waves of nausea, just like with panic attacks, to the point where you may end up running to the nearest toilet, just in case.
So, although the 'attacks' are similar, if not the same, the difference between anxiety and panic attacks is, with anxiety, you have a lot better chance at stopping the attack from happening.
TIP 1:
Ground yourself. If you can, walk barefoot on the grass, feel earth beneath your feet and focus on the present moment. Concentrate on the feeling of the grass, the sounds you can hear, what you can taste, see and smell. Use your senses to bring you back to the present moment.
TIP 2:
Talk to yourself as if you're a child. Talk to yourself with love and kindness. Tell yourself "this is completely normal, it just feels abnormal". Thank your body for keeping you safe by saying something like "Thank you body for protecting me, but I am in a safe space and surrounded by good people. I do not need protecting right now." This may sound odd, but what people forget is when you feel anxious, that's just your body's way of keeping you safe, it's making you more alert to your surroundings and gets you thinking of an 'exit strategy' for negative 'what if' scenarios. If that doesn't help, talk to someone you trust about how you're feeling. The worst thing you can do when experiencing these emotions is bottle them up and pretend you're fine. The more we push it back, the stronger it becomes. Just admitting to yourself and others around you that you're feeling anxious can really help.
TIP 3:
Meditate. Meditation is a great way to just sit with your thoughts and accept them, whilst also letting them go. You don't need anything to meditate either, just yourself and a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. There are many videos online or apps that can give you guided meditations or music that helps get you into that meditative state, or you can just sit there in silence with a relaxed body and your eyes closed while focusing on your breathing. A breathing technique I like is to take slow steady breaths but count to 5 on each out breath (e.g. breathe in. breathe out 1. breathe in. breathe out 2. breathe in. breathe out 3. etc.) and when you get to 5, start agin. If you lose count or your mind wanders, start again at 1.
It can sometimes help to put one or both hands on your heart as a way to put your focus on your body. Lay or sit completely still, acknowledging every little twitch, itch and feeling in your body, without doing anything. Just breathing. Just being.
TIP 4:
Journaling is another good way to release your thoughts and emotions. Don't overthink what you're writing. Just allow your mind and your pen to team up and let them do their thing. You can even pair together journaling and meditating and do a writing meditation. Again you can find these online or on certain apps. Think of it as journaling prompts - Mimi Method app is perfect for this as you can choose what you want to focus on; whether that's a career goal, setting your intentions for the day ahead, reflecting on the day just gone, forgiving yourself and healing your inner child. There's something for everybody.
TIP 5:
One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is exercise. You don't need to be a pro athlete to get your body moving, something as simple as going for a 10 minute walk can help or you could try a bit of yoga. If you wanted to start a new habit that involves moving your body, Couch to 5K is a great app for beginner runners or you could join fitness classes. Whatever works for you.
A lot of the time, anxiety is just pent up energy that needs to be released, that's why exercise is such a great way of relieving those unpleasant symptoms. Just get your heart pumping and your endorphins flowing!
Try as many of these as you like and find which ones work best for you. I hope they help you as much as they help me.
One more thing I recommend you do is stop saying 'I am anxious'. Stop labelling yourself as anxiety, that is not who you are. Start saying 'I feel anxious' instead, don't let it take ownership.
Lots of love,
G x
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