"That weird feeling in your gut". That's how a lay person would describe what anxiety feels like.

Anxiety, however can play creative role in our life. It can push us forward in a fulfilling direction or it can take a dark turn for a moment. If you are dealing with anything 'chronic' - Like a bad neighbour - anxiety is there. The symptoms are varied, and may include, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, muscle tingling, fatigue, sleep disturbances, or just plain shut you down mentally, and or physically.

Dealing with a chronic anything can mess with your life. The day to day things that you found super easy before your diagnosis, has the potential to turn into the equivalent of rolling a small snowball down a hill and having it turn into a bowl-you-over-boulder.

Sometimes ye-old stand-by's seem ineffectual and may no longer have the effectiveness once employed, and you must add a new tool to your throughly exhausted bag-of-tricks.

What have you tried that has given you some relief? It takes precious energy, energy you don't necessarily have to give.

My personality, I'm all about efficiency, which is a contentious bummer because having fibromyalgia, (FMS) can sometimes feel like I'm not getting anything accomplished in the day because everything takes so damn long to do.

Sometimes, if I'm not gentle enough with myself this can cause some anxiety too. Not to mention the piling up of x y and z over there in the corner somewhere...

I do hope your that in your bag-of-tricks you use affirmations. I found that saying an affirmation to yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or just plain lost your confidence with life, saying the simple phrase of:"I LOVE AND APPROVE OF MYSELF."

Many years ago, back in the late 90's, I found Louise Hay. Louise Hay had published a book called Heal Your Life. I found that book, and decided that 'it couldn't hurt to try it', honestly, it was an incredibly hard time in my life. A divorce, being separated from my children for an extended period of time turned my life into a nightmare. I wasn't sure that I could go on. I had been diagnosed with severe depression, coupled with crippling anxiety, with a dash of panic attacks.

Louise encouraged readers and seekers of a new way of doing things to take the mantra's and write them down on sticky notes, and place them where you would see it often. I placed mine in my car, the bathroom mirrors, the refrigerator, etc. Eventually, I found one that really stuck with me, and seemed to always work in a timely fashion when I employed that mantra, silently to myself.

In the beginning, I would say the mantra hundreds of times in a row. Like on repeat. I can remember working at my job in Health Records, filing in particular, reciting the mantra to myself to keep myself grounded, and to curb the horrific anxiety that I needed to work through. (*Medications for anxiety didn't work for me and I was sensitive or allergic to everything that I tried. That meant - I was on my own, and from then on, I decided that it was only me that was gonna help me, and I needed some tools that were going to be efficient and effective.)#

Low and behold it worked. I found that each time I would get into a situation or have a feeling of insecurity - that could lead to anxiety - I would just shut it down by reciting my mantra,"I love and approve of myself'.

What is your favourite mantra? Have you tried the sticky notes to remind you that you are a Divine Being? Do you know how much you are loved? I love you.

I am with you.

Make your recovery, your new discovery❤️

#Anxiety #Depression #FMS #PanicAttacks #mantras #loveyourself #Fibromyalgia #louisehay