managinganxiety

ɪᴍ ɴᴇᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ, ʀᴇᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ ɢᴇᴛs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴅᴀʏs #MentalHealth #Anxiety #managinganxiety

GROUNDING TECHNIQUES
You may have already heard about this a million times but it really does work, especially when you need to stop an anxiety attack in its tracks! The idea is to find objects, smells and sounds to focus on and that helps drag you back into reality when your anxious thoughts have taken over everything.

So if your standing in line in a grocery store or even Starbucks waiting to purchase a lovely bit of coffee and walnut cake but all of a sudden, your overcome with fear, you’re wondering if you’ll manage to shove the change back into your purse quick enough or if you’ll hold up the customer behind you or what you’ll do if the bag splits?! Quickly stop your mind from derailing and find some things you can focus on.

REMEMBER SOMETHING FUNNY OR POSITIVE THAT HAPPENED
Even if I’m in an absolute asshole of a mood, I can’t stay in it for long if something hilarious happens. Sometimes, to get out of feeling down or anxious, I’ll watch outtakes from movies, shows or a video of my dogs doing something cute and if I don’t have those at hand, I replay them in my head.

Try and think of something that made you smile or laugh and focus on it until you feel your anxiety drop.

RATIONALIZE
Ask yourself in your head if there’s actually any evidence to support your anxiety and if there is, what’s the worst that can actually happen? Will holding up the customer behind you be the worst thing in the world? Try to rationalize the situation. Is worrying about what might happen going to actually help or stop it from happening? Can you change anything?

COUNT
In your head of course but try counting and taking deep breaths at the same time. Mix it up so you’re having to concentrate on the counting, so count to 4 the first time you take a deep breath, then count to 6 etc.

TAKE A QUICK BREAK
If you’re able to and the situation allows for it, like if you’re at work or at a party, take a quick toilet break. Sometimes if I’m in a situation and my head is running away with me, I like to nip off to the toilet for a few minutes, take a breather, do all the things mentioned above and return with a fresh head. It can help just to get a bit of clarity and return a little less overwhelmed.

We’re all human. Anxiety doesn’t last forever.

This is my daughter; a type A personality. #TYPEA ! She has extreme anxiety/panic attacks & depression. She manages her symptoms by delving, full speed, into setting goals and thriving on the process of achievement. She has a master's degree, applying for a doctorate, an assistant professor, leads college tutoring dept, works in a book store, college media consultant, and always has a sideline job: make up, fashion, and now accruing books and selling them onli e. Whew!!!!! Am i bragging, perhaps, but her method of #managingextremeanxiety /stress blows me away! Do i strive to have her "do-ability"? No. I'm just endlessly amazed how we are all so unique; the "good medicine" for 1, is not the #goodmedicine for another!

I can be at home, in a store, in a restaurant, or simply walking down the street, when, seemingly out of nowhere, an anxiety attack hits. I get the cold sweats. I get jittery. I start pacing. I start looking for ways to make it stop, even the more dangerous ways. A couple of weeks ago, I had one of the worst anxiety attacks I’ve had in a long time. It was so bad, I nearly grabbed a pair of scissors to “cut it out.” Instead, I buried my face in my hands and rocked back and forth by my bed, praying the anxiety would go away. Fortunately, I had enough presence of mind to text my mom. She immediately rushed downstairs and held me tight. When my dad came in, he asked what the problem was, and while I was able to tell him, my speech was choppy and I couldn’t seem to get my words to connect in my mind, let alone when I tried to say them. I felt stupid and ashamed for my lack of control and my inability to explain clearly to my dad. While days like this are the exception, they do happen. It isn’t because I’m a failure. It isn’t because I did or didn’t do something. It isn’t because I’m broken. It simply means I’m human, and my body is not perfect. I’ve found ways to snap me out of these moments, good and healthy ways. I draw. I put down on paper (or screen if I’m using my iPad Pro) what I’m feeling, and somehow, that allows me to process my emotions without getting sucked into that riptide. The above ‘painting’ is called “Introspection” which I draw on my iPad Pro using the Procreate App. I’ve done a lot of thinking and self-evaluations over the past year. Sometimes it works, and other times I want to hide from my own mind. Some days are like that. #Anxiety #AnxietyDisorder #panickattack #CopingWithAnxiety #SocialAnxiety #managinganxiety #Drawing