www.myanxiousworld.com

Head To A Beach For Some Healthy Vitamin Sea

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 23:27:05 GMT

I have heard in the past that people who live near a beach have less stress and anxiety than those who live inland. I recently read an NBC article titled “What the Beach Does To Your Brain”. The article reports that people who live near the coast are healthier physical and mentally than those who don’t.

I researched the theory behind these claims and found that the color blue has been associated with feelings of calm and peace. Melodic ocean noises also calm individuals. Rhythmic ocean sounds also helps put the brain in meditative state and activate parasympathetic nervous system which allows the body to fully relax.

Being at the beach can also have a placebo affect. We are conditioned to think of the beach as a place for a peaceful and relaxing vacation. Knowing that the beach is a place for relaxation can make us instantly calm when near the beach.

Even though I’m not an avid swimmer, I love spending time at the beach. Lying in the sun engulfed in a good book, listening to the ocean, hearing birds flying above, and breathing in the ocean breeze is my kind of relaxation.

Even though my stress doesn’t permanently disappear at the beach, I do notice that the beach gives my brain a break and the anxious thoughts get quieter.

If you live near the coast and notice yourself anxious and stressed, head to the nearest beach for a little Vitamin Sea!

Positive Affirmations For Anxiety

Thu, 16 May 2019 19:04:54 GMT

I know that when I feel anxious, I automatically think about the worst scenario that can happen in any situation without realizing it. When I’m anxious, it’s so much easier for me to negatively self talk myself into a full blown panic attack.

I’ve recently been attempting to speak positive self affirmations to myself on a regular basis so that I can give my brain a healthy foundation to manage my own thoughts and reduce fear when I face anxious times.

Here are some affirmations that have helped me that might be of a help to you too!

It’s ok to feel anxious.

This is only temporary.

My current thoughts and feelings are just thoughts and feelings, not reality.

Breathing will relax me.

I have everything that I need to control this.

I Am Strong.

I Am Courageous.

I Am Amazing!

I Am Capable.

I Am Important.

I have everything that I need to control this.

I Am safe.

I will be ok.

Do you need positive affirmations you can read through when anxious? Here’s a book I found on Amazon that has Affirmations and excerpts on Mindfulness to Help with Anxiety.

It’s OK

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 22:55:58 GMT

It’s ok to feel anxious.

It’s ok to not feel well.

It’s ok to think you’re not in control.

It’s ok to feel incapable of handling situations.

It’s ok to not want company.

It’s ok to curl up in bed.

It’s ok to cry yourself to sleep.

It’s ok to not be ok all the time.

Feelings are temporal. Sometimes all you can do is struggle to survive the day…and that’s perfectly ok. Take care of yourself today, you’ll do better tomorrow.

Checklist to Reduce Anxiety

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 20:48:43 GMT

You know those many situations when you’re anxious for no reason, your mind races and you feel on edge? Yup. I know those occasions all too well!

Throughout these years, I’ve been learning that some of my anxieties are from ignoring my most basic needs. When I’m spiraling and feeling that my thoughts are out of control, I try to take a step back and ask myself three questions.

Am I Thirsty?

During a panic attack, I oftentimes have a dry mouth and feel parched. Anxiety and thirst go hand in hand as one symptom of anxiety is excessive sweating which leads to dehydration. If you don’t drink enough water regularly, dehydration can amplify the symptoms of anxiety. I carry around a reusable water bottle so when I feel anxious, I can quickly drink some water to ensure that my anxious thoughts aren’t present because I’m just thirsty.

Am I Hungry?

There’s a term called “hangry” to describe the feeling of stress, fear, and anger due to hunger. Low blood sugar due to hunger are known to activate the stress response. People who have anxiety and depression are susceptible to feeling “hangry”. To combat that emotion, I carry around protein bars or snacks when I’m not at the house so when I’m having irrational thoughts and feel stressed because I’m hungry, I can quickly eat on the go.

Am I Tired?

A lack of sleep can aggravate anxiety. Anxious thoughts can keep me from having a good night’s sleep, and not having a good night’s sleep can make me anxious. Even if I slept an adequate amount the night before, having general anxiety mean that I constantly have a lack of energy and am fatigued all the time. If I feel miserable like I can’t get through the day, I lie down and try to take a nap. If I’m working or in a situation where I can’t take a nap, I just sit down, put on an eyemask, take a 5 or 10 minute break and just breathe. Having a mental “time out” during the day helps give me a mental reboot and makes it possible to continue to have a productive day.

Recognizing that not enough water, food, and sleep can cause anxiety has been eye-opening to managing my anxious thoughts. If my body has those basic needs and still feels stressed out, I try to practice coping techniques to get me through the rest of the day.

Do you have any tips on managing your anxiety? Let me know!

I Accidentally Reduced Anxiety By Spending Time Outdoors

Fri, 08 Jun 2018 20:39:58 GMT

I took a weekend camping trip to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Rugged mountains, boulders, oddball trees, and desert surrounded me. No nearby establishments, no permanent structures, spotty phone reception, no internet, no wi-fi, no technology connecting me to the network of social media.

I thought I’d be anxious to be away from everything, but the opposite happened – I felt at peace and grateful for the opportunity to step back from the hustle of life.

There’s something to be said about spending time in nature. Being in nature puts things into perspective and reminds you of how small you are in the grand scheme of the universe, yet at the same time it makes you feel large because you’re so lucky that you happen to be alive in this particular moment.

With a feeling of thankfulness I explored the wilderness, climbed boulders, curiously followed trails, built a campfire, and stared into the fire for the majority of the night.

When the weekend was done, I realized that throughout the entire trip I didn’t have any anxiety AT ALL. All my habitual worried thoughts about life disappeared once I stepped into the great outdoors. All my internal anxiety melted away once my energy was focused outward on being physically active by exploring and hiking.

This trip was an epiphany for me. My average week consists of working indoors, and then coming home and being in my house the rest of the day. Yet, just by spending some time outdoors, I didn’t even stress out or feel anxious.

There’s a study that was conducted by Irina Wen, Ph.D at NYU Langone Medical Center that proves that “Nature is beneficial for mental health. It reduces cognitive fatigue and stress and can be helpful with depression and anxiety.”

Since then, I’ve made it a priority to spend more time outdoors and moving around in my day-t0-day life. Whether it be by taking a walk, doing a workout, or intermediately exercising while watching TV. I’ve noticed a reduction in anxious thoughts when I’m active and I plan to keep on being active to help control my thoughts.

If you have any tips on how you reduce anxiety, let me know.

Mind Body Prescription

Sat, 12 May 2018 22:16:00 GMT

I’ve read many self-help books about Anxiety. A lot of books briefly touch on the subject of strategies, distraction techniques, and advice on exercises to improve your mood to reduce anxiety…advice which I’ve heard countless of times in the past.

However, I read this book called The Mind Body Prescription – Healing the Body, Healing the Pain. In this book, the author takes a different approach and gives deep insight how the mind is closely connected with the body and how the mind itself can often produce physical symptoms related to anxiety.

There are some reviews on this book on Amazon that says this book has “changed my life!” Personally this book didn’t change my life, but it has definitely been helpful in my personal journey to manage my anxiety as I am now extremely aware of how much anxiety I produce internally through my mind, and how little of my anxiety is caused by external situations.

If you’ve read this book, or have any other anxiety book recommendations, let me know!

8 Problems With Anxiety

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 20:07:23 GMT

Feeling anxious is a normal emotion. The difference with healthy anxiety and an anxiety disorder is when the anxious symptoms keeps someone from doing normal things in life on a regular basis.
People with an anxiety disorder worry constantly and their fears seem overwhelming and very real. There are a few problems with anxiety including:

Lack of Quality Sleep

Having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep is related to numerous health conditions, psychologically and physically. If you find yourself constantly struggling to fall sleep because you’re worrying about something specific (like money) or nothing, it might be an indicator of an anxiety disorder. Another problem is that you wake up feeling tired and your mind is still racing with worrying thoughts.

Indigestion

Anxiety stems from the mind but may manifest physical symptoms like digestive problems. When anxious, the body releases adrenaline and directs blood away from the stomach to the brain to induce the fight-or-flight reaction. Because the body isn’t focusing on digesting, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms can occur.

Muscle Tension

Headaches, sore necks, and shoulders are a painful symptom of anxiety. Someone who is anxious can have unconscious tension of muscles for long periods of time. Most people who tense their muscles constantly may stop noticing that they tense their muscles constantly until they focus on that particular muscle.

Chest Pain

A typical problem with anxiety is chest pain. Those chest pains feel like sharp shooting pains, persistent, or a constant vise like grip on the chest. Chest pains can affect one area of the chest persistently, then migrate to another area of the chest. A problem with anxiety related chest pains is that they can bring on other anxiety symptoms, or escalated thoughts that there really is something wrong with your physical health.

Perfectionism

People with anxiety often pursue perfection in their lives as a maladaptive way to cope with emotional distresses. Someone who is a perfectionist constantly pushes themselves to try to make zero mistakes in whatever task that they’re doing, poring over a project, tearing a project apart to make sure it’s flawless, and never being satisfied with the result. An anxious perfectionist has the mentality that if the end result of a project is flawed that must mean the creator is flawed as well.

Social Withdraw

People with anxiety often retreat from society, isolating themselves from the outside world. It’s not that they’re anti-social, they just find that it’s comfortable being alone instead of being in social situations. Other people with anxiety feel vulnerable when they sense a panic attack is coming, so they feel more at ease keeping their anxiety a private matter for fear of embarrassing themselves if their anxiety symptoms surface.

Self Doubt

A common problem of anxiety is self-doubt and harshly criticizing yourself or your own capabilities. Anxiety produces irrationality, so if we know we can’t rely on our own irrational thoughts, can we trust ourselves even though it seems rational? Someone with anxiety can get caught in a spiral of negative self-doubt until they come to the conclusion that they’re not good enough or not capable of performing activities that they’ve successfully accomplished in the past.

Inner Conflict

The biggest problem with anxiety is the inner conflict you have with yourself. You know that you know you’ll be alright, but you still feel terrible. You know you have people that love you, yet you feel alone. You know if you do something it will make you feel better, but you just don’t know what to do. You don’t want to struggle with the ball and chain of anxiety, you want to be well…but you can’t seem to free yourself.

How To Deal/Cope With Stress

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 00:48:35 GMT

Anxiety and stress go hand in hand. When you become stressed, you produce symptoms of anxiety. Here are some ways to deal with stress and cope with the things that make you feel overwhelmed.

Pause for a Moment

Counter-intuitive, but effective. When feeling stressed out, it feels like you have numerous things to do and not enough time, but taking a moment to be still can bring your focus to the present, calm your mind, and boost your focus.

Stop Doing Too Much

A lot of us have an innate desire to please others and make others happy. Our good intentions results in us not being able to say “no” to things, or commit to more than is realistically possible. Recognize the next time you feel like saying “no” to something, but feel obligated to say “yes”. Agreeing to do many things that are unimportant to you can leave you with little time for the things that actually matter to you.

Adjust Goals

Sometimes we expect too much out of ourselves and set goals that are beyond our reach. Our initial reaction to not achieving goals can be overwhelming stress, criticizing ourselves, and feeling like a failure. It’s important to recognize when we set ourselves for failure and readjust goals so that they’re realistically attainable.

Release Control

A source of stress is the feeling of needing to be in control at all times. This is a common stress small business owners faces. It’s difficult to release control and trust that others can do a task as well as they expect, so we end up micromanaging or want to do everything ourselves. Once we realize that we don’t have time to do it all, stress kicks in and we’re left with a giant mountain of tasks that need to be accomplished – alone.

Prioritize

When you’re engaging in multiple activities, it’s important to realize that you can’t do everything all at once. Instead of stressing about the many things you have to juggle, find 1 or 2 tasks that you give your full attention to. Don’t think that you’re pushing the other activities aside, you’re merely shifting your current focus. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished when you’re not haphazardly multitasking.

Eliminate

If it doesn’t serve a purpose, let it go. Do you absolutely have to do every single thing that’s on your checklist? Is there something that you could postpone with little consequence? Could you say “no” to something have have more time to do something else that is more important to you?

Trifecta of Health

Eat healthy, have enough sleep, and exercise. Those three things are necessary in order to maintain good health. When we’re healthy, we’re better able to manage the things in life that can cause us to stress.

Listen to yourself

Your body is smart, listen to it. If you’re feeling drained, uninspired, and stressed out, don’t keep pushing yourself. Listen to your body and create a self care plan if need be so that you can take care of yourself.

Take Things 10 Seconds at a Time – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 23:44:47 GMT

One of the greatest quotes that have helped me through my anxiety is a quote in the TV Series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

If you aren’t familiar with that sitcom, it’s about a woman named Kimmy Schmidt. She spent years of her life in an underground bunker thinking the world was going to end at any moment.

This show is not realistic in how she overcomes difficult events, but Kimmy has some profound perspectives on life including this quote that resonated with me the most:

“Do you think you can handle this for 10 more seconds? I learned a long time ago that a person can stand just about anything for 10 seconds, then you just start on a new 10 seconds. All you have to do is take it 10 seconds at a time.”

When I’m in the middle of a panic attack, when my emotions seem to be all over the place, when I feel like I’m falling apart, I just think about that quote.

I remember that even though things feel unbearable at the moment and I feel like I can’t go on…it IS possible for me to handle anything for 10 seconds.

I try not to think about surviving the rest of the hour, or the rest of the day. I just think about getting through the next 10 seconds.

When those 10 seconds have passed, I start on a new 10 seconds.

There are a lot of things in life that I don’t have much control over. Things happen. When bad, unexpected situations arise, it’s easy for me to instantly react with fear, panic, and anxiety.

But breaking things down, taking a breath, and letting those anxious moments pass slowly has helped me calm down many times.

Try to apply this quote to events in your own life. Remember that you’re so much stronger than you think.

Even in seemingly terrible situations, or the worst circumstances, remind yourself that you CAN get through anything…10 seconds at a time.

If you’re interested in watching the show, you can find the TV series on Netflix, or you can find the DVDs on Amazon.

Self Care Ideas for Psychological/Mental Health

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 03:24:29 GMT

Self Care isn’t a one time thing, self care is about regularly engaging in activities to keep your body functioning at your optimum level.

Here’s some Self Care Activities you can add to your Self Care Plan to maintain your Psychological/Mental Health.

Try a New Activity

Boost your brain by engaging in new activities. Studies show that by regularly exercising the mind by exploring new activities, you can boost your psychological health.

Read

Reading on a regular basis can make you feel more mentally acute. Engaging your brain in reading, especially if it’s a topic you aren’t familiar with can help exercise the brain.

Take Another Route to Work/School

Taking another route challenges your brain into becoming more creative. By going a new route, you will get to see new things, think about different things, and create new connections.

Declutter

Clearing a living space give a sense of accomplishment and makes you feel like you’re in control. Living in a clutter free environment causes you to live more efficiently as there aren’t additional items to cause you to stress.

Minimize Social Media

Engaging in social media can be a distraction for anxiety, however regularly engaging in social media can increase feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Browsing social media declines intellectual abilities because the pastime doesn’t provide the brain with adequate food for development. Minimize social media to enhance your overall mental health.

Hobbies

Find something you love to do, and do it at least once a week. Dance, watch a TV show, paint, or read to give your mental health a boost. Pursuing a hobby can boost your mental health and help you feel fulfilled.

Connect With Yourself

Take some time to check in with yourself. Think about the things that might be changing, or things that are slowly getting out of control. Connecting with yourself gives you opportunity to readjust your action plans, or try something new to boost your psychological health.

Self Care Ideas for Emotional Health

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 23:43:54 GMT

Creating a Self Care Plan is more than just creating a list to check off. It’s the constant repetition of engaging in activities that soothes you and ensures that you’re operating at your optimum.
Here’s some Self Care Activities to maintain your Emotional Health.

Cuddle with a Pet

Having a pet can help decrease blood pressure and reduce stress. There is also a physical benefit by taking your pet on a walk.

Snuggle Under a Blanket

Engaging in self care activities that stimulates one of our five senses increases mindfulness and makes us aware of the present.

Practice Gratefulness

Gratitude reduces toxic emotions such as resentment, frustration, and envy. Gratitude is also an effective way to increase happiness.

Journal

Writing out your thoughts on paper can help you process your feelings as an observer. Write anything that comes to mind to release stress and worry.

Laugh

This is a unique strategy to take care of your emotional health. Laughter helps reduce stress by stimulating many organs. Laughter oxygenates the heart, lungs, and muscles, increasing endorphins that the brain releases. Laughing (even if it’s forced at first) can make you happier.

Me-Time

Indulge in a project or activity just for yourself without guilt. Having some “me-time” allows you to feel peaceful and worthy of self indulgence without judgment. We can be so focused on taking care of everyone else during the day, but practicing taking some “me-time” can help emotionally recharge ourselves so that we don’t burn out.

Positive List

Throughout the week create a positive list. Write down positive things people say about you to read later. When feeling discouraged, read through the positive list to help you feel better.

Practice Mindfulness

When we are stressed or anxious, our minds are living in the future and it’s easy to become disconnected from our present state. Practicing mindfulness includes having a non-judgemental awareness of the current moment.

Self Care Ideas for Physical Health

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 22:34:22 GMT

It’s important to create a Self Care Plan to manage your daily stress and anxiety. Here’s a list of Self Care Activities that you can add to your Self Care Plan to maintain physical health.

Eat Healthy

One of the most important ways to maintain physical health is by eating healthy and avoiding foods that trigger your anxious symptoms.

Drink Enough Water

Feeling dehydrated can bring on symptoms of stress. Aim to drink sufficient water throughout the day.

Exercise

Exercise not only increases serotonin production, it also helps your immune system fight against colds.

Sleep/Nap

Getting sufficient rest does wonder in helping you to maintain your physical health. Here’s some tips on how to sleep better.

Fresh Air

Spend some time outdoors and breathe in fresh air to rejuvenate your body. You’d be surprised how refreshed you’ll feel after oxygenating your body.

Time Management

Prioritize your goals and minimize procrastination so that you don’t stress that “you don’t have time!”

Practice Good Hygiene

Good hygiene not only reduces the risk of illness, but it can also improve the way you perceive yourself and boost your self esteem.

Relax

Give yourself opportunity for relaxation. There are different techniques people use for relaxation such as massages, manicure or pedicure, yoga, tai chi, or guided meditation. The goal is to achieve a relaxed peaceful state.

Dental Phobia – Overcoming Dental Anxiety

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 19:52:37 GMT

If you are like me, I don’t look forward to dental appointments. The majority of the time, dental procedures aren’t painful due to modern anesthesia, but the thought of a visit to the dentist can cause me to have anxiety.

There are various degrees of dental anxiety and dental phobia. To the very extreme, someone with dental phobia may never set an appointment and see a dentist. They may also have an anxiety attack or feel extremely ill when thinking about visiting the dentist.

Others with dental anxiety struggle to go to the dentist and may panic days in advance, not sleep the night before out of worry, or freak out while they’re waiting for their appointment. Others feel incredibly uneasy and feel like it’s difficult to breathe when objects are around or near the mouth during a dental procedure.
There are numerous causes of Dental Anxiety or Dental Phobia. Here are the most common causes:

Feeling Loss of Control — There are a number of phobias in which people feel like they don’t have control – like flying in an airplane. When they sit in the dental chair, they have to remain still. They feel like they don’t know what’s going on around them and can’t predict what will happen next. Feeling helpless and not in control can trigger anxiety.
Embarrassment — People can feel embarrassed or ashamed to have a stranger look inside their mouth – seemingly judging them for their dental hygiene. Some people are self-conscious about how their teeth look in the first place and that can add to the embarrassment.
Loss of Personal Space — During dental procedures, the dentist, the dental assistant, or the hygienist’s face comes extremely close to the teeth making someone feel uncomfortable or anxious at the loss of personal space. If someone is uncomfortable with physical closeness to begin with, visiting the dentist could heighten that uncomfortable feeling.
Pain — Fear of pain is the main reason of dental phobia. If someone hasn’t been to the dentist in awhile, they may be thinking back to their early dental visits before a lot of the advances of “pain free” dentistry occurred. In a recent study, fear of pain is the most common reason of anxiety in adults 24 years and older.
Fear of Needles — A lot of people are scared of needles, especially one that goes in the mouth. Other than the fear of needles, some people are scared that the anesthesia won’t work to eliminate pain.
Bad Experiences — Someone who has had pain at the dentist, or discomfort during dental procedures will be more anxious during the next procedure.

How to Overcome Dental Anxiety

There are many ways to overcome dental anxiety. Here’s a few tips that I’ve found helpful in managing my anxiety and stress about going to the dentist.

Work With Your Fear

There’s a book called Fear Free Dental Care that has a step-by-step guide to overcoming dental phobia. This book describes the causes of dental fear and gives helpful solutions and tips to work through dental fears.

Trust Your Dentist

Talk to your dentist about your fears so that your dentist can accommodate and work with your worries instead of against them.

If you’re worried at feeling a loss of control, the dentist might suggest a hand signal you can give if you need to take a breather. If you’re worried about the anesthesia not working, the dentist could explain exactly how it works and answer any other questions you have. If you’re worried about not knowing what’s going on, you could ask that the dentist explain the procedure beforehand and also reexplain what’s happening at every stage during the procedure so that you can mentally prepare for what’s going to happen ahead of time.
If the dentist isn’t able to talk to you and work with your fears, find another dentist who will.

Review the Procedure with the Dentist

Have the dentist walk you through the procedure ahead of time so that you’re aware of what’s going to happen.

Take the Morning Off

Schedule your appointment when there’s no school, or when work isn’t so stressful. Don’t let the stress of everyday life overlap to cause you additional stress during your appointment.

Focus on Breathing

When worried or stressed, people typically hold their breath. Holding in the breath decreases oxygen flow which increases panic. Focus on slow natural breathing.

Be Mindful of What You Eat

Caffeine can stimulate your body and create feelings of panic. Sugar can also spike the blood and induce feelings of stress. Eliminating foods that temporarily alter your natural homeostasis can help you manage your anxiety.

Earphones

During dental appointments, bring earphones to listen to music or your favorite podcast. Listening to music can help distract your mind and make it easier to tune out sounds at the dentist that could make you anxious.

Reward Yourself Afterwards

Intentionally goof off online, play a game on your phone. Color in a coloring book, or relax and take a bath. Overcoming worries and conquering your fears should be celebrated!

How To Create a Self Care Plan

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 05:02:02 GMT

If you’re anything like me, self care is at the very end of your list of priorities.

Work all day, then come home and pick up around the house, take care of my pets, and water plants. These are just the bare minimum things I have to do on a daily basis to keep my life intact.

By the end of the day, I’m exhausted! I don’t have the mental energy to do anything but plop on the couch binge watching Netflix and scroll through my phone.

Does this sound familiar?

Maintaining a balanced lifestyle is difficult, but I’ve come to realize that it’s so important to take some time for yourself and create a Self Care Plan.

A Self Care Plan is simply a plan I have to carve time out of my day to do things for my health.

Knowing I’m doing something for myself helps me with managing my current lifestyle and gives me a solid foundation to help cope with future stress when they arise.

Here are the 5 simple steps I’ve taken to create my own Self Care Plan.

1. Identify Self Care Goals

I consider areas of Self Care that may need improvement:

Physical Health
Emotional Health
Psychological/Mental Health
Professional Workplace
Social Network

I ask myself, “Are there activities I currently do to support my overall well-being in those categories? Do I have more self care in some areas than others?”

I pause and think if there’s an area that needs work.

2. Reflect

I then think about my current activities for self care. Is what I’m currently doing working? What isn’t working?

If I find myself tired and uninspired at the end of every day, the answer is usually, “No, what I’m currently doing is not working.”

3. Create a Self Care Plan

I then make a plan for an area that I want to work on, aim to incorporate one positive activity in that area at least one time a week.

For example, if an area I want to work on is my “Physical Health”, a positive activity could be “include 1 more vegetable in meals” or “sleep 8 hours a night”.

If an area I need help in is “Emotional Health”, an activity I could put in my plan could be, “Meditate for 5 minutes”.

My Self Care plan doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated. The goal is to create a system that is realistic and doable.

Template 1

Template 2

Template 3

4. Implement your Plan

My goal is to try to implement one activity at least once a week.

I build a plan in 4 steps:

1. Determine if my positive change is small and doable.
2. Make sure I have all the things I need to complete the task. I.e. Have vegetables in the fridge to eat for dinner.
3. Plan on when I’ll implement this change. “I’ll eat 1 more vegetable at dinner.”
4. Set a time on when I’ll evaluate this new habit to see if it works or not.

Then I try to implement this new healthy activity for that timeframe.

5. Evaluate

After trying out my Self Care Plan for that timeframe, I step back and gauge my progress.

Is my plan successful in creating a more balanced lifestyle? Is this new thing I’m implementing easy to do? Is this a new healthy habit I do automatically without struggle?

If I’m losing motivation to pursue my plan, I consider whether the healthy lifestyle activities I’m trying to implement are too large for me right now.

If it’s not working, I either scale down on what I’m trying to do or find a different activity that works better for me right now.

Here are some tips and tricks I’ve found helpful:

Set reminders by putting it in my calendar, putting post-its around the house, or posting my plan on the fridge so that my plan isn’t forgotten.
I know it takes at least 6 weeks to let any activity become a habit. I go easy on myself if I slip up and forget about my plan. Habits take time.
I created a Self Care Plan that I look forward to accomplishing. The goal of creating my plan is to increase my overall well-being, not create another set of tasks that become a chore to check off.
Celebrate the small wins! I hang a chart or spreadsheet that I can check off. In my case, I put smiley face stickers on each successful day. Whenever I pass by the chart, I look at the progress that I’ve made, and that gives me momentum to keep going!

In conclusion, creating a Self Care Plan doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be a simple thing like drinking 1 extra glass of water or doing 10 squats before watching your favorite show.

Each healthful habit you do compounds and can give you the knowledge that you’re doing what you can to create a happier and healthier life.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to create your own self care plan.

Let me know in the comments below!

Importance of Self-Care Plans

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:45:42 GMT

As adults we’re expected to balance a number of activities – work, school, home life, social life, and relationships.

Juggling numerous activities without a plan can lead to increased stress, anxiety, or burn out.

Self care is a practice that can help you manage the stresses that already exist in your life, and can help you cope with future stress when they do arise.

Assess Your Self Care Level

There are different ideas about self care so start by looking at your own self care levels.

Think about a typical week and think about all the times you took a moment just for yourself.

Note how frequent you engage in self care activities, pay attention to the duration and the different types of activities you do.

Recognize small things as well such as buying something you want online, stopping at your favorite coffee shop for a latte, enjoying a delicious pastry, or even playing games on your phone.

Create a baseline for what you deem as “normal self care”. Just being aware of your regular engagement in self care activities can make you realize how little time you spend on yourself and if you need to incorporate a self care plan.

Common Self Care Plans

Typical Self Care Plans have goals like:

Managing Current Stress
Taking Care of Emotional Needs
Maintaining Psychological Health
Activities to Maintain Physical Health
Self Care in a Professional Workplace
Making Time to be Creative and Play
Creating an Equilibrium Across Different Activities You Balance
Fostering Great Relationships You Can Turn to for Support

Goal of Self Care

The goal of self care isn’t just about limiting the events that cause you to stress, it’s also about managing yourself so that you can balance life to prevent future stress from becoming overwhelming.
Here’s how to create a Self Care Plan that’s catered to your personal life.

Self care isn’t about self-indulgence, it’s about preserving your well-being.

Art of Kintsugi – Perfectly Imperfect

Sat, 27 May 2017 18:50:24 GMT

There is an art form in Japanese culture called “Kintsugi”. The literal translation of the word mean “golden rejoining”.

Ceramic pottery that has been broken is not discarded, but instead the pieces of pottery are repaired in a unique fashion.

The Art of Kintsugi bonds the broken pieces back together with lacquer, highlighting the cracks with gold. Kintsugi treats the pieces of broken pottery as the object’s past, rather than a flaw to disguise.

The technique behind this art form is recognizing the history of the object, repairing, and producing a masterpiece that’s even more beautiful than the original.

A lot of times we try to hide our flaws and conceal our “broken” damaged self to others, but we should learn to embrace the imperfect and let it become a unique part of our past.

Find value in the cracks and chips of your life. Revel in the experiences that shatter you. Turn your breaking into beautiful masterpieces.

The broken pieces of your life have made you who you are, so own it proudly!

Learn the Art of Kintsugi by creating your own perfectly imperfect masterpiece!

There are Kintsugi Repair Kits online with step-by-step instructional videos so that you, too, can create your own masterpieces.

Anxiety is…

Wed, 24 May 2017 22:58:02 GMT

Anxiety is rehearsing phone calls before dialing the phone.
Anxiety is thinking everyone is watching and judging you.
Anxiety is your brain shouting “Stop thinking anxious, irrational thoughts. Be normal!”
Anxiety is the constant worry you have about your relatives.
Anxiety is panic when someone doesn’t answer a text immediately.
Anxiety is fear of screwing up something you’ve done successfully many times before.
Anxiety is not sleeping well unless in your own bed.
Anxiety is belittling yourself for getting anxious over nothing.
Anxiety is panicking about the “what ifs” of future events.
Anxiety is achy muscles because you’re constantly tensed.
Anxiety is not being able to sleep because you’re playing out the next day’s activities to see what could go wrong and how to fix it.
Anxiety is planning what time to be home on the weekend even before heading out.
Anxiety is fear of being stuck in the moments of sadness and frustration.
Anxiety is being sad when you’re happy, because you know the happiness will end and you’ll be sad again.
Anxiety is being scared of being the real you.
Anxiety is feeling like you don’t have control.
Anxiety is worrying friends don’t like you anymore.
Anxiety is fearing your fears.
Anxiety is lying on the floor doing nothing, letting your brain race on with out you.
Anxiety is getting stressed about things people wouldn’t normally stress about.
Anxiety is getting annoyed too easily.
Anxiety is not liking surprises.
Anxiety is feeling like you’re not good enough.
Anxiety is feeling alone in the middle of a group of friends.
Anxiety is being exhausted even after sleeping 10 hours the night before.
Anxiety is being scared of failing, but expecting failure anyways.
Anxiety is apologizing constantly.
Anxiety is feeling like you don’t deserve what you have.
Anxiety is frustrating…

Cyberchondria – Don’t Google Your Symptoms

Wed, 24 May 2017 00:35:35 GMT

It’s a common thing to google your symptoms to try to find out the reason for your symptoms, however, searching for your symptoms can lead into an obsession called Cyberchondria.

Because anyone can post content online, your search results may not be accurate. Sources you find online might not be published by a medical professional with experience or even credentials to give advice on the symptoms.

Cyberchondria is a vicious cycle. The more you search online for your symptoms, the more aware you become about your symptoms. Because you’re monitoring your symptoms, you can become anxious and manifest exaggerated symptoms.

Your exaggerated symptoms might make you search the internet more, and make your symptoms even more exaggerated. The cycle will continue to escalate until you’ve come to the panicked conclusion that you have cancer or that you’re probably dying.
My advice is to stop googling for your symptoms and look for solutions instead. Instead of searching for symptoms that could have a number of causes, search for the solution to the symptom. For example, don’t search “coughing causes”, search, “how to relieve a cough.”

Another thing is to not to share your symptoms that you’re concerned about on social media, message boards, or forums. The majority of the people will not be medical professionals and will be just speculating on what could be the cause of your symptoms. They might suggest that you have a terrible illness, or misdiagnose you which could cause you additional anxiety.

If you are worried about your health and the symptoms that you have, try seeing a medical professional first. They’ll be able to tell you if your health is normal, and if your symptoms are something to worry about or not.

Educate yourself on your health, but consult yourself by reputable medical professionals rather than self-diagnosing your symptoms.

5 Breathing Techniques for Anxiety and Stress Relief

Tue, 23 May 2017 02:03:01 GMT

While feeling anxious or stressed, our breathing rate changes drastically. We typically take slow breaths from our lower lungs, but during panic or an emergency, we start breathing shallowly and rapidly from the upper lungs.

If we aren’t physically exerting ourselves, prolong shallow breathing can lead to hyperventilation. That produces a lot of the symptoms during a panic attack such as shortness of breath, dizziness, confusion, nausea, and tingling in the feet or hands.

Here’s five breathing exercises to avoid hyperventilation and reverse symptoms during stress or an anxiety attack.

Abdominal Breathing – Natural Breath

Slowly breath in and inhale air through your nose, filling your lower lungs. Your upper chest stays still and your stomach will slowly expand with your breath.
Breathe out easily.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 in a relaxed (not forced) manner, remember to concentrate on only filling the lower lungs.

Calming Breath

Inhale slowly through your nose. Start by filling lower lungs and then the upper lungs with air.
Pause, hold your breath, and count to three.
Exhale through pursed lips. Relax your face and also the muscles in the upper body.
Repeat.

Practice this breathing exercise when you want to release tension and bring on calmness.

Breath Counting

Take a few natural breaths.
While breathing naturally count “one” as you exhale.
Inhale slowly and naturally.
Exhale and count “two”.
Continue inhaling and counting while exhaling until you reach “five”.
Begin a new cycle starting with “one” on the exhale.

You’ll recognize if you space out if you find yourself counting higher than five. Try to do 10 minutes of Breath Counting.

Measured Breathing

Relax your jaw and loosen your shoulders.
Inhale slowly through your nose while you count to four.
Let your stomach expand as you inhale.
Pause and hold your breath for a moment.
Exhale slowly while you count to seven.

Repeat as smoothly as you can for a few minutes to reduce tension.

Belly Breathing

Put one hand on your chest and your other hand above your belt line.
Relax and let your mouth gape open.
Gently exhale and sigh, relaxing the muscles of your upper body.
Close your mouth, hold your breath and pause for a few seconds.
Inhale gently through the nose filling your lower lungs and let the air push your stomach out.
Breath in as much air as feels comfortable.
Pause.
Repeat.

Practicing one of these breathing techniques each day will reduce stress and anxiety. Stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system through deep breathing will promote calmness in the body and mind.

10 Fidget Spinner Alternatives

Sat, 20 May 2017 03:09:58 GMT

So by now we all know about fidget spinners for stress and anxiety relief. However, in the last week, principles and teachers are banning them as they can be a distraction in the classroom.

The good news is that objects to temporarily occupy attention are not new. There are many, many alternatives to the fidget spinner. If something can serve as a temporary distraction, it could work to help relief minor symptoms of stress.

As mentioned before, have realistic expectations when looking for anxiety relief objects. There’s no fidget toy that will make your anxiety magically disappear. With that said, here’s a list of 10 fidget spinner alternatives I found.

Tangle Jr.

Get innovative and express your creative mind with the Tangle Jr. This fidget toy can be pulled apart and reattached however you want to make many different shapes and figures.

Squeeze-A-Bean

This fidget toy is low-key as it can be attached to keys, backpacks, or bags. Squeeze-A-Bean and a little bean pops out of the pod.

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty

Aaron might be a little crazy, but he created Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. This putty glows in the dark and is heat sensitive so it changes colors from blue to green.

Bouncing Band for Chairs

Slide this Bouncing Band on the front legs of a chair if you suffer from restless leg syndrome and can’t keep your feet still when sitting. Use these Bouncing Bands to release extra energy while at work or school.

Spiky Gloves

These soft and stretchy Spiky Gloves are used by kids with sensory aversions. Wear a spiky glove if you’re a nervous fidgeter and need something to do with your hands to relief stress. It’s also a great way to get deep pressure on hand joints.

Roller Chain

This finger Roller Chain is very durable and the silicone bands give a tactile feel. Because there are many grooves, this Roller Chain can be used to quietly ease your stress unobtrusively.

Squash It

Squish your finger in this Hour Glass Shape Squash It to accommodate fidgeting. This toy is soft and can be squished easily to encourage finger manipulation.

Desk Buddy Sensory Ruler

What makes the Desk Buddy Sensory Ruler unique is that it’s a 3-in-1 tool. It’s a ruler, it’s something to fidget with, and you can even chew on it! Keep this ruler on the desk to occupy fidgety hands while learning or working.

Worry Stones

Fidget with these Chakra colored Worry Stones. Hold a stone in the palm of your hand and move your thumb back and forth on the indentation of the worry stone for anxiety relief.

Spiky Sensory Rings

If you need something to twist, squeeze, grab, or throw, use a Spiky Sensory Ring. These fidget rings are nontoxic, hypoallergenic, free of BPA’s, latex, and phthalates.

Do you have a fidget spinner alternative that you use for stress relief? Let me know in the comments.

Keep Going – Don’t Quit

Tue, 16 May 2017 22:39:40 GMT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Edgar A. Guest

Fidget Spinners for Anxiety and Stress Relief

Tue, 16 May 2017 17:37:20 GMT

Without a doubt, fidget spinners are the new craze of 2017. While there are a number of fidget toys currently on the market, the fidget spinner has currently surpassed all other fidget toys in popularity.
Everyone is talking about it and Forbes has even put out an article about it stating that the fidget spinner is a “must have office toy for 2017”. The fidget spinner has become so popular that some schools are starting to ban fidget spinners as they believe the toy could be a distraction during class.

What is a Fidget Spinner?

A typical fidget spinner is a palm size gadget that has a two or three pronged design. In the center pad of the spinner is a bearing which rotates the spinner. The fidget spinner is held by the center pad while the toy spins.
The most common spinners are made out of plastic, however spinners can be made from other materials like stainless steel, copper, brass, titanium, and aluminum.

Fidget Spinners And Health

Numerous publications and articles about the fidget spinner claims that the spinner benefits individuals with autism, ADHD, stress, and anxiety. Some individuals with ADHD need constant stimulation, so the fidget spinner occupies the need for stimulation so that the individual can concentrate their attention on what they need to focus on.
While there are benefits to the spinner, there hasn’t been enough scientific research whether or not spinners help individuals from a mental health standpoint.

Does the Fidget Spinner Cure Anxiety?

Individuals claim it calms minds, and it’s marketed as a stress reliever, so does it really work?
The fidget spinner is an excellent visual distraction and the sound of the spinning bearings occupies the mind and distracts you from obsessive thoughts.
The fidget spinner is successful in shifting the focus of your scattered thoughts, but it’s not a magical spinner that will cure your anxiety immediately.
However, because the spinner occupies the mind while spinning, it could be a short term distraction and one strategy to use to cope with anxiety on a daily basis.

Fidget spinners are currently in local toy stores, farmers markets, and on social media buy-and-sell groups. They are typically cheap and prices range from $2 to $15. Due to their extreme popularity, they can also be found on Amazon. Here’s a fidget spinner with an e-book that teaches different tricks you can do with fidget spinners.

I believe that while fidget spinners aren’t a long term solution to anxiety, I think it’s a fun inexpensive toy that’s worth a try. I’m always excited to try new things to temporarily distract my symptoms of anxiety. Here’s some long term tips on how to reduce daily stress and anxiety that might be of a help to you.

Do you own a fidget spinner for your anxiety? Is it effective in coping with your stress? Comment your thoughts below.

Anxiety And Feeling Vulnerable

Sun, 14 May 2017 00:21:06 GMT

One of the things I constantly struggle with is telling others about my anxiety and the daily battle of my anxious thoughts. Opening up about my personal struggles exposes me to the judgment of others and the feeling of being vulnerable by exposing my struggle is scary.

Vulnerability rises when I share details of what triggers my anxiety. I fear that my sharing might cause disapproval of what trivial situations triggers my anxious thoughts. I feel that others might look down on me when I tell them I get anxious for no reason whatsoever. I also think that others might think less of me because of my silent struggle.

Along with feeling open and vulnerable about my struggle, sometimes I feel shame about sharing what I need in order to cope with my daily thoughts. As adults, it’s considered a virtue to be strong and self-reliant. Evoking need is sometimes synonymous with appearing weak. Mentioning the things that I need in order to mentally function can bring on a sense of being needy or feeling like a burden to others.

In some cases, I avoid mentioning I am having anxiety. Anxiety is a complex battle and is difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t suffer from it. Sometimes when I do open up, people immediately try to “cure” my anxiety, or think of my battle as a problem that they feel personally responsible to solve.

It’s much easier to shy away from letting others know the circumstances that causes my stress and anxiety, but it’s a huge accomplishment when I DO let others know about my anxiety. Having family and friends who understand what I’m going through and are available to lend a listening ear if I need it is extremely reassuring.

Having a support team who’s there for you can help you manage the struggle of your anxious thoughts. If you have any tips on conquering the fear of feeling vulnerable, let me know in the comments.

Music For Anxiety And Depression

Sat, 13 May 2017 00:34:16 GMT

There are many ways to reduce stress and anxiety. One of the techniques mentioned was listening to music. Music helps by occupying the mind, and helps explore the emotions we can feel. It also helps absorb attention and distracts us from unwanted thoughts.
Sound therapy has been used throughout the ages as a relaxation method to enhance well-being and to help restore one’s health.
Music with carefully arranged rhythms, harmonies, and bass lines helps by reducing blood pressure, slows the listener’s heart rate, and lowered the levels of cortisol (which is the stress hormone). Peaceful “New Age” music initiates the relaxation response in individuals. This type of music is typically heard in spas or massage parlors.
Neuroscientists in the UK conducted a study and found that individuals listening to this one particular New Age song called “Weightless” reduced the stress in individuals by 65%. That’s quite remarkable!
Slow classical music or instrumental music also has a positive effect on our physiology as well. Classical music has been shown to increase concentration while studying and helps cure insomnia if anxiety makes it difficult to fall asleep at night.
New Age and Classical Music are two music genres that typically help in relieving anxiety and depression, but there are many other music genres that can assist in anxiety relief.
Some people find relief in listening to Heavy Rock n’ Roll and singing or shouting along to release stress. Others find relaxation in listening to the laid back Country Music tunes. Music with melodic flow and progression such as Enya are used by individuals as it helps them work through their difficult emotions. For me personally, I listen to Electronic Dance Music as I find that EDM shushes my anxious thoughts.
Some stressed out people don’t like the idea of listening to any music whatsoever while they are feeling anxious as they feel like music will disorient their mind. However, I encourage you to find the type of music that personally works for easing your anxious mind. You might be surprised at how much music can make a difference in calming your anxiety.

Helpful Things To Say To Someone With Anxiety

Wed, 03 May 2017 01:07:35 GMT

Are you alright?

Most times a person who’s having an anxiety attack isn’t always able to tell others that something is wrong. Sometimes they don’t like to tell others they’re in the middle of an anxiety attack because they feel like they’ll become a burden. Asking if they’re alright gives them a window of opportunity to tell you if they’re ok or not.

I’m sorry you’re going through that. That must be difficult for you.

One of the worst things is to contribute to the panic and emotion that’s occurring. Becoming overly concerned or panicky about someone’s panic will only add fuel to their fire and won’t help. An anxiety attack can bring on overwhelming dread which can be physically debilitating. Voicing sympathy instead of concern is an effective method.

Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.

Genuinely offer support in the moment. It’s natural to want to take action in order to help, but most of the time someone who’s having an anxiety attack just need acknowledgment that you’re there for them during the attack.

Do you want some space?

In some cases people DO need quiet alone time to calm themselves. What people who are having an anxiety attack don’t like is to have someone assume they want to be alone and leave in haste.

We have time.

During an anxiety attack, people feel guilty that they’re not as productive as they think they should be. They can also feel unnecessarily pressured to quickly get over their anxiety attack to not “waste” others’ time and be a burden to them. Let them know that there’s no time frame, and that they have all the time in the world to recover to their normal equilibrium.

Can you tell me how you’re feeling?

Explaining deep fears and worries out loud during a panic attack can help bring things into perspective instead of letting those worries continue to spiral out of control. Be understanding and listen to whatever worries and fears are bothering them without immediately trying to find solutions.

Do you want a hug?

There is great power in human contact. If you have anxiety, you know that human touch can make you physically feel that you’re not alone. During an anxiety attack, a hug or holding hands can mentally bring someone into the present and make them feel like they’re in a safe space.

It will pass.

During an anxiety attack the symptoms can feel never-ending. It’s easy to slip into the mindset that the attack will last forever. Telling them that it will pass is an external reminder that the feeling is temporary and will end like it always does.

I’m here for you.

It’s not what you say that makes a difference, it’s how supportive you are that matters. A lot of the times what’s most helpful is to have someone who is understanding and can listen to their experience without judgment.

Be supportive. Don’t say anything.

The biggest thing people need during an anxiety attack is to know that they have someone who’s there beside them during their attack. A lot of the time they don’t need (or even want) conversation as they’re so focused on dealing with their own mind, so silence can be a way to say all the things you don’t know what to say.

Things Not To Say To Someone With Anxiety

Tue, 02 May 2017 22:48:01 GMT

1. It’s all in your head.
2. Life’s too short to worry.
3. You should spend more time outdoors.
4. Just stop worrying about it.
5. It’s not that bad.
6. You don’t look like you have anxiety.
7. Other people have it worse.
8. Fake it till you make it.
9. What do you have to be anxious about?
10. Just exercise and your anxiety will go away.
11. My friend has anxiety, and she does fine.
12. Be positive.
13. Calm Down.
14. Stop stressing out.
15. Relax.

Things I Wish Other People Knew About Anxiety

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 21:48:25 GMT

Even though I don’t show it, I’m always feeling some degree of uneasiness.

Fatigue is constant. I’m exhausted all the time.

Making immediate decisions are difficult.

If you want to ask me to do something, I’d like to know well in advance so I can mentally prepare myself.

I don’t cope well with sudden change of plans.

Most times anxiety keeps me from enjoying things as much as I should.

I over analyze situations because I’m scared of what will happen if I’m not ready for it.

It’s difficult to explain what’s going on in my mind because I don’t even understand it myself.

Fear of a panic attack produces anxious thoughts, anxious thoughts bring on anxiety which turn into a panic attack–the vicious cycle continues.

It might seem irrational to you, but what I’m anxious about is very real for me.

I worry my anxiety will hinder me from becoming the person I want to become.

Food To Avoid With Anxiety

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 20:19:19 GMT

Your emotions influence what you eat. When you’ve had a particularly rough day, it’s natural to want a beer or two to calm your nerves, or that pint of icecream to make yourself feel better. However, some food can do more harm in the long run and contribute to depression and anxiety.
Become familiar with this list and try to avoid the foods that increase your stress levels and intensify your anxious symptoms.

Caffeinated Beverages

Caffeine such as energy drinks and coffee boosts energy levels, however excess caffeine can produce anxious symptoms such as heart palpitations, nausea, nervousness, and shaking. Caffeine also inhibits the brain’s levels of serotonin. Depression and irritability can occur once serotonin levels are suppressed. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes mild dehydration which can contribute to depression. Caffeine can also keep you from falling asleep, which can lead to anxiety and stress.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant and interferes with producing serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood. Alcohol reduces mental and physical function, it also exacerbates symptoms associated with anxiety. While people consume alcohol to temporarily relieve symptoms of anxiety, it’s a toxin and does more harm than good in the long run. Like caffeine, alcohol is also a diuretic and causes dehydration which resemble the early stages of anxiety.

Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Although studies show that sugar doesn’t cause anxiety, sugar creates different changes in the body that can worsen anxiety symptoms and stops you from effectively coping with anxiety. Sugar spikes your blood sugar and the consequent crash causes mood changes, difficulty concentrating, heart palpitations, and fatigue. Those symptoms are similar to the beginning of a panic or anxiety attack. Artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Splenda, and Sweet ‘N Low blocks the production of serotonin, this causes symptoms such as changes in mood, headaches, and depression.

Excess Sodium

Too much sodium has a negative impact on the body’s neurological system. Excess sodium causes fatigue and does damage to the immune system. While natural forms of salt (such as Himalayan Salt) is important to maintain good health, too much sodium can trigger anxiety.

Artificial Food Additives and Preservatives

After eating artificial food additives and food that contains preservatives, people noticed that it triggered an anxiety like reaction. MSG is a common additive that enhances flavor and extends shelf life. However, consuming MSG is known to bring on fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, and anxiety. Look at food labels and avoid products that say “MSG free” as the FDA doesn’t require MGS to be listed as an ingredient.

While these are foods to avoid, there are also food that helps promote anxiety relief.

20 Things I’ve Learned from Having Anxiety

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 00:11:17 GMT

I need more sleep than normal to function.

Even though I love coffee, caffeine will make me extra jittery and produce anxiety.

Decompression after a busy weekend is important.

Sometimes getting out of bed is difficult, but if I’ve gotten out of bed in the morning, I’m doing better off than some people.

Anxiety is complicated. I don’t expect family and friends to understand exactly what I’m going through.

I shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help if I feel overwhelmed.

People don’t care if I don’t attend every social function because I had anxiety.

Keep active! My idle mind can produce anxious thoughts if I’m still.

Alcohol can temporarily relieve anxiety, but it’s not a permanent fix and will do more harm than good.

Recognize thoughts that are negative, and counteract with positive thoughts.

Most people aren’t bothered that I have anxiety, so I shouldn’t care about what they think.

I shouldn’t to compare myself to others. Nothing good comes from comparing.

Anxiety is like a headache. Nobody will know I’m in pain till I tell them.

Thinking too far in advance and coming up with solutions to hypothetical problems are a waste of time.

Maybe I’ll become “normal” again one day, but maybe not.

I will have good days, and then I’ll have bad days. I’ve learned not to dwell on the bad days and let that ruin a good day.

Having patience is crucial to managing stressful situations.

Worrying unnecessarily won’t solve anything.

Even thought I think negative thoughts, I don’t let those thoughts overwhelm me.

I’ve learned to become ok with the person I’ve become.

Random Anxious Thoughts

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 22:58:55 GMT

Feeling anxious sucks!

I don’t want to get out of bed today.

I start to get anxiety when I’m happy because I know the happiness will end and I’ll be sad.

I get anxiety because I feel anxious.

I can’t just “stop thinking of things that make me worried”.

A lot of the times I’m anxious for no reason.

I miss the old me. The me that didn’t have anxiety.

I’m not sure how not to think.

I feel overwhelmed by feeling overwhelmed.

What happened to me? I was doing so well…

Will I ever not have anxiety?

15 Quotes About Anxiety

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 22:33:37 GMT

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. –Soren Kierkegaard
Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It’s moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of it’s strength. –Corrie ten Boom
Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems. –Epictetus
Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far. –Jodi Picoult
It’s ok to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave. –Mandy Hale
Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it. –Kahlil Gibran
We live only a few conscious decades, and we fret ourselves enough for several lifetimes. –Christopher Hitchens
When I don’t have something to worry about, I worry. Nothing comes so naturally to a human being as anxiety and worry. –Brian Richardson
Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. –Deepak Chopra
Smile, breathe, and go slowly. –Thich Nhat Hanh
You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you. –Dan Millman
People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. –George Bernard Shaw
Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of it’s sorrows, but only empties today of it’s strength. –Charles Spurgeon
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Depression and anxiety can’t fit in your head if you’re cultivating feelings of joy and inspiration. –Austin Butler

Signs of Social Anxiety

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 23:23:16 GMT

Social anxiety is a common. People often confuse shyness or awkwardness with social anxiety, however social anxiety is not shyness. People who are shy may feel uneasy around people, but they don’t experience anxiety someone with social anxiety faces. Additionally, people who are shy don’t actively try to avoid social situations that someone who has social anxiety avoids.

Sometimes people who have social anxiety might not be shy. They feel completely at ease most of the time, but certain situations can give them intense anxiety. Common day-to-day situations that people with social anxiety have trouble with are:

Attending social functions such as parties or events
Eating with other people
Attending school or going to work
Exams
Making prolonged eye contact
Making small talk with strangers
Using public restrooms
Beginning conversations
Being watched while doing something
Speaking in a meeting
Talking on the phone
Public speaking

A few of these situations may or may not be a problem for you. You might be perfectly fine with going to work, but the thought of speaking in public might cause you to excessively panic. You might be alright with talking on the phone, but the thought of someone watching you while you do something causes anxiety.

Socially anxious people all have various reasons for avoiding certain situations, or dreading events, but generally it’s a fear of:

Being embarrassed
Fear that you will humiliate yourself
Feeling judged by others
Fear that people will notice your nervousness

Physical symptoms of social anxiety include muscle tension, shakiness, a queasy stomach, rapid heartbeat, feeling out of breath, profuse sweating, lightheadedness, and “out of body” sensations. You might start having anxious symptoms weeks or days prior to an event, and then afterwards you might excessively think about how you acted at the event.

Social anxiety can make you want to avoid nerve-wracking situations, but they can do more harm than good. Avoiding situations may temporarily relieve your social anxiety short term, but it stops you from being comfortable in social situations. The longer you avoid a situation, the thought of it becomes even more frightening.

To overcome social anxiety, start with a small situation that you can handle, and work your way to situations that are more challenging. If you fear talking on the phone, try talking to someone on the phone for 30 seconds. Once you’re comfortable with that, talk with the person for one minute. Building confidence in your capabilities is key to overcoming social anxiety.

Have a lot of patience. Recovering from social anxiety doesn’t happen instantly and it’s very easy to become frustrated and feel angry with yourself if you’re not making rapid progress. However, having patience with yourself can make you have realistic thoughts about the situations you’re facing and can help speed up your recovery from social anxiety.

How To Sleep Better With Anxiety

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:28:24 GMT

A common occurrence to those with anxiety is having difficulty falling asleep and then waking up frequently during the night due to their constant heightened anxiety. In some cases, people become anxious about not having a good night’s sleep and consequently their anxiety hinders their ability to sleep.
Here are some tips on how to maximize your ability to have a great night’s sleep.

Have A Regular Sleep Routine

Get to bed at the same time each night. Your body has a natural sleep cycle and knows how much sleep it requires to fully function. Find out how many hours your body needs, and then try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day.
Take short naps
If you currently find yourself napping during the day, try to keep napping to around 30 minutes. Taking long naps later in the day can make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night. Try not to nap after 3pm.

Turn Down The Lights In The Evening

By lowering the lights a little before bedtime, the dimmer lights signal your body to start producing melatonin to help you fall asleep.

Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Try not to consume alcohol or caffeinated beverages before bed. Alcohol in the evenings can help you fall fast asleep initially, however, your body won’t get quality sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant so it may keep you up late at night. Caffeine and alcohol are also diuretics so you possibly will wake up during the night to use the bathroom.

Engage In Calming Activities

Step away from the screen and read, take a shower, meditate, or listen to music. This will help clear your mind from your daily activities and help you relax. Your routine doesn’t have to be lengthy, 10-30 minutes of calming activities can be sufficient.

Use Nightlights

If you wake up during the night and have to use the bathroom, avoid turning on the bathroom light. Your brain associates bright lights with day, and can signal to your body to start waking up. Keep a nightlight on in a hallway and bathroom, so you can navigate your way around without turning on bright lights.

Distracting Sounds

There are numerous nature sounds or New Age music you can find on youtube that I use to distract my mind and help me fall asleep. I also bought a simple portable fan on Amazon that I use when I don’t sleep at home. The constant sound of the fan is extremely helpful in drowning out my anxious thoughts. The portable fan I bought is also battery powered so I can take it anywhere without worrying about being near an outlet.

Write Your Worries

If you’ve tried a lot of different things and still find it difficult to fall asleep due to worrying and being anxious, have a notebook by your bed and write your anxious thoughts. Write down everything that you’re bothered about or things you need to remember the next day so that you’re not bothered about forgetting them.

Getting enough quality sleep is extremely crucial for your body to handle anxiety. So following these techniques can help improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep longer.

How To Stop Anxious Thoughts

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 22:37:15 GMT

Nobody likes to think anxious thoughts, so why do we do it? First of all what is anxiety? Anxiety is the body’s natural adrenaline “fight or flight” reaction to potentially dangerous situations. It’s a sense of distress or uneasiness before an event.
On the positive side, healthy anxiety can help you avoid bad situations or help find solutions to problems you face. On the negative side, unhealthy anxiety can make your worrying distorted and your thoughts can spiral out of control and drive you nuts.
One common problem that people have is to tell themselves to “stop worrying”. However, reminding yourself to stop worrying doesn’t work. You can be distracted momentarily, but anxious thoughts don’t just disappear. Trying to banish anxious thoughts often makes those thoughts even more persistent.
Telling yourself to stop thinking those thoughts backfires because you pay attention to the thoughts that you want to avoid.
I’ve tried different methods to control my anxious thoughts and here are three things that have worked for me.

Postpone Anxious Thoughts

Designate a time daily for thinking about your anxious thoughts. For example, 6 to 6:30pm. Try not to set your time too close to your bedtime. This designated worry period is a time that you can worry about anything that’s on your mind. The rest of the day is a time to be worry free.
During the day, if you feel anxious about something, write it down and then go about your day. Remind yourself that you can be anxious about it during your worry period, so you don’t have to be anxious about it right now.
Read through the list of anxious thoughts during your worry period. If your anxious thoughts seem trivial and are not important anymore, scratch those thoughts off your list. If some anxious thoughts still bug you, give yourself time to worry about them until the worry period is up.

Postponing anxious thoughts can break your habit of constantly thinking about anxious thoughts when there are other tasks to do during the day. However, there’s no inner struggle to not think about those thoughts. You’re merely delaying those thoughts for later.
Developing the ability to delay worrying helps you realize that you can have greater control of your thoughts.

Try To Solve The Problem

Worrying about a problem and solving the problem are different things. When you’re anxious about something there are a lot of “what ifs” but no concrete solutions to solving the problem you’re facing. To solve a problem there are four steps you can take.

State the problem.
Think about if it’s a valid problem or if it’s an imaginary hypothesis of what could happen.
If the problem is a “what if”, is it realistically likely to happen?
If it’s a valid problem, can you do something about it, or is it something that’s out of your control?

Valid worries are problems that can be solved by doing something about them. Start brainstorming to come up with solutions to that problem.
Make a list of the things you can do to solve this problem. Focus on the things you can do, instead of the circumstances that aren’t in your control.
Worries that are unsolvable are thoughts that there are no direct action or solution. “What if my parents get cancer?” or “What if I crash my car?” If you have anxiety, a lot of your thoughts are probably like that. If that’s the case, you must embrace those thoughts.

Accept Your Feelings

This is a scary concept I continually have to learn to grasp. Mainly because I’ve had negative thoughts about my emotions towards my anxious thoughts. I start worrying about how I feel and ask myself, “Whats wrong with my brain? Why am I feeling this way?”
But the fact is that humans have a wide variety of emotions, rational and irrational. Emotions, just like life, can be messy. Oftentimes they don’t make sense, and sometimes they’re not pleasant. But learning to accept your thoughts without your emotion overwhelming you is key to managing your worrying.
One thing that has helped me accept my feelings was to write down my anxious thoughts. Over time, I could see a pattern of what I was continually anxious about.
Once I write down my worries, I acknowledge those thoughts, not fighting them or trying to ignore them. I observe those thoughts as just that, thoughts. Once I’ve observed those thoughts, I let those worries go. If the same anxious thoughts come back, I repeat the process. I recognize those thoughts, and let them go.
Learning to let go of my anxious thoughts has helped me in managing my anxiety.

How To Help Someone During an Anxiety or Panic Attack

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 20:53:56 GMT

Presence Stay with the person until the brunt of the attack runs its course. Try not to leave the person alone to “quickly tell friends where they’re going”. Someone having an attack will be disoriented and have a difficult time discerning reality from imagination. We fear being abandoned and left to our own thoughts. Presence is reassurance that we’re not actually going insane.
Relocate the person to a quiet place Having an attack in a public place can be disconcerting. Someone who’s having an attack with will be extremely sensitive to audio or visual senses. Also, a big fear is the thought of being embarrassed by their current situation and fear the judgment of others. So move the person to a quiet space.
Make them comfortable Have the person sit, lie down, or whatever feels the most comfortable for them in the moment. Don’t question if the position they find themselves into looks uncomfortable to you.
Reassure Them Constantly remind them that they’re alright. Tell them that they’re safe. Remind them that this will pass. A lot of times people will question their sanity and wonder if they’re actually going crazy. Constant reminders that they’re alright is important to for them to hear.
Don’t ask many questions During a panic or anxiety attack it’s common to feel disoriented so even asking simple questions like, “What’s wrong?” “What brought on anxiety?” “Do you need anything?” can make a person even more confused and stressed. If you need to ask a question, ask in a way that results in a “Yes” or “No” response. Someone who’s having an attack may not be able to produce coherent sentences, but most of the time they can nod or shake their head in response.
Try not to express panic or uncertainty Someone who’s panicking needs the reassurance that the person who’s helping them is strong. Even though you feel helpless in the situation, expressing uncertainties like, “I don’t know what to say”, or “I’m not sure what to do.” Can make someone feel even more anxious.
Lead the Calm Breathing If they’re hyperventilating, don’t tell them to “try breathing deep”. Instead take control and say, “Breathe with me.” And then proceed to breathe slow, deep breaths. Following breathing can calm the hyperventilation and draw them back to the present moment.
Don’t force positive thinking The last thing someone who’s having a panic attack needs is to try to be positive. It’s already mentally exhausting dealing with the symptoms, and being told to “think good thoughts” is frustrating to hear. It’s important to have positive thinking throughout life, but forcing someone during an attack to think and produce coherent positive sentences doesn’t help.
Try not to show frustration It might be natural to feel frustrated if the symptoms of an attack don’t subside immediately. You may be impatient as you had other plans for your day. But remember that the one who’s having a panic attack doesn’t want these symptoms to last either. Knowing that the caregiver is upset with their lack of immediate improvement can prolong the symptoms.
Did I mention Presence? If you’re in a situation that you don’t know how to handle, never underestimate your presence. There is no immediate cure for anxiety. Simply, the person who’s having an attack wants to feel safe while they wait out their emotions. So even if you feel clueless and don’t know what to do, just be there and hold the person. A hug will do. Never underestimate the power of a good hug.

Food for Anxiety Relief

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 20:38:02 GMT

There is a quote by Hippocrates that says, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Throughout the years that I’ve had anxiety and panic attacks, I’ve never taken any medication for them. I’ve always opted to try natural remedies to reduce daily stress and anxiety.
Here’s a list of different food I try to eat weekly for anxiety relief.

Eggs

A deficiency in folic acid and B12 Vitamins can cause depression. Eggs contain folic acid, B12 vitamins as well as lecithin and choline that improve nervous system function.

Avocado

Some studies show that anxiety may be caused by a B vitamin deficiency. Avocados are rich is B vitamins that help produce brain cells and healthy nerves. In addition to B Vitamins, avocados also contain monounsaturated fat which helps lower blood pressure.

Asparagus

Low levels of folic acid can bring on depression. Foods that contains folic acid such as asparagus helps boosts the mood and fight depression.

Oranges

Fruits that contain Vitamin C can help lower cortisol and blood pressure. It has also been proven to reduce mental responses to stress. Additionally Vitamin C gives the immune system a boost.

Cashews

Cashews contain zinc, a mineral that helps reduce anxiety. Zinc affects the nerve chemical that influences mood. Our bodies can’t store zinc, so it’s important to consume foods that contain zinc daily.

Seeds

Seeds such as pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds contain magnesium. Magnesium can help regulate emotions and alleviate depression. It can also give you a boost to combat fatigue and irritability.

Pistachios

Nuts such as pistachios reduce stress by lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Nuts have key phytonutrients that give antioxidant support for cardiovascular health.

Berries

There are antioxidants and phytonutrients in berries such as blueberries that help improve the body’s response to stress. People who consume berries also get a boost in their white blood cells that are important for the immune system that help counter stress. Blueberries in particular contain an antioxidant called anthocyanin that provides sharper cognition.

Salmon

Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties that counteract bad effects of stress hormones. Omega-3 fatty acids can also enhance your mood. Studies show that patients who took antidepressants as well as omega-3 fatty acids improved much more than the people who just took antidepressants alone.

Turkey

Amino acids found in turkey help produce serotonin, the chemical that creates feeling of well-being and happiness. Foods that contain protein also have tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin that also have a calming effect.

Yogurt

Bacteria in the gut may induce stress symptoms. Consuming healthy probiotics like yogurt can reduce activity in the brain in areas that handle emotion and aid in stress relief. The protein in yogurt also stimulates production of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain.

Spinach

Spinach contains folate, which produces dopamine in the body that can help keep you calm. Spinach also contains magnesium that is used to help treat ADHD and prevents anxiety.

Chamomile Tea

There are compounds in Chamomile that bind to the brain receptors to calm you down. There is has been a study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and showed that patients that had General Anxiety Disorder took chamomile supplements for eight weeks and had a major decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients taking placebo.

Chocolate

Consuming dark chocolate reduces the stress hormones. The antioxidants in cocoa relaxes the walls of the blood vessels, improving circulation and lowering blood pressure.

What Does Anxiety Feel Like?

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:43:33 GMT

First of all what is Anxiety? Anxiety is the body’s natural adrenaline “fight or flight” reaction to dangerous situations. It’s a sense of distress or uneasiness before an event. Worrying about an upcoming exam, a job interview, or feeling anxious about a first day at work is common. It’s a natural anxiety that prepares humans for new life experiences and helps us stay mentally aware.

Everyone has a different anxiety threshold. Those that worry and stress more have a lower anxiety threshold and those that can remain relatively calm and collected during stressful situations have a higher anxiety threshold.

Anxiety is a feeling that can’t be controlled. It’s a feeling of extreme nervousness about the worst possible outcome that can happen in any given situation.

Anxiety is like an angry dark cloud of doom constantly looming overhead and feels like it’s inevitably going to fall and crush me. It’s not just a feeling of “if” the dark cloud will fall, it’s “when” it’ll fall.
Most times anxiety is like a monster on my shoulder constantly telling me to think of all the worst possible scenarios that can occur, so that if (or when) a negative event occurs, I’m mentally prepared to face it.

There are a lot of misconceptions to what anxiety is, and people who don’t have anxiety have a difficult time realizing how much it can affect someone in their daily life. Part of those misconceptions are due to the fact that anxiety is not a conversation that’s brought up between friends or even family.
But anxiety and panic attacks are extremely common.

If you’re reading this and don’t have anxiety, I hope there’s some helpful information for you in understanding what anxiety is and how to help someone who has anxiety. If you’re reading this and currently live with anxiety, I want to let you know that you’re not alone. Hello.

How To Reduce Daily Stress and Anxiety

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:38:57 GMT

An important part of preventing anxiety or panic attacks is to not let daily stress build up until it overwhelms you. We all have worries and concerns throughout the day, but it’s important to take care of yourself so that you’re able to healthily manage anxiety when it starts creeping up on you.

I am a workaholic by nature so I have to constantly remind myself to stop working in the evenings to schedule an hour or two to unwind. I engage in relaxing activities to calm my mind and mentally prepare myself for the next day.
It’s common knowledge that we should eat right, sleep right, and exercise to manage stress, but here are some other ideas on how to reduce stress.

Disconnect

Walk away from your technology for an hour and live in the present moment. Mute your phone, put away your tablet, and close your laptop. Enjoy a fantastic meal or watch a sunset without posting it on social media. Find a quiet space where you can just relax and reflect on your day.

Self Massage

Massage your own head, shoulders, and neck. A great relaxation technique is to focus on a muscle in your body, tense it up and then relax. You’d be surprise how much tension you could be holding in your body unaware.

Go Outdoors

A typical job can keep you cooped up indoors for most of the day. Take a short walk and get some fresh air. Studies have shown that people have a mood boost and have a decrease in anxiety after walking outdoors. Also Vitamin D helps you deal with stress levels. Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight exposure.

Write in a Journal

Writing in a stress journal can help identify the regular things that can be causing you to stress. Every time you feel anxious and stressed, write it down in your journal. Some questions to ask yourself when you write are:
What do I think is the cause of my stress?
How do I feel about it emotionally and physically?
How did I act in response to the stress?
Did I do anything to make yourself feel better?

Listen to Music

Listening to quiet, slow music for anxiety can have a relaxing effect on our mind and body. Classical music in particular can have an effect on physiological functions as well. It slows the heart rate and pulse, lowers blood pressure, and can decrease levels of stress hormones. Slow music is also great during meditation as it helps prevent the mind from wandering.

Find Your Passion

Reduce stress by focusing your energy on a hobby. Find what you love to do, and do it!
Ideas for hobbies can include:

Drawing
Cooking
Scrapbooking
Planting a garden
Reading
Coloring
Playing a video game
Painting
Photography
Hiking

A good hobby can make you lose sense of time and self, liberating yourself from your everyday thoughts.

Laugh Out Loud

Laughing is good for your health. Laughter lowers cortisol and boosts endorphins, which make you happy. A good laugh will relief stress and reduce physical tension in the body.

Be Grateful

Even if you have stress and feel anxious on a daily basis, there is still a lot you can be thankful for.
Keep a small journal to remind yourself of the positive things that happen on a daily basis. I was gifted a gratitude journal that I write in every night. I write two simple things that I was thankful for during the day (for example, “Thankful for good weather.” and “Burritos”).
When I start to feel anxious, I can look through my journal to remind myself of all the things I was grateful for to put things back into perspective that life isn’t all that bad.

What Does an Anxiety/Panic Attack Feel Like?

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:30:23 GMT

What happens during a panic attack is that adrenaline is rapidly released throughout the body. This is the fight-or-flight response, the evolutionary self-preservation method. That adrenaline causes muscles to tense and causes your heart to beat even faster. Because of the rapid heart beat and contracted muscles, we tend to breathe in more oxygen which our muscles convert into energy. Our digestive system stops, conserving and preserving excess energy. The senses are drastically heightened, you’re hyper aware of smells and sounds. The body is physically and mentally prepared in case we need to fight for our lives or run from hazardous situations.
Because of the excess adrenaline flooding the body, you may experience various uncomfortable symptoms such as:

Feeling claustrophobic
Feeling sheer terror
Tingling in your hands or feet
Nausea
Uncontrollable crying
Ringing in your ears
Hot and cold flashes
Depersonalization. Feeling not a part of your body.
Tightness in the chest/lungs and feeling like you can’t catch your breath
Sweating or shivering
Blurred vision
Disorientation
Feeling waves of coldness on your head
Feeling like you’re spiraling out of control
Fearful that you’re losing your sanity
Unexplained frustration

In short, a panic attack is a messy explosion of nervous expression fueled by adrenaline.
A panic attack comes very quickly and most of the time without warning. In general, a panic attack lasts around 5 to 20 minutes. Personally, most of my panic attacks last around 30 minutes. It’s quite possible for an attack to last longer either by experiencing one panic attack after another, or experiencing high anxiety after an attack.
It’s difficult to predict what will bring on a panic attack or knowing when a panic attack might occur, but recognizing the symptoms of an attack can give you a head start in finding relief during panic attacks.

What To Do During a Panic or Anxiety Attack

Fri, 07 Apr 2017 16:15:11 GMT

When I am having an attack, the first thing I do is make sure I’m in a safe, familiar space. If I’m alone in the house, it’s my bedroom. If I’m away from home, it’s usually a bathroom. I pick a place where it’s relatively quiet and there is no activity around me. The second thing I do is drink a little bit of water to make sure that I’m hydrated. Feeling extreme hunger or being thirsty can bring on a false sense of panic as it can feel like I’m going to lose control and pass out due to hunger or thirst. So by ensuring I’m in a safe place and that my basic primary needs are met, I can then focus on the adrenaline that is causing my panic. Here are a few things I’ve done to find relief during a panic attack.

Acknowledge the Situation

The first thing I do is acknowledge the reality. I am having a panic attack. I don’t attempt to lie to myself and pretend that it’s not happening. I try not to fight my emotions but acknowledge the reality that I feel scared, but I’m in a safe space.

Slow, Deep Breathing.

It’s a common suggestion people are recommend to do when feeling panic.
I start by breathing a long breath filling my lower lungs, then my upper lungs. Then I try holding my breath for a second, and then exhale very slowly while concentrating on relaxing the tense muscles in my face and in my shoulders.
I’ve read that it’s recommended to hold your breath for 3 seconds after you inhale, but during a panic attack, often I’m not able to hold my breath for any amount of time. So I just pause for as long as I can, even just for a brief moment before exhaling.

Express How You Feel

During a panic attack, the mind will run amok with irrational, illogical thoughts. In the moment those thoughts seem extremely real and probable. Oftentimes, I automatically try to suppress irrational thoughts because I fear that it will actually happen. However, suppressing those feelings can be problematic as it will build up, multiply, spin completely out of control, and become more overwhelming.
For me, when I’m having a panic attack, I like to type what I’m feeling on a notepad. I type out whatever is on my mind no matter how insignificant it might sound. After an attack, I immediately erase what I’ve typed without reading it. For me personally, it’s nice to be able to have some outlet for my emotions and have no record of it after the attack ends.
I don’t type my emotions as a distraction from panic, I type because it distances me from my emotions. It helps me to not feel like a victim in this attack, but more like an outside observer describing what’s going on.
Typing my emotions are what works for me, but find some way to express emotion that works for you personally. Talk to someone. Voice your concerns out loud to your pet. Write in a notebook. Video or record an audio of yourself. Doodle how you feel.
It’s important to understand that irrational thoughts during a panic attack are just thoughts. It’s alright to have thoughts, but expressing them and then letting them go can help you find relief.

Reassuring Yourself

What I do repeatedly throughout my attack is remind myself that even if it feels like it’s the end of the world, it’s definitely NOT the end of the world. I’ve lived through many panic attacks already, and that must mean that I’ll live through this one too. When I feel like I’m going to pass out in public, I remind myself that I’ve never passed out before, and I probably won’t this time too.
Reminding yourself that you can handle the situation is key.

Release Adrenaline

During a panic attack, adrenaline floods your body with the false notion that you have to fight or run away immediately. Adrenaline is why you feel like you have excess nervous energy, and makes your heart beat more rapidly than it should.
Jumping rope, jogging in place, or doing jumping jacks are some ways to find relief to use up that adrenaline.
But do whatever works for you. If you feel like flailing your arms, go for it! If you can only move your legs and knock your knees together, do it! It doesn’t matter how ridiculous you look, what matters is that you release the adrenaline.

Cry

Crying is not the byproduct of weakness. People often try to stop themselves from crying as they feel embarrassed or ashamed. However, crying is a natural response to overwhelming emotion. Humans cry when they are extremely sad and they also cry when they’re extremely happy. During a good cry, the body released a high amount of stress hormones. Due to those hormones leaving the body, after crying, you feel relaxed and relieved. It’s an effective way to reduce emotional stress through releasing pent up frustrations or negative feelings.

Wait

If you’ve had a few anxiety attacks in the past, you more or less know how long one lasts. If I’ve tried a couple of methods to relieve a panic attack and none of them seem to be working, I just tell myself to wait and ride it out. During an attack, sometimes I feel like I’ll be more comfortable if I’m in a different part of the house, or want to go outside because I feel the need to escape somewhere. But I consciously tell myself, “I know I’m not thinking straight right now. Stay put and you’ll be fine.”
Time is the best healer so just wait.

Hopefully this has been helpful to you when experiencing a panic attack. Here’s a few tips on how to help someone having an anxiety or panic attack.