DEALING WITH ANXIETY

Anxiety is something that I've have been dealing with for five years now & I'll continue to deal with for the rest of my life & that's reality, that's a fact. Rather than focusing on the negatives, I want to focus on the positives. I want to share with you what helps me through the toughest moments of anxiety but also how I deal with my anxiety on an everyday basis.

Obviously these tips aren't going to be for everyone, some might work for you & some others may not. These are the tips that I think & have found most helpful out of the thousands that have been either been recommended for me or that I may have found through my own research. Take what you can from this post, add your own bits to the tips that I'm sharing with you today & do what's going to work for you.

#1  Not only is chewing gum a great distract from whatever might be making you feel anxious but it's also great because it tricks your body into thinking that your eating. Eating is generally the last thing you want to do when your anxious but also the last thing you'd be doing if you were in some kind of serious danger. It sends a message to the brain, that you're ok, you're calm, you have everything under control & that you have no reason of panic. 

#2 Carry water & a snack around with you which is going to prevent you from going all light headed & dizzy. I know for myself, that if I don't have enough water or have a little bit of food in my tummy the chances of me feeling light headed & dizzy are pretty high which is then only going to make me feel anxious. 

#3 Pick up a few anxiety books & really learn what going on inside your mind & with your brain. I know picking up a book & reading about anxiety is probably the last thing you want to do, but read it, & read it some more & some more again. Even if you think it wouldn't help, honestly it's so good to just be able to read something & feel like that there is somebody out there that understands what you're going through especially because anxiety can be very isolating. 

#4 Distractions, & I know that it's way easier said than done but I know that if I honestly put my mind to it then I know it'll help. Start & keep up a conversation with the person that you're with & if you're not with anyone, put your headphones in & play some music, or just be on your phone even. Anything that is going to distract you from what it going on inside your mind. At the end of the day any kind of distraction is great.

#5 Don't try & resist a panic attack. This will just feed it & make it worse. And by that I mean it'll encourage & could possibly only make it worse or even last longer. So rather than try to fight or resist it, you need to do the complete opposite & tell yourself that you want it to happen, that it's not going to hurt you nor is it going to last forever. You'll be surprised that once in this mindset, how quick it all stops because the fact that you're fighting it is what keeps it going. 

#6 Have a grounding & find comfort. Find something that you are able to carry around with you that makes you feel comforted. For example, I like to carry around roller perfume & a small solid perfume, which are two different scent but these remind me of my mum. My Mum has been such a big security blanket for me, especially when I was really going through the worst of it all. I find those scents really comforting & I just love having them on me at all times. Another thing to take my find off any anxious or negative thoughts then in which give me a chance to think of the positives things is this:  say to yourself, 5 things that you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell & 1 thing you can taste. This technique is all about using you scenes. When we have panic attacks or just feel anxious we can sometimes feel like we're losing control. Doing this will bring your mind back down to reality. 

#7 Remember you will not faint. A panic attack will raise your blood pressure & people usually faint when their blood pressure drops so not matter how dizzy or lightheaded you may feel due to the symptoms of a panic attack you will most likely not faint. As someone who was always scared that I would faint when I would have a panic attack I found this very useful to know. All you have to remember is that it's unlikely for you to faint because your blood pressure is increasing rather than your blood pressure dropping. 

#8 Every situation will differ. By this is mean when we have a panic attack or just anxiety is general, our mind stores the specific situation which then means when we are put back in that situation, for whatever reason it may be, our minds thing we are in some kind of danger & then we are right back a square one, a panic attack. What I encourage you to do if you find yourself in a situation which may cause you to have a panic attack, try & find the differences in the situation, it could be absolutely anything, right down to the fact that maybe you're wearing different shoes to last time or maybe the weather is different. This will divert your brain of thinking of the similarities & the negative thinking. 

#9 Have an escape. To avoid ever feeling trapped in a situation make sure you plan an escape before hand. If you have a plan in place then you are less likely to have a panic attack just because you do know there is a way out. Feeling trapped is definitely a big thing when it comes to anxiety for me personally & I suffered with this for ages so I definitely recommend that if you are the same, that you put a plan in place. 

#10 Be proud of yourself. If you do something that is something you wouldn't normally do, if you put yourself outside of your comfort zone at it causes a panic attack, still be proud of yourself! We tend to beat ourselves quite a bit so it's important to notice the good & proud moments too.

Having anxiety is a super scary things at the best of times & it most definitely takes us on some crazy rollercoaster journeys but remember, not matter what, I'm so proud of you & how far you've come.

B x