Tips For Anxiety

I'm going to write about a subject that is very personal to me and that subject is Anxiety. When I first started having anxiety attacks I had no idea what was happening to me and no one else seemed to know what it was. I wanted to write a blog to share with you some of my tips from my own experience for dealing with this.

For those of you who may not know what anxiety is it feels like fear, everyone has some anxiety it's good for you keeps you alert and makes your body ready for action. 

This becomes a problem when the feelings become too strong and when they carry on even in situations when it is not needed.

You may then because of this experience so of the more unpleasant physical symptoms. For example, you might have:
- a fast heart rate, 
- a thumping heart (palpitations), 
- feeling sick,
- shaking, 
- sweating, 
- dry mouth,
- chest pain,
- headaches, 
- fast breathing.

Anxiety is something that can start at any age. It can be brought on by moments of extreme stress or can seem to occur for no apparent reason.

Every person experiences it differently, for everyone the trigger is different, for some people it can be crowds of people, others it can be confined spaces and for some it can happen for no apparent reason whatsoever.

For me my trigger seemed to be quiet situations and this was heightened even more when I knew I would be unable to leave the room/situation. One example for this being exams. 
It got to the point on where it was affecting my decisions so much so that I didn't want to do things that would involve me being away from home for even one night, and if I did do something that involved this I would feel this immense sense of dread before and during the situation.

Over time I have found some things that help me when I feel like I'm about to have an anxiety attack.

I'm hoping that by sharing them with you it may help you cope as well if you are suffering from this. (Please note these are just the ones that have worked for me personally from what I have read on the internet)

Tips:
1. Breathe - it seems like the simplest thing in the world but when you are panicking it feels incredibly hard to do. By taking deep breaths in and out and focusing on your breathing you are taking your mind off what you are worrying about thus helping to calm your body.

2. Take a step back from the situation and think about what is truly bothering you. By over thinking the situation you are making it seem worse than it truly is by thinking it through with a clear head you can see where the issue lies.

3. If you want to do something do it. Just say yes! You may worry about it for months beforehand and then go and wonder what you were even worrying about to begin with. I have had many situations like this some examples being going to download festival or even staying over a friends house. By saying yes you are not letting the anxiety control you and what you do.

4. Focus on where you are feeling your anxiety this could be anywhere for example your throat or your stomach and notice that while it may not be getting better it is not getting any worse.

5. There are many herbal remedies you can take to help you calm down. My firm favourites are Kalms tablets I used to have one before any exam and for me they would work. I always keep a stash of these just in case I get a bout of anxiety.

6. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Holding them in and not expressing them is only going to make it worse. If you need to cry cry, if you need to laugh then laugh. It is far better to express too much emotion rather than expressing none at all.

7. Express yourself - I do this through writing down my feelings. However even something as simple as talking with someone about how you're feeling can help you express yourself and make you feel as though a weight has been lifted. (If it does get really bad don't be afraid to seek help from someone like a counsellor!)

8. Change your thought patterns - by choosing to think more positively your whole outlook on life will change and it will show through your actions.

9. Finally remember you are not alone. This is a common problem it's just that it's not one that is regularly talked about. Mainly because it is not understood fully. 

Now that my anxiety has lessened I am finding that more and more people I know seem to know someone suffering from this, and they are in the same boat that I was in to begin with. They don't know what they can do, the doctors are either unhelpful or they just give out antidepressants as if that is a cure and not just a prevention till a later date. 

It is something that can be overcome without drugs I used to have a fear of quiet spaces and now I work in a library which is quite possibly one of the quietest places you can visit.

I am hoping that a few people out there who are suffering and feel lost will read this and find that it gives them some comfort and may even help them on the path to overcoming their anxiety.

If anyone wants to leave comments be it about your own experience or just a general comment please feel free to do so.