No doubt about it. It’s not something you just get over, get past, or can ignore. When I see people say this I figure they have never had anxiety right down to every cell in the body which affects everything you feel you are. If you haven’t had a panic attack, here’s what I go through, and what I do to help.
It can be in a simple situation when suddenly all of the worrying thoughts are too much. First I feel physically sick, my tummy hurts, I realise I’m not breathing properly, my hearing starts to go, my heart is beating fast, I can see what’s happening around me yet can’t comprehend what is happening properly. Any ‘talking myself out of it’ doesn’t have any effect and isn’t even an option. Breathing is high in my chest, quick and short, I’m not sure I’m getting enough air.
During these times I can sometimes wonder about going somewhere others can see me in case I need help – I don’t even know what could happen – faint, spew?! (Yes I go somewhere alone). I’ve had to pull over the car before, hide from work mates and from my kids. A few ‘big days’ I have ended the day in a heap on the couch shaking and later vomiting, then sleeping for hours.
Day to day anxiety has turned me into a perfectionist, making sure everything is organised so there is less chance of something going wrong. Constant worry takes a toll on the body and mind. Things that seem simple to others could be days of worry and sleepless nights, feeling physically ill and giving me a foggy brain – which leads to more worry about how stringing a sentence together suddenly becomes challenging.
This is just how anxiety affects me, for many people dealing with it these symptoms vary massively. One thing I am pretty sure about though, is that there is no ‘Just getting over it’!
Over the last year, I have totally accepted that this is part of me and that’s totally OK I’m just going to deal with it the best I can! I’ll share some things that work for me, making day to day life and bigger situations less challenging. I would love to hear what works for you as it could help me and others. If you want to be anonymous then just send me a private message and I’ll share it for you 🙂
I could research and write pages on the benefits of the following – but meh not today! I will give you what I do and know that these things have been life changing xx
Meditation – I started with Buddhify http://buddhify.com/ and always go back to it. No matter what part of the day you are in or type of mood Buddhify has many ‘playlists’ to choose from. The app is super fun to use too! I have just signed up to Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21 day FREE meditation app – Ohhhhh it is SOOOOO good. I end the day with positive intentions as I drift off to sleep – LOVE this! https://goo.gl/fbEKx5
Breathing – Yep I know we all know how to breathe. Yet is it weird of me to say I have kinda been breathing wrong for a looooooong time. One hand on your belly and one hand on your chest right now . . go on . . feel, is your hand on your tummy or on your chest moving? What you want is only your belly hand to move, most likely slower and deeper breaths allowing your tummy to expand with each intake and fall when breathing out. Before a meeting or something a bit nerve racking, I will do some slow deep breathing, in for the count of 4 and out for the count of 8. It calms me, centres me, and helps me become more focused. A Little hint to get your children to do this, put a soft toy on their belly they need to watch slowly move up and down.
Healthy eating – Just making this a long term lifestyle choice of more veggies and fruit, less processed foods and no more sachets or flavour dinners from jars. New Zealand has my food bag to order for fresh food dinners which make healthy eating easy. No diets, just sensible. I love the idea of ‘If your grandma doesn’t recognise it, it’s not real food’. I can’t get past cutting out chocolate though . . ever!
Sleep – Just get enough sleep. Simple as that! You can’t function properly if you haven’t recharged. And anxiety wears you out!
Yoga – Of course Yoga!!! This makes me feel amazing! It makes me feel like me again. The time out, the physical impact, the strengthening the mind, the being in the moment – ugh it all! It really brings out the best in me, which is all I need to give out the best I can to others. Hence EVERY DAY is the way to go for me.
The more open conversations I am having the more I realise how common it is for people to be dealing with something, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, on all sorts of levels. Hopefully, someone reads this and doesn’t feel so alone, or can understand their partner, family member or friend better. Maybe even some of the things that work for me will work for you. If you want to leave a comment anonymously on my blog or Facebook page feel free to send a private message through my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Yogaeverydayxo/
Only kind messages please – honestly – I won’t handle any mean ones well 🙂
Xxx Lexi
Namaste
