Doctors are often the worst patients. And when it comes to taking advice, us bloggers are also the worst. The. Very. Worst.
This afternoon I was writing a blog about living in the now. I know how to tell people to live in the now. I know why worry doesn’t help situations. I understand the concept of mindfullness, but good luck getting me to practice it when a strong bout of anxiety hits.
Today, while writing my piece on living in the now, worries flooded my mind. Worries about the past, previous blogs I had written, obligations I don’t have time to commit to, bills I don’t have money to pay. The list goes on and on and on.
The worst part about anxiety is that you can’t rationalize your way out of it. So, how do I overcome my anxiety? What tricks do I pull out of my sleeve? Truth is, I don’t have any magical advice, but here are few things that help me press through my anxiety.
Acknowledge the pain and fear
I’ve learned over the years that my fear and anxiety is not inherently bad or wrong. These feelings and emotions are real so I allow my self to acknowledge them. I allow myself to cry and say this sucks. I allow myself to voice the overwhelmingness. I allow to do this because it helps me move on.
Address what you have control over and let go of the rest
Everyone who suffers from anxiety should memorize the serenity prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
There are things in this life that are beyond our control. Letting go of these things is an important step in overcoming anxiety.
Allow yourself to be distracted
Anxiety works like a cancer of the mind — infiltrating our thoughts and then spreading. I’ve found the best way to halt these deceptive thoughts is to distract myself from them. Going for a drive, taking a walk with a friend, watching Netflix, or even Tweeting, are all helpful distractions. Find what works for you and use it.
This is not a 1, 2, 3 cure for anxiety. I don’t have anything that magical to share. But this is what works for me in real life. Hope it can work for you too.
The last time I had a panic attack (two weeks ago or so) I had the pleasure (yes, pleasure) of having a relatively clear mind throughout the whole thing. Which, you probably know, is very uncommon.
ReplyDeleteI like to describe an anxiety attack as your body, your mind and your feelings all wrapped up in a round of Who's On First. This time, though, my mind was able to rise out of the confusion and see the ways that my body was tricking my feelings into thinking that I was in danger--that there was something to run from or a reason to feel fear. Even though my mind KNEW that wasn't true at all. I mean I was spooning with my beloved at the time for crying out loud.
My therapist was always telling me that it's not that I'm really afraid as much as my body and brain are just acting as though that's what's going on. That never made much sense to me until this most recent experience.
It was difficult but I managed to sit up, breathe deeply, tell myself true things and drink water.
For me, reminding myself--repeating like a mantra--"I am safe. I am loved. I am safe. I am loved." helps to distract my mind and get focused.
I still haven't been able to find ways out of the general anxiety that comes with things like parties or important meetings or just, like, going to the laundromat. So I'm happy that you wrote out your personal tips. Thanks for that. :)
Thanks for sharing Libby. It's so frustrating to me when I logically know I shouldn't be anxious but I can't convince my mind or body. I struggle a lot when it comes to anything related to health insurance. I really feel like I need to be sedated every year during open enrollment. I'm really fortunate that my boss understands my anxiety and the odd behavior it creates. *Hugs*
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