This blog post has been highly requested and I thought I’ll write about how I manage my anxiety. Yes, it will be long as I want to share the knowledge that I know but, I also want you to go back thinking you’ve learnt a lot and that next time this feeling happens you can deal with it.
So get a cup a tea or your preferable drink and lets dive in!
Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder within young people and I am one of them *GASP*. People tend to say to me ‘’ You’re so daring and confident, how come you have anxiety’’ or I get ‘’ But you have a blog, doesn’t that mean you’re cured’’ Ha! I wish It was that simple but its not. Over the past years I have learnt to manage my anxiety and panic attacks when their occur. It took a lot of determination and challenges but I can say I have seen a significant difference.
I am going to get a bit technical now, but this is how you can truly understand what is happening within your body.
What is the Amygdala?
According to Oxford dictionaries Amygdala means:
Now I don’t know about you but that definition went straight over my head. However, I am here to give you a simple definition so you don’t finish reading this post thinking WTF.
The Amygdala is an almond shaped part in your brain. Amygdala is the reason why we have fear, it controls how we react to certain events that we find fearful and non-fearful. When we detect danger it is due to our stressors convincing our Amygdala that we are in total danger and need to get out of the situation. When we’re in a situation our bodies react in different ways e.g.. Shallow breathing, Sweaty Palms, Hyperventilating ect. When we get out of the danger the Amygdala says ‘’I was right about that particular danger, lets avoid that thought/event FOREVER’’. And thats how we have fear!
Fear can not be ‘erased’ or ‘cured’ but it can be managed. I will discuss some of the advice I was told and I will also discuss some of the suggestions I’ve researched.
1.Sit With The Fear
When a professional recommended this tip to me, I thought he was chatting shit and he didn’t know how anxiety feels. But once I tried it out I realised that he was on to something. I don’t know for most people but I tend to run away from a situation when my anxiety rises but if you sit with the fear you’re rivalling with the amygdala and standing up to it. Which in terms counteracts it ( You see where I’m going with this).
2.Acknowledge, Accept, Await
This ties in to the first advice,.
Acknowledge: Acknowledge that you are feeling a certain way which may lead you to a panic attack
Accept: Accept this feeling but do not overthink the feeling or give it the power to affect you physically and mentally
Await: Know that the feelings is not going to last. The feeling will only last max 5 minutes but we convince ourselves its happening for longer. When we await for the feeling to pass our brain starts to give a little cheer.
3.Breathe
Taking slow deep breaths slows down the brain and gives you more clarity in what to do next.
4.Positive Affirmations
Telling yourself that this is going to be okay.
This feeling is not going to last.
My disorder is not going to get the best of me.
Telling yourself these positive affirmations change the thoughts within your brain and replaces the negative thoughts/emotions with positive ones.
5. Mindfulness
A great app that I adore is insight timer, this app has a various of meditation talks, podcasts and music to help you feel calm and reflect on the things that are happening around you.
6.Seek A Professional
If this affects your day to day living and you’ve tried every tip under the sun…including these ones…My suggestion is to seek professional advice. There are a number of services that will help for example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ( CBT), Counselling ect.
Why not join a chat rooms like Pacifica (located in the app store) where you can share your worries with people around the world and seek advice from people who have been able to manage dealing with the feelings.
Feel free to email me at thegroundedtree@outlook.com for more advice or to simply have a chat.
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Be Bold, Be Strong, Be you x
Thank you so much for this! Sometimes anxiety can feel so overwhelming but we just have to remember to approach it rationally 🙂
Very true and understand that the feeling is not going to last. I am glad that this post has helped you, it gives me great joy 🙂 x
Thank you for the tips x
Thank you! x
Your article is so so true, if people accept their feelings and thoughts, they could deal with it easier, but today the world and doctors just say you have depression and give you medication. It’s okay to feel what we feel! Thanks for your lovely tips x
Hi there, I came across your blog and thoroughly enjoy what I see.. Keep it up! It would be great if we could support each other. I just started my own blog if you would like to check it out:D
http://www.milliesmoments.co.uk
Thank you so much😊, I will check your blog out!
I didn’t know about the amygdala! Interesting post 🙂 and glad you are able to manage your anxiety now!
Kirsty
http://www.corinneandkirsty.com
Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Love this some great tips. I always found exercise helped with my anxiety! X
Lola Mia // http://www.lolitabonita.co.uk
Yes exercise is a good one. It distresses you and release all your mental blockages 🙂
I actually have anxiety so this helps. I am working on more relaxing techniques like meditation and Chaka cleansing.
I am glad that you are able to share that with me as a lot of people suffer from behind closed doors. I absolutely love meditation and chakra cleansing. A great app to use is Insight Timer where they have both of these techniques within in the app X
I will check that app out thank you. Yeah I have lived behind closed doors doesn’t help.
This was such a powerful & useful post, I’m so glad to have come across it! I suffer from anxiety quite a lot so it’s always good to read tips and tricks to help. Definitely agree with everything you’ve said – thanks so much for the post! 🙂 xx
haylvogel.co.uk
Thank you. It’s all about trial and error and seeing which tips help you and which don’t. I hope in the future it is manageable, please keep me updated on your progress 🙂
Brilliant post! Anxiety is quite a common thing but most people just don’t want to talk about it! Great tips!
Sam xox
https://samslifeadventures.wordpress.com
Thank you! It is worrying that people suffer in silence. However, when people can express their struggles/achievements, it gives other people who are struggling a voice 🙂
How can you find numerous facts? I enjoy how you arrange everything, because it’s really simple to read.
In general, I can recommend this guide to everybody who’s interested in that subject.
Through my own personal experience by actively doing them and through research I have found out what is beneficial. Thank you so much 🙂