Anxiety - The Struggle is Real

When I was just three years old, I was kidnapped. This was in 1960. Over the years, I have always felt that my safety is at risk. I have struggled to do things that overwhelm me or particularly where I have to do something on my own. It’s a very real fear that sets in and my anxiety levels can increase to a point where I have heart palpitations. In my rational mind, I know that it’s not a rational fear. I know that very little has happened over my many years of being on this earth, to adversely affect my personal safety, yet my anxiety can be triggered in the most irrational way.

There is a group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear. The excessive anxiety can make you avoid work, school, family get-togethers, and other social situations that might trigger or worsen your symptoms. With treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can manage their feelings. I’m very fortunate that my anxiety is not a mental illness and so it has become much easier to manage.

Learning to relax is the key. Learning that bad things happen to good people is also key. Learning that bad things will happen and you will still be okay is paramount!

When practiced regularly, relaxation techniques such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing can reduce anxiety symptoms and increase feelings of relaxation and emotional well-being. Exercise regularly. Exercise is a natural stress buster and anxiety reliever.

When you’re feeling anxious, try the following :

Take a time-out.
Eat well-balanced meals.
Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.
Get enough sleep.
Exercise daily to help you feel good and maintain your health.
Take deep breaths.
Count to 10 slowly.
Do your best.

I saw this wonderful illustration on Facebook the other day. I’m not quite sure who it belongs to originally but I thought I would use it here as it so beautifully depicts some really good coping statements.

One thing to remember is that we all suffer from anxiety from time to time. It’s natural for us to worry about certain things. Mostly we worry about the unknown and our anxiety levels increase. When we get the facts, and we can set our minds at ease, our anxiety levels decrease. It’s all about managing ourselves and understanding what it is that makes us feel anxious and what we can do about it, in the moment, to help us through. Knowing also that anxiety is only a temporary state of mind, as is almost every other emotion that we feel. Knowing that when we come out on the other side, we will be fine, we will be okay and the world will still continue to spin and everything around us will still be as it was.

One technique that has worked for me over the years, is to speak to myself. Tell myself all the time, I can do this, I will be okay, I can do this. Thinking about it, I do believe it has a lot to do with self-confidence and I must say I have got better over the years. When I finally made the link between my childhood kidnapping and the fear that it generated so deep within me, at that time and my anxiety, I finally began to understand where the root cause was. I have learned to become more compassionate with that little girl, 3 years old, and to understand that whatever is happening to me, will pass, and I will be okay. And that’s the best advice I can offer to anyone who experiences anxiety no matter at what level. Don’t let it get the better of you. Try to find what it is that triggers your anxiety and understand that it is something that you can control. So that when you do find yourself being overwhelmed, you can put your coping statements into action and soothe yourself.