I haven’t always suffered from anxiety.

In fact, I was just a very normal, albeit clairvoyant, woowoo kind of person, not a hint of anxiety.

And then my world fell apart. I went through a really dark time about four years ago.  While I came through the other side, the fallout of it was anxiety.

Yay! I have anxiety, said no-one ever.

I’ve been learning to deal with it. Finding out the ways that best suit me in how to handle it. Because I am seriously going to beat this bastard, it is NOT going to control my life!

And you know, what? It has lessened. I do believe it’s because I have worked so bloody hard at bringing it under control.  Beating it down with a bloody stick. Teaching your brain new habits is hard work. But it’s worth it, believe me!

Why can’t you just get over Anxiety?

If you have never suffered anxiety, you may just think: ‘just get on with it’ or ‘just get over it’.

Dear god, if only it was that simple.

But I believe you can get through it and get to control it so that it doesn’t control you.

But it’s a journey, it’s not easy – but then things in life most often aren’t easy, are they?

Do, note that I’m not a doctor in any way shape or form and I will NEVER tell you to stop seeing your medical professional!

What I am saying is that you can get through this, you just have to bring out that stubbornness that’s hidden down there in your psyche somewhere….

What is anxiety?

Essentially, anxiety is just our ‘fight or flight’ response that unfortunately kicks in when it isn’t needed.

Now, we don’t want to completely squash that response, because it’s needed when in a dangerous situation.

It’s actually a very important part of us, but for some of us it seems to have a mind of its own and decides to ‘fight or flight’ when it simply isn’t needed, like you can be out doing the food shopping and then all of a sudden your heart starts pounding and your struggling to breathe.

It puts us in a complete spin and the feeling of being out of control of our worlds when it does…

And anxiety is different from feeling a bit nervous.  About trying something new and having some butterflies in your stomach, it’s much more self-destroying than that.

Here’s some tips that I have used and I do hope that you can start to seriously implement them and by seriously, I do mean strategically write them down and keep them with you for when that anxiety strikes you.

1. Breathe – Yes, well, I know we all breathe! When I feel my heart start to race and I’m losing control of my focus, I walk away from whatever I’m doing.  Focusing on my breath. An anxiety attack can happen while standing at my desk doing readings. So, I just walk right out of the room, down the hallway and slowly breath in and out. Doing this about five times because when you take a full deep breath in and fully exhale it, you are actually re-firing your brain. Also, by focusing on your breath you’re not allowing your brain to get into the ‘fight or flight; mode.

2. Talk to myself – I know that’s the first sign of insanity …. but I talk to myself IN my head!
I talk to myself and say that here is nothing to be anxious about.  That it’s just something in my brain that is misfiring and that there is nothing to fear. That everything is OK. I keep doing this until I feel that I am getting control of the feelings.

3. Go for a walk – When my anxiety kicks in badly and quickly I actually start pacing around the house like a caged tiger. By that point I can’t walk out of the house or people would think I’m possessed because I shake my hands and I’m breathing fast. When it kicks in slowly and I can get a grip on it, I find it beneficial to get outside and walk. I just walk and listen to the sounds around me, feel the breeze on my face and taking those big breaths while I’m walking. There’s nothing like sunshine and a fresh breeze on your face.

4. Don’t beat myself up – Instead of feeling like an idiot for having an anxiety attack, I just accept that it is something that has happened. I don’t have control over it (yet), so how is it my fault?  Acknowledge that it happened but that I got it under control (go me!). I tell myself that I am getting better and better as time goes by at dealing with it and stopping it from taking off at full speed.

5. Eat well and exercise – I’m a firm believer in having a healthy body helps you have a healthy mind. Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t eat ‘bad’ foods – I do! (OMG Cheese Twisties omnomnom)

I’m very conscious of having a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner as much as I can.

And exercising is also a great way of keeping your brain healthy.
Exercise is a good way of burning up excess stress as well!!!
Have a banana every morning with my breakfast, they are apparently good for anxiety with their potassium, high Vit B and natural beta blockers.

If you suffer from anxiety, please seek professional help.

It’s not a sign of weakness to seek help, it’s a sign of strength to know when you need help and accepting it.

I hope that my tips help you on your journey to getting that anxiety under control more and more so that it no longer is a major event in your life.