You don’t pay Rent, get out Anxiety, get out!

I have suffered from severe anxiety from my late teens up until today.  I am extremely grateful for the years of therapy, amazing doctors, and compassionate humans in my life. That have learnt to accept me and understand me.  Living with anxiety is exhausting. Lights, different body sensations and noise can tigger it. Coupled with, stress. It arrives unannounced.

I have a life and its beautiful!  Definitely, I love to travel, engage with people and take myself into special places, photographing it all. In fact, I often get myself in much trouble, going into places I shouldn’t. Generally speaking, I am quite fearless, but most of the time I’m fighting anxiety! From a tuk tuk in India to a speedboat in Thailand. To sitting quietly surrounded by a herd of Elephant. I constantly push myself.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for beating anxiety since it can vary for everyone, but in my decades of the journey I have found some general tactics that can help manage and reduce anxiety:

Deep breathing exercises:

Deep breathing can help activate the relaxation response and calm your nervous system. Take slow, deep breaths, focusing on your breath going in and out.

Progressive muscle relaxation:

Starting from your toes and slowly working your way up, tense and then release each muscle group in your body. To point out, this can help release tension and promote relaxation.

Mindfulness and meditation:

Practices like mindfulness and meditation can help you become more present and aware of the present moment, reducing anxiety-inducing thoughts, and promoting relaxation. Protect your peace.  Stay away from places or people that tigger anxiety.

Challenge negative thoughts:

Identify and challenge negative or anxious thoughts that may be contributing to your anxiety. Ask yourself if there is evidence to support these thoughts and try to reframe them in a more positive or realistic light.

Limit caffeine intake:

Caffeine can increase anxiety symptoms. Hence, try to limit your intake of coffee, soda, and energy drinks.

Get enough sleep:

Lack of sleep can exacerbate anxiety symptoms. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to improve your overall well-being. As a result, you are rested and ready.

Find your tribe:

Talk about your anxiety.  Tell people about it. It’s the 21 century, there are many people like me, open the conversation and be brave.  Sometimes, simply expressing your feelings and concerns to someone can provide relief. I have a group of the most amazing woman, that also suffer from anxiety.  We have a WhatsApp group for years and we often check up on each other.  Always be kind, have compassion and show empathy.

Animals:

I used to have insane panic attacks that would last for up to 30 minutes.  The most horrid moments in life.  So, I found the best medicine, I would get into my car, and drive to a close friend who thankfully lived 2 minutes away. I would ground myself, by lying flat on the floor. And allow all her dogs to lick me, jump on me, and show me such love. I would be overwhelmed with joy and completely forget about the anxiety.

Therapy:

For this reason, consider therapy or counselling with a professional that can help you deal with your anxiety.  Obviously, if your anxiety is interfering with your daily life, seek professional help. Try not to get hooked on medication, learn about your anxiety, and learn the tools to get out of your panic attack.  There are many coping mechanisms that you can do. That are a valuable resource in learning coping strategies and developing a treatment plan.

Remember, it’s essential to find what works best for you and to be patient with yourself as you navigate through managing anxiety. Thus, never mock a person that suffers from anxiety, rather be kind, compassion, and patience.  Because its involuntary and tough.

I conclude, everyone’s journey is different. It’s important, to find the right combination of strategies. Understand, may take time and experimentation.