So I thought today I would write about things that help reduce anxiety and stress and which ones I have tried and tested myself and found very effective.
Now if any of you guys suffer from anxiety and panic attacks on a regular basis like I do you'll understand the disappointment and frustration that comes with trying just about anything to help stop the panic attack or to help reduce the anxiety and stress that comes with an anxiety disorder. There is nothing worse than getting advice, trying it and having it not work for you.
Firstly, let's talk about meditation...So you are thinking "Yeah right, thats a whole lot of crap" but let me tell you it is not about making it spiritual but rather about making you aware of your breathing and it helps you get used to controling your breathing which in a panic attack situation is immensely helpful since one tends to feel like you have "lost control" and like you cant control your breathing..I started doing breathing meditation or "Ānāpānasati" which is a Buddhist phrase for "mindfulness of breathing" every morning and night for about 10-30 minutes depending on my schedule at the time , starting in a quite space with my legs crossed, setting my timer to go off after my chosen time is up, closing my eyes and then focusing on each breath I take making sure that it is my only focus, dismissing stray thoughts as they arise and turning my attention back to my breathing, doing this until the timer goes off. Meditation is such a good stress reliever too! It really is worth the effort!
Another thing that I have tried out is exercise and adjusting my diet. I started working out and eating a paleo/wholefoods based diet and really saw the benefits really early on! After about three weeks I was feeling more energetic, had more stamina, and was emotionally more balanced overall and after a few months it was getting even better, I even started to feel more confident and even happy with myself. It is really important to look after your body because it has a big effect on the state of your mind and it is your duty as a person with mental illness to make sure that you look after your health because it really does make a huge difference to your mental health.
It's said that what we eat directly affects the structure of our brains, so make sure to eat a nutrient-rich diet that also looks after your gut-health because more and more research is showing a connection between gut-health and mental-health. There are also tons of superfood powders such as Maca, Carob ,Collagen, Chlorella and Bee pollen which can help with inflammation, fatigue , balancing hormones, digestion and even help with lowering stress levels! These powders can be added to juices, smoothies, oatmeal and even lattes so make full use of those healthfood stores and add some punch to your health regimen.
So I'm not the biggest outdoors person but I've come to notice that getting out amd getting some fresh air and sun light also helps me with my anxiety levels a lot so things like going hiking, biking, running or taking a long walk in the great outdoors will help reduce anxiety and stress and help motivate you to get out a little more.
The things I have mentioned I have put in place as part of my self-care routine in order to manage my mental-illness and make my life more enjoyable. Self-care is a very important part of learning how to manage mental illness and keep those monsters at bay. Establishing a good self-care routine can really help you stay in control of your life and whether or not you can enjoy it so I suggest making self-care a big part of your defence against whatever mental-illness you have because it will make all the difference! You can write down all the things you find enjoyable or relaxing and try to incorporate more of that in your daily routine.
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Till my next post! Ciao :)!