What is anxiety?
A quick google-search will give you a rather vague definition of this dreaded phenomenon.
"a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome"
Everyone experiences anxiety at some point or another. Students may feel anxious writing a test they aren't properly prepared for. Your first time driving is almost certain to give you anxiety. To me personally anxiety is my reality. If you're anything like me, you understand this phenomenon too well.
Source http://www.fearof.net
Growing up, I had it all. My parents raised me well and I had very little to complain about, growing up with a very fortunate family unfortunately had little effect on numbing my mental barriers, specifically my anxiety. Many people don't quite understand anxiety (and it's hard to blame them), especially when they deal with very minuscule amounts of it in contrast to those with anxiety disorders.
I've heard people tell me that I have no reason to panic (and it's true) but unfortunately, I have very little control over my disorder, why would I want to panic?
I have Generalized Panic Disorder.
It didn't take a professional diagnosis for me to understand I had a mental ailment. (although I am diagnosed) I would like to point out I am extremely grateful for everything, and I do understand how difficult dealing with this disorder can be. Many people with any anxiety disorder commonly avoid going places they are uncomfortable, simply because the panic and triggers are often unpredictable especially in public!
For me personally, in the recent months I've found massive success in calming my anxiety greatly. I've been put on a couple different medications, which haven't done much at all except absorb the life out of me.
The secret is you got to face this shit head on, and the fact of the matter is, avoiding your anxiety won't help. At all.
When we analyze anxiety, we discover that there is one common denominator - in every single case, and that is your thoughts and the mind. That means every time you feel anxious, panic, or unease theres always a connection to your mind and thoughts.
This is why I don't believe in medication, medication simply suppresses the mind instead of curing it.
Before we cure the mind, we need to understand the very significance behind the mind-body link. The body is essentially the part of the mind, thoughts affect our body language and vice-versa, and this is proven.
So when we feel anxious, we are ALWAYS thinking about the future or past - NEVER the present, our mind is simply elsewhere from the present moment and our bodies, this is called being un-grounded.
Think back to your last panic-attack or anxious moments, you were either worried about an event that is yet to happen, or dwelling on an event that already happened, you weren't fully conscious in the moment, you were un-grounded.
Awesome, so we learned the roots of panic, now what?
Glad you asked, now we need to learn how to ground ourselves in order to avoid panic attacks and anxious feelings. Grounding is simply being placed back into the body, into the present moment where panic doesn't exist, it's impossible for panic to exist in the present moment.
Meditation, Meditation, Meditation!
Meditation is becoming an extremely popular practice as of recent, and theres no wonder why. Practicing daily meditation is the key to calming your mind before any panic and anxiety starts. Follow these practices everyday and you will notice a massive difference in your everyday life.
How to Meditate
Find a very quiet and comfortable space
Set a timer for 5 minutes
Breath deeply and focus on your breath
Become a "watcher" of the mind and observe any thoughts that appear
Don't judge yourself, just relax
If you don't notice immediate results from meditation, keep at it! Your 5 minute investment everyday will save you many hours of panic in the long run.
What if I'm feeling anxious currently?
Just breath, very deeply
This is the best way to avoid panic from progressing, once you notice your anxious feelings begin to breath deeply and relax your body. Focus on your breath moving in and out of your lungs, and nothing else. Your mind will try to bring you elsewhere with the panic, just relax and focus on your breath and you will be brought into the present moment.
Anything else?
Release repressed emotion
You need to keep an open mind reading this tip, as it is very different from the others.
Many (nearly all of us) have emotion trapped in our bodies (and mind) whether we are aware of it or not. This is easy to observe in people who are always tense and carry negativity within them.
Theres a few ways to release the emotion, the easiest way is to simply go crazy.
First and foremost, you need complete privacy to release emotion.
By "go crazy" I mean you have to scream, cry, hit, destroy, and get all the old anger, sadness, and frustration out of you. A big reason why we feel anxiety and panic is because of our many previously traumatic experiences, this practice will disarm you of all the anger you had no idea you were carrying on to.
You need to feel the emotion as you're doing this, and feel it moving out of you. Act out on any emotion you feel, if you're sad, cry! If you're upset, scream as loud as you can, punch your pillow, get it all out!
And most importantly to remember throughout these practices, to never judge yourself!
These aren't normal, but it's fucking human.
Thank you for reading, feel free to include some constructive criticism below.