Looking
back to my teenage years, I came to the conclusion that I’ve always been
somehow anxious. Worrying all the time about everything and every way it can go
wrong. I don’t remember the way that all of this started, I didn’t know that I have
anxiety until later in life. It was not consistent, sometimes I can barely sense
it, but for other times, it can be an overwhelming feeling that can hinder the simplest
task in the everyday life. Feeling powerless about it then getting anxious
about not doing those tasks and feeling guilty, panicking about the future and
all over again feeling helpless.
What is
anxiety, how it can affect our life
Anxiety is
our body’s way to keep us safe, it’s a normal response to fear. Our body increases
the stress levels so we can escape a dangerous situation, complete an urgent
task or finish an exam. However, sometimes this feeling never goes and can
persist whether the cause is understandable or not.
Anxiety can
make us think CONTINOUSLY about all the ways that our life can/is going wrong,
imagining every situation we can face, and going on and on trapped in our mind,
not finding a way out from that mental predicament. Here are some symptoms of
anxiety:
Symptoms
Excessive worry
We all went
through those periods of metal distress, over thinking every part of our daily
action and reaction, not knowing what we really feel. Is it fear, anger or depression?
The difference between anxiety and a normal stress response is whether, this obsessive
thinking is about big and small things, on a daily basis resulting in a lot of
suffering and dysfunction for over a six months period. Check out the link
below to see if you have an anxiety disorder.
3 mins Anxiety test
Sleepless nights
Having an endless
stream of thoughts, a chaos of irrational deductions, popping up is not the
best state to fall asleep. Sleepless nights can be a symptoms of anxiety and a
result of excessive thinking. Another tip-off that anxiety might be involved?
You wake up feeling wired, your mind is racing, and you're unable to calm
yourself down.
Muscle tension
You know anxiety
really start to kicking in, when you start to have physical problems. A muscle
tension all over the body, having difficulties relaxing, a tight tension in the
chest, in the stomach. An unpleasant sensation that urge you to move, but
blocking you in the same time. I’ve lived with this feeling most of my life,
you start to get used to it after a while. Several years ago, I went into
vacation for a couple of weeks, it was the first time that I had a real break
since I started working after graduation. I was going back to work, and I felt
this tension in my stomach all of a sudden, and I realized that I live with it
all the time, but I got used to it. It’s in this exact moment when I started questioning
the fact that something is wrong.
A general exhaustion
A lot of
thinking is tiring, worrying about worrying (yeah it’s a thing lol) drain you
from every drop of energy, sometimes I wake up tired, after a not so
revitalizing sleep due to an endless stream of thoughts. I can even remember
the thought that I had before falling into sleep!
Chronic Indigestion
When you
live in this condition for a long time, your body suffers trying to send you
signals of distress and agony. You start having chronic indigestion, feeling uncomfortable
after eating. Not having a lot of appetite, dizziness and cramps.
Panic attacks
Panic
attacks can be terrifying: Picture a sudden, overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness,
which can last for several minutes, with physical symptoms such as breathing
problems, a pounding or racing heart, sweating, weakness or dizziness, chest
pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot or cold.
People not
having anxiety problem can have panic attacks, but if you have it repeatedly that
you must ask yourself if you’re having an anxiety disorder.
Ways to cope with it
Here are
some ways that I use to manage anxiety:
- Seeing a professional: the first step is to see a psychiatric, the only way to stop anxiety is to define your triggers and solve unconscious issues
- Find ways to reset and relax: traveling is the best way to relax that I know about, but you can find ways to relax in your own living room! Reorganizing things at home can be a good technique to relax, concentrate on a simple task and getting the reward of an accomplished work and a clean home.
- Getting some exercise: If you find
the energy to exercise, it can be a good way to let some of the steam out, but
a good walk can be a solution too. Don’t set high goals since the beginning,
like exercising every day, there is a big chance that you let it down after a
couple of weeks. Don’t look for perfection.
- Cook: Anxiety can be a little tricky, loosing appetite, not eating and loosing energy. Try to cook for yourself, the simplest is the better. Concentrating on a task at a time, can be refreshing and an effective grounding technic that eases an anxious mind
- Listen to music: yeah listen, dance and have fun with your friends or all by yourself, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to feel better. Don’t choose a sad playlist (just saying lol) look for a happy vibe.
- Writing: having a journal, and writing down your thoughts can help you relief and calm down.
- Watch your favorite movies all over again: it can help you feel safe and comfortable for a little bit and escape your thoughts. A Star wars marathon or Harry potter are my favorite.
- Have a pet: having a pet can be a daily blessing and an effective support system that help us handle difficult time in subtle ways. To know more about it, here is: 5 reasons why you should have a pet
- Practice gratitude and mindfulness:
you can be grateful for a lot of thing, anxiety drive you to think that everything
is going wild, but in reality you have a lot to thank the universe for it.
Living, having clean water, a roof over your head, not suffering from
malnutrition … There is a lot of simple exercises to help grounding and being
in the moment. Here are 5 ways to be happier in life and other practices that can help you with anxiety.
- Coloring for adults: The time and focus helps the individual remove the attention from the negative concerns and behaviors, and concentrate them in a safe and productive manner.
Life can be
hard, it doesn’t matter what we face, but how we do it. Don’t be a victim,
feeling helpless can make you think that you are unworthy and self-conscious. Anxiety can be
a barrier to meet new people, maintain your existing relationships and advance
in school or work. You’ve survived your past, you’re here, reading this article
hoping to find a solution to your turmoil, and you have hope and strength. Remember
that worrying does not take tomorrow’s uncertainties, but only today’s peace.
BREATHE,
you’re enough
XOXO
Meryame
