Living with Anxiety
Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
READ that again! Anxiety is more normal than you think. If you suffer from anxiety, you aren’t alone.
My First Panic Attack
When I first felt a panic attack I was only 9 years old. My grandmother had just passed away and I can still recall that day so vividly. It’s weird how we can remember events we wish could disappear but hard to remember some of the good memories we have had when we were kids.
Life situations like a death in the family are one of the common things that can cause anxiety in a child or adult. I didn’t realize what I was feeling at such a young age but as I got older and continued to have anxiety, I realized what my body was going through and what I was feeling.
Methods I have used for my Anxiety
In my early 20s I went to see a psychologist for my anxiety. She taught me a few methods to help control my anxiety. She said, “When you feel an anxiety attack coming on I want you to take a deep breath. As you breath in open the palm of your hand and begin to count one through ten. As you count, slowly close your palm on each count. Once your fist is closed begin to count backwards as you slowly open your hand again. Continue to do this a few times until you feel your anxiety slow down.” It seemed to help most times and I still use this method.
The second method I have used is simply sitting down in a chair and tucking your head in between your legs and taking deep breaths. This has worked for me but not as good as the counting method.
The third method I have recently used is meditation. Mediation has been estimated to be around from as far as 5,000 to 3,500 BC. It is known to help with anxiety and stress. I started meditating a few years ago after reading The Miracle Morning. This book seriously changed my life, but as life has it and things get in the way, I stopped. Two years after I read the book I began to have more anxiety and depression and I knew that I needed to do something. I re-read the book and started implementing meditation back into my daily routine. There are days I still wake up with anxiety but as soon as I get my meditation in, I feel that calmness come over me. If you haven’t tried mediation, look into it and give it a try.
There are many methods that have helped me with my anxiety. Of course it is always good to talk to your doctor and see what they can help you with. These are just a few that I have used that I have noticed a difference with. If you’re living with anxiety just remember you aren’t alone and there are ways to get help!
Thanks for sharing, Kristin!