Anxiety is a silly malady. I know it lies, but I cannot regulate my bodies response to its suggestions. It cannot substantiate its position, yet it controls the conversation. Its a bully and a coward. I can continue to best it, but it can continue to wear me thin.
Conquering anxiety is difficult but combating it with an arsenal of tactics provides tangible results. Doing nothing achieves just that, nothing!
I started with CBT, where having OCD, language matters a lot. An effort to avoid speaking in absolute terms was the beginning of the journey. When our Gdaughter said "I can't do that, I'm too little", I'd apply CBT and asked her to change the language to perhaps say that she found it difficult or that she struggled with something but that she could do it if she really wanted to. One subconsciously prepares oneself for failure by using absolute/language.
Practising mindfulness keeps me in the now, not dwelling on yesterday or worrying about tomorrow.
Journalling the day's events can provide benefits by offloading the struggles.
Meditation is also beneficial to take time for one's self, allowing yourself time to focus only on the present - follow your breath from beginning to end.
Procrastination, for me, caused anxiety. So I try to muster the courage to get things done asap, so as not to dwell on it.
"Anxiety is a silly malady." Agreed!
The first time I got an anxiety attack was the worst. I knew exactly what was happening, and luckily I was at a waiting room for my therapist, but even knowing that, I couldn't breathe. It was like ten times worse than when you accidentally start manually breathing (sorry for anyone who catches a stray, sometimes reading it triggers it, lol). And I was so tense and agitated that it felt like my muscles were locked up. I wanted to scream and cry and like spin in circles tearing stuff up, but also not be near anything that made noise. Horrible sensation. Do not recommend.
Agreed, it sucks and for some the sensations are difficult to quantify/explain. There is nothing to envy about the sensations of suffocating or being tense and agitated.
I've seen a psychotherapist for a couple years with wonderful results. I'm in therapy because those that should be aren't - is what i told my therapist. Driven by a desire to continuously improve. Therapy taught me that setting boundaries (with love) was top tier personal care. Sometimes you have to teach people how to treat you. Took an SSRI for two months- which kinda retrained the brain to accept life as it is. Through no fault of our own, we endure trauma and I felt a duty/responsibility to repair/heal/recover from it. Being kind to one self can be difficult, as are lowering one's expectations of others. Mea culpa - I expect very little of anyone these days and my disappointments have plummeted.
