Getting through anxiety & Reflection!
This is the second post I've written this week, gosh I'm on a roll! :) It's a nice chill Sunday and I'm feeling really happy and in a good mood today!
I was laying in bed having a moment of reflection after my friend sent me this on twitter which made me laugh!
I started to think how much I have actually changed over the few years although it feels like nothing has really happened. I was looking back and at first thought that I developed anxiety in my teenage
years but after talking to my mum, I realised it was always something I had
since I was child but it kind of got worse as I grew older. She told me I would actaully panic and hyperventilate when we were once locked in a porterloo (portable toilet) by some stupid people -_- which is why I would probably never go in one again. I was
a quite a shy child and to be honest I still labelled myself as shy today but
I think I have come out of my shell especially since last year when I started working and staring university. So for all of you who are thinking "I'm so quiet, people think I'm boring!" It gets better, you just develop in your own time and also the quiet ones are always the mysterious ones, so you are not boring, you are the interesting one who people actually want to get to know.
I thought I would take this time to write a few things on how to get through those anxious times. Usually I have my up and down days or weeks, where I can feel less anxious than usual for a few weeks and then BAM! Something just makes me feel on edge for a few weeks until I manage to calm down again. Originally I wanted to call this post 'Beating Anxiety' but to be honest I haven't even completely figured that out myself so I thought I would give a few tips on how I manage to cope with anxiety and get though the obstacles that I come across.
Last year I kept a diary, where I wrote down how I felt from when I woke up in the morning to last thing at night. I would write in my worries and what I was excited for, things I succeeded in and things I was thankful for. My CBT therapist thought this was really good as it could help me distinguish any patterns and to get my thoughts out on to paper. I also used to write down the symptoms I had and what I was thinking during moments of anxiety and I would rate my mood.
I recently read through it again after I filled all the pages and my anxiety had decreased a lot over the year. So it's nice to see if your doing well and if not then you have an idea on what you need to focus on. I am now using this diary, which is really cute!
This relaxtaion technique was recommended to me by my therapist and I found yoga and meditation quite useful but since I haven't been doing it recently, I think this is what has caused me to feel stressed again. I did a lot of yoga during the Summer and I would go to classes with my mum on a Sunday. This is supposed to me good for people who are more prone to having panic attacks and reducing the built up stress in your system. Regular yoga practice can help by keeping you calm in daily life and making you less tense, strengthens your body posture and helps you with breathing techniques to relieve anxiety. I really did enjoy this and I'm going to start doing it at home again.
This is another one where I feel guilty, because I haven't done exercise in a while, oops! I have a gym membership but I haven't been in months! I found exercising and going for runs did help my anxiety as I was able to use all the built up and excess energy I had in body. This is seriously good for those of you who feel agitated all the time. It would also put me in a good mood once I worked out and I would sleep a lot better at night. Unfortunately I started to get lazy and didn't go to the gym as much so I found Blogilates on Youtube! She's amazing and her workouts are really fun (but painful!)
I always like to treat myself with a nice warm bath, when I mean warm I mean scorching hot! :) Especially now that it's winter, it's time for lots of bubble bath, products from lush and relaxation, this always cheers me up and I feel the need to have a fresh start once I get out the bath :D
I usually try and get a massage done at least once a month, as this is a relaxation technique where I don't have to do anything and I can actually relax and just clear my mind. Massages are good for breaking down built up toxins or waste in the muscles and alleviates pain in those areas where you feel tense. Remember to drink water afterwards too!
So I'm not much of a huge shopaholic but I do found that retail therapy can make me feel a little better when I'm stressed! It's amazing how a new outfit can sometimes make you feel better about yourself. Nail varnish is one of my addictions and I seem to always treat myself to new ones, I really need to stop. Even a new book or CD can put a smile on my face!
I recently got back into drinking chamomile tea as it is supposed to have a calming effect. So it honestly doesn't have the best taste but adding half a teaspoon of sugar doesn't hurt! I usually have 1 cup a day but I'm going to try and drink more. Chamomile tea is supposed to be good for decreasing palpitations and panic attacks, relaxing the nerves and relieving muscle spasms. Supposedly it's also good for getting you to sleep.
Talking to my mum and friends helps me feel less stressed. Just having someone to listen to you can make you feel better, even if they don't have the answer to all your problems it's nice to just have a chat to someone and not bottle everything up making you even more stressed out and that really doesn't help anyone.
I decided to put up a board in my room where I can write down my weekly plans and reminders. It's nice to see a clear version of what's going on during the week instead of a scramble of plans and deadlines in my head, which could probably cause me to have a breakdown haha :') (no, but really!)
Those were all my coping techniques and there's probably more but this list was really long, if you would like more just ask! Anyway I have a lot of things to look forward to this month such as going to the Clothes Show Live next week, breaking up for Christmas holidays, baking Christmas cookies and cakes.
P.S. here's a page that I found which I found really interesting on the symptoms of anxiety and how you can attempt to deal with it: www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms/
0 comments:
Post a Comment