Hi!
Just wanted to say thanks to the lovely messages of hope and support. Didn’t think many would read this, so that is wonderful! Anyway, just wanted to post about how to cope with the anxiety that comes with this phobia.
I guess anxiety is different for everyone, and it can be more severe for some people or it can be a random and short lived episode. For me, anxiety can totally vary depending on my mood, if I have exams or other outside stresses and the environment I’m in. I’ve noticed if I go away for the weekend or my environment changes, I tend to get more anxious. Anyway… enough babbling. I do love to talk a lot! Here are some of the things I try to do when anxious, that may or may not work for me, but I try them anyway. Sometimes it’s a success, other times I’m just too anxious to even bother or too anxious that it’s impossible to try.
– Deep breathing… a no brainer really. Everyone always tells someone to take some deep breaths. Sure, it’s easy to say that, but when you’re really anxious, and your heart is racing and you have shortness of breath, it can be the hardest thing to breathe deeply. It does work most of the time for me though.
– Listen to music. Depending on my mood, I will either listen to really sad music (haha this is so ridiculous to be typing out), really energetic music, or just calming sounds of nature. My favourite is on YouTube, PaulStokefromUK I believe his username is. Check him out, seriously some of the best music for anxiety and stress.
– Go for a walk/run. I’m a very energetic person and love to have a healthy lifestyle. Going out into the fresh air is always nice! And seeing people pass you by and smile at you is a bonus. It’s a sign you need to cheer up and get on with the day.
– Surround myself with friends and family. I don’t have to tell them I’m anxious, I just have to start conversation and before I know it, I’m usually so deep in the discussion that I’ve forgotten about my anxiety.
– Lie down. Whether it is to take a break in your room, or hang out and watch some TV, it allows you to slow down and focus your energy on something else.
– Hang out with my dog. Trust me, it isn’t as sad or as lonely as it sounds. Pets have been proven to lift the mood of humans and to decrease anxiety. It continues to baffle me how my dog can be so excited to see me every second of the day and how his company can really effect my mood. It’s a good thing I work with animals!
So that’s pretty much it. Persistence and hard work have allowed me to better handle moments of anxiety. I used to go days of constant worry and anxiety. I seem to be able to handle it better and hopefully, slowly, in the future it will fade away.
Next post will be about lifestyle/food and how they have helped me to not only assist with my self-help out of fear and anxiety, but how they’ve enabled me to better understand it.
Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day.
Respire 