3 Things I do to Combat Anxiety

Since I was a high school student, I have suffered from feelings of anxiety. During a difficult period in my youth, there were a few occasions in school where I would be taken to the nurse’s office via wheelchair because my feelings of anxiety would overwhelm me immensely.

Even though my anxiety attacks seem to be less severe, they are still common currently. When this occurs, I feel as though I’m unable to breathe, my heart palpitates and my breath becomes shallow and quick. After this, I start to sweat, shake and become dizzy. Usually, an anxiety attack happens when my thoughts travel down the Negativity Rabbit Hole. If you recall from my previous post, I have talked about how one negative thought leads to another negative thought. In a future post, I will talk about how to overcome this habit. However, for the current post I will share my practices for combating feelings of anxiety.

Deep Breathing and Calming your Thoughts

In my experience, this has been of the greatest importance. After I have traveled down the Negativity Rabbit Hole and my breath has become rapid, I often feel my heart palpitate. During this time, I will sit down, close my eyes and start my deep breathing. I inhale through my nose for five seconds filling my belly with air, then hold for five seconds, and finally exhale for eight seconds. Typically, it is difficult for me to inhale and exhale at these lengths during the first couple minutes, but eventually it effectively slows down my breath and heart. If you have a difficult time focusing on deep breathing, there is a great aide for that!

Recently, I have received the Komuso Shift Necklace as a gift to help me with my feelings of anxiety. This necklace allows me to control my breath through its carefully calculated design. It was inspired by the Shakuhatchi flute used by 17th century monks from Japan. The breathing technique through the Komuso Shift Necklace promotes a steady breath allowing your body to decrease the stress hormone. It is often used for anxiety and meditation. I wear this necklace daily and it has helped me greatly!

Calming the Five Senses

I usually start this step as I am practicing deep breathing. I have learned this tip from my mother and my research. When my feelings of anxiety would become prominent, my mother would advise me to go into my bedroom, turn off the lights and to listen to calming music. These measures help to calm the senses of sight and sound.

In addition to this, I would also insert mint oil into my oil diffuser, chew mint gum and wrap myself in a warm blanket. These measures help to calm the senses of smell, taste and touch. Whenever I have calmed all five senses, it has helped reduce my anxiety greatly. Now, you don’t have to use the same items I did to calm your five senses. What relaxes me may not be what relaxes you. You may prefer to take a walk while drinking a Gatorade, smelling the fresh air, holding a cell phone and hearing the birds sing. It is all up to you!

Meditation

After I have calmed my breath and my five senses, I take at least ten minutes to meditate. As I have discovered, meditations can be difficult for someone who is new at them. It can be hard to focus or to know what to do. Don’t worry! There is an aide for that too! I have enjoyed the guided meditations from the Sanvello app. This app has been amazing for my mental health journey!

It checks on you daily and helps you to understand where your negative feelings are coming from. There is one section dedicated to guided meditations. I will often do this laying on my bed or sitting outside under a tree. There are guided meditations for everything such as depression, anxiety, help for studying, building positivity, and reducing anger. These guided meditations have helped me to push away negative thoughts and to be more self-reflective. I have found greater insight with each meditation I complete.

Support System

After I have completed all of the above, I usually talk to someone I’m incredibly close with. For instance, if there was an event that triggered my feelings of anxiety, I would often talk to my mother, husband and best friend. They frequently help me to move past my negative thoughts and to build more positivity within myself. They also help me to understand that it is okay to be discouraged, scared, uncertain and anxious but to also know that in the end, everything will be okay.

I often open up to these people about how I am feeling and the reason why I am feeling that way. They allow me to vent and also give guidance where it is needed. I can not stress enough on the importance of a support system. Whenever I have tried to combat life challenges alone, it has always become more difficult to overcome. However, whenever I sought out assistance from my support system, I overcame them with more ease.

Conclusion:

Feelings of anxiety can be scary and discouraging. It can be something very difficult to talk about. Everyone is different and we all have different things that trigger our feelings of anxiety. My anxiety is often triggered by feelings of failure, traumatic events and sometimes, social church gatherings. I encourage you to try these tips whenever you feel anxious. Tailor it to what triggers you and what helps you to stay calm. It may take a few times before you get it under complete control. And it’s okay to feel discouraged! The important thing is that you keep trying.