When Anxiety Hits home
Have you ever experienced a moment of pure dread? That moment where your stomach falls out and you feel intensely sick and numb. When, despite the calm that may be happening around you and in spite of everything your ‘rational’ mind is trying to tell you, you feel in a state of complete panic. I have. It is exhausting, overwhelming and terrifying. Often leaving us drained for long periods of time afterwards.
Anxiety strives to keep us safe
That is the thing about anxiety, it can happen to any person because it is based in our own core wiring. It is programed in from our earliest ages to keep us safe and protected from harm. It starts with small things, small errors or injuries, things that make us think twice before taking chances. If you touch a hot stove once you learn quickly to check to make sure it is cool before putting your hand back down on it again. That is healthy programing. Part of our checks and balances system to ensure we don’t go around getting ourselves burned on a daily basis.
But some burns go far deeper than what you can get from a hot stove. Some are based in painful memories that are then triggered by interactions, events, people and/or places in our current lives. Many were developed to keep us emotionally protected from those that have found ways to make us feel less than worthy. Leading us to pull back, shut down and stay safe. Creating the mindset that if we don’t take chances we can’t get hurt. But we then miss out on so very much in life, when we are held back and pulled down by the weight of that type of anxiety.
There is no one size fits all approach to managing anxiety.
It is very much a trial and error process and what may work for one person may not be the ideal approach for another. But step number one, be open and willing to try new things. Even if you don’t think there is any point in it. Even if you think the suggestion is stupid. We often have no idea what is going to help until after it does.
Some days I find my respite in exercise; others it is a book, a breathing technique, time on the water, tapping, a hug, digging my hands in the dirt to grow something beautiful, a cup of hot chocolate, writing, or just venting to someone I feel I can trust. You need more than one go-to approach. Because we have more than one type and source of anxiety.
Cup of Self Care
Talk/Vent
Hugs/Touch
Writing
An Outline for Anxiety management and growth
Over the next few months, we are going to take a deep dive into how anxiety can impact so very many areas of our lives and explore strategies, techniques, and outlets that can help keep it at bay. These are not all designated ‘therapy’ approaches but day to day life changes, ways of thinking, and moment to moment challenges that we can implement to enhance the quality of our daily lives but keeping that inner anxiety in check. I hope you can join us for this journey and that the tools and topics we explore can help bring you back to a better state of balance when hit by your waves of anxiety or doubt.
Digging Deeper:
Blogs for building anxiety Coping skills
Get Support
Anxiety is not something you have to struggle your way through on your own. Having a supportive outside person to help you sort through what you are experiencing can be a huge asset to your recovery process. At Angelus we have a great group of therapists available to help you through your healing journey. Reach out today to get started and see if one of our therapists is the right fit for you.
Recent Comments