DEALING WITH ANXIETY | PART.2

Continuing from my previous anxiety post I want to tell you more about the ways in which others and I helped myself. Different people will suit different treatments, there is something out there to help everyone though - you just have to be patient, persistent and positive.

The first method I tried was medication, as I said before I don't like conventional medicine and I really didn't get on with the anti-depressants they made me worse like they do with pretty much everyone I know that has been on them. Looking for natural help I turned back to my doctor and she offered counselling. I tried group therapy and found it helpful and calming knowing everyone else who attended was feeling the same as me. But it wasn't enough so I did one on one counselling and we focused on CBT which helped give me the knowledge and push that I needed to heel myself.

Whilst I attended one on one, once a week I also meditated on a daily basis, sometimes I found it helpful sometimes I didn't guided meditations are something I got on well with when I couldn't sleep at night. I still now meditate, not on a daily basis but at least once a week, I find it really relaxing and it's great for the mind and body as we breath properly when meditating.

A friend once took me to a yoga class, which I found really empowering I'd never been before and I got on really well. I felt super energised after and  really relaxed. I actually did the crab position which I was super proud of. I had a spinal operation in my teens and was terrified of doing anything like this in case of falling and hurting my back. I felt like I could do anything in that class because its all about concentrating on your breathing rather than what you are doing. I now attend yoga regularly and practise at home at least once a day. Just a few poses can give you energy and a positive mindset first thing in the morning and relax you last thing at night.

I decided to find myself a hobby (blogging) I was rubbish at first but I am a chatterbox and love to talk about everything so knew it would be a good hobby for me, drawing is also a hobby of mine so I started to draw and paint more often. As well as reading... this kind of frustrated me at first and many times I almost gave up I have dyslexia and struggle to read. When I started to buy books that taught me things, my reading got better, subjects I wanted to learn about like fashion, health and nutrition.

Still suffering anxiety but it was getting less and less noticeable it wasn't controlling my life as much because I was occupying my brain in other ways.

I stopped using social networking as much I think too many of us are hooked on it and forget about reality I didn't live in the moment enough and enjoy what was around me, my friends, family and nature and of course hobbies. I started a fashion design course so that I could one day start my own business give myself something to work hard for, which is still in progress but I am really proud of all I have achieved and have a very positive outlook on what my future holds. I made time to learn things rather than sitting around and doing nothing with my life but show off on networking when actually I really had nothing to show off about! For me this was one of the best decisions I made it's nice that not everyone knows the in's and out's of my life.

Next it was diet I used to eat so much crap, why? because I could, I wouldn't gain much weight so why not? It wasn't until I started buying natural health magazine (which I am now a subscriber of) that I thought about the effects food have on my mood. If I eat shit I feel shit and that's a fact. Since learning about the effects diet has on the mind, body and soul I am a real clean eater, I buy organic when I can. I am still studying nutrition and I love it. I have the odd day where I do indulge in absolute crap but then I get spots or dry skin and soon regret it. I now focus on making healthy snacks and deserts for those days I am craving something sweet.

All these changes happened over two years it took a lot of self discipline, hard work, ups and down but I can finally say mentally I am in a really great place. Of course some things still make me anxious or sometimes I have minor panics and my heart skips a beat, but the minutes spent worrying are 99% less than they were 2 years ago which is relieving. I no longer suffer panic attacks or sleepless nights. I wasted so much time worrying and being down about things I couldn't change or past events instead of focusing on the present and how I could make that day and that very moment count as a positive one.

Have you read part one? If not here is the link PART. 1
Here also is a useful website www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk