vonnhelsing
05-30-2013, 12:57 PM
over the past 5 years i have tried every possible method of trying to rid myself of chronic anxiety.
i've been through hell, from being taken to the emergency room at least once a month, to crying hysterically infront of my family asking for help, to lying in bed for an entire month unable to get up and my friends having to come and feed me. 2011 until end of 2012, i woke up every single morning thinking "im going to die today"
i've done therapy, i've taken meds, i've had every possible test done to me in hospital (including MRI scans), meditation, yoga, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, reflexoloy etc. i've done it all!
short term things that worked: valium
i've read practically every thing there is to know about anxiety on the internet.
at the moment i have got my anxiety under control. i have harnessed the power to restrain anxiety everytime it tries to creep up on me.
i want to say that you can take meds as long as you want but it will never ever fully go away.
you have to do 3 things:
1. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - YOU MUST CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK
COMPLETELY RE-WIRE THE THOUGHT PROCESSING OF YOUR BRAIN. i used to have pains so bad to the point where i'd be on the floor writhing in pain and i would just lie there enduring it for hours after which it eventually went away. this is the wrong attitude. you need to tell yourself that these pains are nothing more than a result of severe STRESS. dont get me wrong, not ALL pains are anxiety induced. that's why it is always important to get yourself fully checked up at the hospital. once you've been given the all clear you can start on recovery.
One thing i tried was that whenever i felt the infamous chest pains, back pains, left arm pains etc. i would just pinch my right arm as hard as i could so that it actually really hurt. believe it or not, the pains previously mentioned were gone while i was concentrating on the pain in my right arm. no matter how painful pinching my right arm was i wasn't scared of the pain in any way because i knew what was causing it and i knew it was harmless.
There's a concept called the Pygmalion Effect. The way it can be applied to us anxiety sufferers is that we need to constantly tell ourselves that any uncomfortable feelings and symptoms are caused by our poor stressed out brains. THE MORE YOU BELIEVE IN SOMETHING THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT IT WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN. keep telling yourself 'i am fine. this is nothing more than my brain being stressed. this is anxiety and cannot kill me. the pains i feel are not life-threatening and are a normal response to fight or flight.'
tell yourself this continuously and after a few months.... you will see the difference.
positive thinking promotes a healthy body and healthy mind.
and VICE VERSA..
2. A HEALTHY BODY leads to a healthy mind.
a lot of the time anxiety is caused by insufficient essential vitamins and minerals in your body. lack of water, poor diet, lack of exercise, too much drinking, taking drugs, chain smoking... all these things deplete the body of energy and stress sets in.
the smallest of changes in your lifestyle can totally eradicate anxiety.
i've had anxiety for so long that i have carried out an endless amount of experiments on myself. i kept an anxiety diary and for one week i didn't exercise, i ate junk food, smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day, barely drank water, had shots of tequila every night and by the end of that week i was having ectopic heart beats, palps and anxiety levels were sky high. no energy.. muscle pains.. etc.
the next week i did the exact opposite, stopped smoking, no drinking, gym every 2nd day, looots of water, vitamin supplements, loads of fruits and veggies.. the difference was insane. i felt sooo good and although i still had mild anxiety i was able to deal with it more rationally and my brain was more stable.
3. MEDITATION AND BREATHING PROPERLY.
I think we ALL know how important breathing exercises are for us. you can physically FEEL the anxiety slipping away when we breathe in deep through our stomachs, hold it in for 5 seconds and slowly breathe out through our mouths. i dont think i need to go into detail with this.
the biggest life saver for me during this madness has been meditation. everyone needs to be doing this. it takes huge amounts of patience and will most definitely not work the first few times. clearing our over active mind is nearly impossible but once you master it... WOW. tons of websites teaching you how to meditate. tons of wonderful music on youtube to listen to before you sleep while you meditate. tons of GUIDED MEDITATION videos. i use videos from 'the honest guys' on youtube and it has worked every time without fail. i downloaded them onto my phone and any situation where im anxious i just listen to their guided meditation and after 15 minutes i'm anxiety free.
4. little things you can do to sort yourself out.
-splashing ICE COLD water on your face and your arms. the shock will instantly snap your nervous system back to normal.
-carrying around menthol oil to inhale when you feel dizzy, lightheaded, short of breath. menthol clears up and stuffiness and is a natural relaxant. i carry a little vial around with me at all times and although dependance can be a problem it has helped me so much.
-having a close friend around that understands you. this is especially useful for agoraphobics like me.
5. AGORAPHOBIA
SHOCK THERAPY is super uncomfortable and most people avoid it because of this but it is the best method for fighting agoraphobia because with agoraphobia it is really important to sort it out before it gets worse because once it reaches that point where you are homebound for months at a time then it is so much harder to get out of it. so for anyone who is just starting to become agoraphobic just force yourself to be out all the time no matter how horrible it is.
For anyone who is already at a severe stage of agoraphobia, like i was and still kind of am, speak with a close friend or someone you trust and let them help you and have them come out with you. knowing that you can leave whenever you want without being judged makes it so much easier to cope.
okay im going to stop here because this is becoming too long but i could go all day with this
bottom line is, don't just endure anxiety day by day. it is absolutely possible to be TOTALLY anxiety free. takes a lot of time and effort but we can all get through it.
i've been through hell, from being taken to the emergency room at least once a month, to crying hysterically infront of my family asking for help, to lying in bed for an entire month unable to get up and my friends having to come and feed me. 2011 until end of 2012, i woke up every single morning thinking "im going to die today"
i've done therapy, i've taken meds, i've had every possible test done to me in hospital (including MRI scans), meditation, yoga, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, reflexoloy etc. i've done it all!
short term things that worked: valium
i've read practically every thing there is to know about anxiety on the internet.
at the moment i have got my anxiety under control. i have harnessed the power to restrain anxiety everytime it tries to creep up on me.
i want to say that you can take meds as long as you want but it will never ever fully go away.
you have to do 3 things:
1. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - YOU MUST CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK
COMPLETELY RE-WIRE THE THOUGHT PROCESSING OF YOUR BRAIN. i used to have pains so bad to the point where i'd be on the floor writhing in pain and i would just lie there enduring it for hours after which it eventually went away. this is the wrong attitude. you need to tell yourself that these pains are nothing more than a result of severe STRESS. dont get me wrong, not ALL pains are anxiety induced. that's why it is always important to get yourself fully checked up at the hospital. once you've been given the all clear you can start on recovery.
One thing i tried was that whenever i felt the infamous chest pains, back pains, left arm pains etc. i would just pinch my right arm as hard as i could so that it actually really hurt. believe it or not, the pains previously mentioned were gone while i was concentrating on the pain in my right arm. no matter how painful pinching my right arm was i wasn't scared of the pain in any way because i knew what was causing it and i knew it was harmless.
There's a concept called the Pygmalion Effect. The way it can be applied to us anxiety sufferers is that we need to constantly tell ourselves that any uncomfortable feelings and symptoms are caused by our poor stressed out brains. THE MORE YOU BELIEVE IN SOMETHING THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT IT WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN. keep telling yourself 'i am fine. this is nothing more than my brain being stressed. this is anxiety and cannot kill me. the pains i feel are not life-threatening and are a normal response to fight or flight.'
tell yourself this continuously and after a few months.... you will see the difference.
positive thinking promotes a healthy body and healthy mind.
and VICE VERSA..
2. A HEALTHY BODY leads to a healthy mind.
a lot of the time anxiety is caused by insufficient essential vitamins and minerals in your body. lack of water, poor diet, lack of exercise, too much drinking, taking drugs, chain smoking... all these things deplete the body of energy and stress sets in.
the smallest of changes in your lifestyle can totally eradicate anxiety.
i've had anxiety for so long that i have carried out an endless amount of experiments on myself. i kept an anxiety diary and for one week i didn't exercise, i ate junk food, smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day, barely drank water, had shots of tequila every night and by the end of that week i was having ectopic heart beats, palps and anxiety levels were sky high. no energy.. muscle pains.. etc.
the next week i did the exact opposite, stopped smoking, no drinking, gym every 2nd day, looots of water, vitamin supplements, loads of fruits and veggies.. the difference was insane. i felt sooo good and although i still had mild anxiety i was able to deal with it more rationally and my brain was more stable.
3. MEDITATION AND BREATHING PROPERLY.
I think we ALL know how important breathing exercises are for us. you can physically FEEL the anxiety slipping away when we breathe in deep through our stomachs, hold it in for 5 seconds and slowly breathe out through our mouths. i dont think i need to go into detail with this.
the biggest life saver for me during this madness has been meditation. everyone needs to be doing this. it takes huge amounts of patience and will most definitely not work the first few times. clearing our over active mind is nearly impossible but once you master it... WOW. tons of websites teaching you how to meditate. tons of wonderful music on youtube to listen to before you sleep while you meditate. tons of GUIDED MEDITATION videos. i use videos from 'the honest guys' on youtube and it has worked every time without fail. i downloaded them onto my phone and any situation where im anxious i just listen to their guided meditation and after 15 minutes i'm anxiety free.
4. little things you can do to sort yourself out.
-splashing ICE COLD water on your face and your arms. the shock will instantly snap your nervous system back to normal.
-carrying around menthol oil to inhale when you feel dizzy, lightheaded, short of breath. menthol clears up and stuffiness and is a natural relaxant. i carry a little vial around with me at all times and although dependance can be a problem it has helped me so much.
-having a close friend around that understands you. this is especially useful for agoraphobics like me.
5. AGORAPHOBIA
SHOCK THERAPY is super uncomfortable and most people avoid it because of this but it is the best method for fighting agoraphobia because with agoraphobia it is really important to sort it out before it gets worse because once it reaches that point where you are homebound for months at a time then it is so much harder to get out of it. so for anyone who is just starting to become agoraphobic just force yourself to be out all the time no matter how horrible it is.
For anyone who is already at a severe stage of agoraphobia, like i was and still kind of am, speak with a close friend or someone you trust and let them help you and have them come out with you. knowing that you can leave whenever you want without being judged makes it so much easier to cope.
okay im going to stop here because this is becoming too long but i could go all day with this
bottom line is, don't just endure anxiety day by day. it is absolutely possible to be TOTALLY anxiety free. takes a lot of time and effort but we can all get through it.