Other shoe
02-29-2016, 06:12 PM
I watch the world through anxiety's glasses. I wake and feel anxious, kind of jumpy. I do my morning routine and things become peaceful. Then the jitters form and the swings begin. So it is with this affliction. There can be waves of sanity disrupted by nervous interventions. I have noticed some patterns in this disease. I used to drug myself to avoid the panic, but now I accept the peace and try to hold on to it. This was very difficult because a great deal of the worry was when the worry was going to settle in! Now I watch my body carefully, anticipate the worry but let it form. When it starts to become intense I do something, usually walk my dogs. We all move out into the air and just walk, observe, and sniff,(well them not me). This brings me a foundation as to where I am not what is going to happen. My body releases some endorphins, my dogs make me chuckle, and I relax at the views before me. The worry becomes what it is, a product of my imagination. It took me quite some time to come to this point and I still have often setbacks. But I realized that the mind needs training like any other part of your body and it responds. Waiting for an anxiety attack is like neglecting thirst. Your body and mind need something. You don't drink you become dehydrated, you starve your mind of fresh air and it becomes agitated. It gets anxious all on it's own. We often worry about things which are beyond our control or virtually nonexistent. I say clear the mind of all this clutter if you can, then expose the mind to healthy stimulation-walking, hobbies, talking to the other folks out there suffering. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it's positive. The brain breathes it and needs it. The reinforcement is medication all on it's own!