i won’t let my anxiety rule my life

It can hit anywhere at anytime – anxiety attacks.

All of the sudden I get light headed, my fingers tingle, my head spins to the left, and the blood drains from my body. I feel like I could pass out at any minute.

Usually it hits when I’m not feeling well. A cold, indigestion, my blood sugar drops, or even a small thing like a headache. Or it’ll hit when I’m stressed with a busy schedule. Or lastly, I’ll have an attack if I have emotions I’m not processing, usually grief.

It doesn’t matter where I am and my attacks show me no mercy. I’ve learned how to control my anxiety but it takes ALL of me to keep it in check.

First I have to be proactive – I have to take care of my health and make sure I feel good. This means eating right, exercising, stretching, drinking water – whatever it takes to feel my best. I also have to keep on top of my to do list and not get too far behind or overwhelmed – I have to be proactive with my stress level. Finally, I have to process my emotions as they come and be sure not to bottle them up or numb them in an unhealthy way like drinking or distracting.

Second, I have to handle the attack when it hits. This involves a series of questions and mantras. I do a full body check asking myself how I feel and why. Am I tired? Am I hungry? Am I stressed? Did something emotional happen that I’m not dealing with? I have mantras ready to repeat to calm myself down – I’m healthy. I’m not dying. Take things one task at a time. Or, accept that I’m feeling sad or upset and give myself time to stop and cry it out.

If this sounds like A LOT of work, it IS. And it takes constant intention of how I live – but I refuse to let my anxiety rule my life. Every time I have an attack it gets easier to pull myself out of it. I know I’ll never be completely anxiety free – but I’m making progress in the right direction and it’s getting easier day by day, year by year.

If you suffer from this anxiety and panic — know you are not alone. I’m with you! If you want to talk about it, feel free to reach out to me. We can get stronger together!