Anxiety can feel paralyzing and stop you from really enjoying your life. In order to avoid this crippling feeling you might tend to avoid anything, that can cause you any uncomfortable feelings and it might even help you in that very moment. You feel the release of tension in your body and your mind,
when once again you have decided to stay at home instead of going to that event,
when once again you called in ill to avoid the meeting or your presentation,
when once again you managed to avoid any confrontation with the outside world.
At the same time you know, it was an irrational decision, a decision that keeps you stuck, frustrated, and isolated and you begin to punish yourself with guilt and shame. You blame yourself for being weak and unable to live as others do. Oh yes, all the others seem to have everything sorted out. They appear so confident all the time and fun to be around. They all live happy lives full of adventures and love. Everybody....but you...
And so you find yourself in a dark place of beating yourself up, belittling yourself, making yourself feel even more lonely and desperate, reinforcing the fear, and nurturing the inner tension.
Anxiety or fear is a normal human emotion. It helps you to stay safe and protected. So all it cares about is your well-being by keeping you away from situations you perceive as a threat or as dangerous. Its intention is a positive one, but it can also overdo it. By being worried and scared a lot or even most of the time feelings of anxiety can have devastating consequences for people's lives. Sometimes it can feel like there is no way out, some might even think, that is who they are and they will have to live with it for the rest of their lives. No one has to.
There are ways out of constant fear, negative self-beliefs, and tension.
Imagine what it would be like to feel calm and at ease with the uncertainties of life. How can it feel to really connect with your own worth and value, feel empowered and capable to handle obstacles along the way, feeling comfortable in your own skin?
One very useful technique to deal with anxiety and panic attacks, that brings you back into the moment, so you can see things as they are and not as what you make them out to be, can be used at any time, anywhere in every situation. It will ground you and release the unpleasant sensations in your body. When you feel anxiety rising up to suffocate you, become AWARE of:
5 things you can see around you,
4 things you can feel,
3 things you can hear,
2 things you can smell,
1 thing you can taste.
This exercise is very powerful. You immediately interrupt the vicious circle of negative thoughts and worries, as you don't have time to think about them now.
You come back to the present, to the things that really surround you at that time and that you might even appreciate.
And once you focus on those things, you will notice your breathing slowing down, sending signals to the brain, that the "threat", the "danger" is over and you will notice all the other symptoms that your fear was sending you, evaporating. You calm down naturally, feeling relief and noticing that whatever was weighing you down just a moment ago is not that scary anymore. You can think clearly again and move from your problem to contemplate solutions instead. Struggling with anxiety and low self-esteem is no life sentence.
I can help with that!
You receive support, information, and resources along your journey, that will help to ease feelings of anxiety, tension, and loneliness. All you have to do is one click away. If you know someone who could benefit from working with me, please share.
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