Why Self Care for Anxiety?
You might know the feeling. You are unusually tense, and your heart is racing. Your monkey brain keeps you agitated. All you think about are all the things that could go wrong. You are doubting yourself and feeling that the worst thing is going to happen. Yes, this is how you feel when you need self-care for anxiety.
Anxiety creeps up out of nowhere, and before you know it, it feels as though you’re going to have a heart attack. As time moves on, it gets so bad that you go to bed, convinced you might not wake up. It’s debilitating. Anxiety can make you feel weak, it makes you feel embarrassed, and it doesn’t matter how hard you try to overcome it.
The first step you need to take in your journey to managing anxiety is to accept it. You’re not weak, but it can be very uncomfortable. So many of us suffer from anxiety, and you’re not alone.
Tabatha Chansard, says in her book Conquer Your Anxiety Workbook for Teens, “Think about when you wash your hands, or when you look both ways before crossing the street, or when you check over your answers before turning in your test. Believe it or not, these everyday actions come from mild anxiety.”
Anxiety Can Be A Problem
Without a little anxiety, you might be too careless and prone to risky behavior. However, anxiety can become a problem when it grows beyond its useful and protective function. “Anxiety can be a problem when it interferes with life, or when you struggle to find calm and peace from day-to-day. Sometimes your brain cannot tell the difference between fearful situations in real life and threatening situations you created with your thoughts alone. ”
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” ~ Eleanor Brownn
Self-Care For Anxiety Can Put You Back In Control
Through self-care for anxiety, you can get yourself back to a point where you enjoy life. You’ll still have fear, your palms may even get sweaty, but you’ll have a better handle on it.
1. Breathing is calming. It helps you feel as though you’re in control. To many people, this self-care for anxiety option is a powerful tool. If you’re at home, then you can go somewhere quiet to do this. Lie down and place one of your hands above your stomach and the other on your heart. Now, slowly breathe in through your nose, counting to seven. Then, breathe out through your mouth while counting to seven. You can repeat this exercise until you feel calmer.
It’s good to practice this breathing exercise in quiet until you get the hang of it. Once you do get the hang of it, you can try deep breathing anywhere.
2. Another self-care for anxiety trick is journaling. When you journal it nurtures your emotional and mental health. Whether you struggle with chronic stress, anxiety, or depression or want to improve your emotional health in general, journaling is a great way to do that. It doesn’t require more than a few minutes a day, so there are many ways to fit it into your lifestyle. You can fit it into your morning, nighttime, or mid-day routine.
3. Find a positive affirmation or mantra that you can recite each morning. It should be something that encourages a calm mindset. You can write out your mantra or affirmation and stick it up around the house or in your car, wherever you will see it and feel inspired by it. Would you like to disengage from every activity or situation that piques your anxiety? Unfortunately, that’s impossible. What you can do, though, is find helpful ways to manage situations you know trigger your feelings of anxiety.
4. Pay attention to your physical response and find ways to avoid those types of situations. But for the unavoidable situations, launch your breathing exercises and navigate the situation as best you can. It isn’t perfect, but it’s all we’ve got.
“When you say “yes” to others, make sure you are not saying “no” to yourself.” Paulo Coelho
5. The most influential act of self-care for anxiety is kindness. Be kind to yourself. Shield yourself from negative thought patterns, and when you have a terrible day – remember tomorrow is a brand new day. You can create a daily routine that provides you with structure and purpose. Go out of your way to do things for yourself. You may enjoy walking through the woods, and it might be reading a great mystery book or just soaking in a hot tub. It doesn’t matter what acts of self-care work for you. The point is that you practice those that do work for you. You might not feel like getting up and going out for a walk, but you will feel much better once you do.
Conclusion
Your priority is to find self-care for anxiety strategies that work for you. So, you might say the greatest self-care act is knowing yourself well enough to know precisely how to meet your unique needs. Make a list if you like, so when you recognize that you are having an anxiety issue, you will have some handy tools to find your calm and get you back in control of your body’s reactions.
I am Shirley Noah, author and an internationally known stress expert and entrepreneur. I would love to connect further with you to help you improve your health and well-being. If you are interested in learning more about a self-care, please take a look at my popular E-course, Self-Care for Health and Happiness
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