We all have anxiety sometimes. Some people more than others, but we all have it… and it SUCKS. So that’s why today I am going to talk a little bit about anxiety, how to deal with it, and what I’ve learned from my personal experience with it.
Anxiety VS GAD
Before we get into anything else, I first want to point out that there is a difference between just normal everyday anxiety, and what’s called Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is basically a mental disorder that causes someone to be in an almost constant state of anxiety. Now, the difference between normal anxiety and GAD is that anxiety is usually just a temporary state of mind that is caused by a specific problem, and once that problem is resolved the anxiety goes away. Everyday anxiety is also usually controllable. People with GAD however find it very hard to control their anxiety, and they tend to either be afraid of things that people usually aren’t afraid of, or they are so afraid of something that it is abnormal (or both combined). People with GAD tend to have an almost never ending sense of doom and they tend to fear the worst. GAD can interfere with everyday life and can cause twitching, stimming/fidgeting, muscle tension, excessive worry about everyday things, tremors, pacing, sensory issues, preference for routine, tendency to dislike new things, sensitivity to loud noises, need for control, and more. I am one of these people. So that is why in this blog post I am going to share things that I personally have found help my anxiety and will hopefully help yours as well!
My experience
I struggle with GAD. I didn’t realize this until recently, and before I found out, I never understood why I would get SO upset and scared about the littlest things. For example, I had panic attacks nearly every night for fear of just throwing up (I’m not even joking). Why am I so upset about this? I always thought. Why does everyone else not see this as that big of a deal, but to me it’s like the end of the world? I found myself constantly thinking that I was a “wimp” or a “scaredy cat”. At first I thought my anxiety was a recent thing, but when I look back it seems like I’ve always had it. I always kinda knew that there was something up with me (for good reason), but I never knew what. I’ve always been a picky eater (sensory issues/struggle with new things), when I was younger I had a hard time playing with other kids because either they “didn’t do it right”, or I didn’t like them playing with my toys because I was scared that they would break it, lose it, make a mess with it, or that they would think it was theirs and take it home. When I was younger I was very afraid of monsters and the dark which wasn’t necessarily abnormal, but nothing ever seemed to help. We tried everything. Lots of people just said to “change the channel”, but I could never seem to do it. My Dad ended up having to sit on the end of my bed in order for me to fall asleep! Even then, I would still have to have a pretty bright night light. My fear of the dark actually lasted for a while, but eventually I got used to the dark. Sometimes I would have to sleep with my bedroom light on and put on an eye mask to go to sleep. Later, I developed a CRAZY fear of bugs (bees specifically). I had always been scared of bugs and bees, but this time it was out of control. Anytime a bee was near me I would scream and cry like my life depended on it. I didn’t mean to, and eventually I got better at staying calm, but I could barely go outside for quite a while. Once THAT fear subsided, I thought that it was over. I thought that I would never have any crazy irrational fears again. I mean, I was older now. Maybe all those fears were just because I was younger. Right? Wrong. I got the stomach flu. And it was the first time since I was very young, too young to remember, that I ever got the stomach flu. I was traumatized. Every night after that I got anxiety about throwing up. Lot’s of those nights I had panic attacks. Even hearing someone talk about throwing up, or nausea was a trigger, but once again my anxiety about it slowly started to subside. So at this point, I have a fear of socializing, bugs, I am a germaphobe, I have sensory issues, and a fear of throwing up. So, without further ado, let’s get into what I have found helps my anxiety.
NO. 1: Prayer/The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer is SO very important in everyday life and I’ve found REALLY helps with my anxiety. Now, I know when I say “prayer” lot’s of people are probably thinking of someone folding their arms, kneeling down, and praying. Now, while obviously this is a very important thing to do when you are praying, I feel like it is also vey important to just talk to God casually all day everyday. If you kneel down and fold your arms every single time you pray, you’re not going to pray very often! But I feel like when I just talk to him in my heart (or out loud) as if he were just a normal, human being that’s right there beside me, I just feel a much deeper connection to him. I like to think of it this way, God is our father and when we stop what we’re doing, sacrifice our time and just kneel down and pray it’s like having a long deep conversation with our father and it’s very important for our relationship with him. I love those scenes when a person is so hopeless and desperate and they just fall to their knees and pray. I think it’s so beautiful! I also think it’s important that we also just casually talk to him because it reminds us that he’s our father, and he’s a person, and he’s real, and it just deepens our relationship with him as well as brings us peace. Another thing I like to do is say the lord’s prayer over and over again in my head or out loud. This helps because not only do you have to remember the words (therefore it distracts you), but it also shifts your focus to God.
No. 2: Deep Breathing
I know lots of you have heard this before, but deep breathing is a great tactic for calming the nervous system. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic system through slow, rhythmic breathing. It sometimes helps to count. I usually do 4 counts (about 4 seconds) inhaling, 4 counts holding your breath, and 4 counts exhaling. Now sometimes certain smells can cause and/or make our anxiety worse. So in those situations I would just try and control my breathing and try and make it more rhythmic, but if you can, definitely try and breathe deeply and slowly (but not too deep to where it’s uncomfortable).
NO. 3: Facial Massages (Especially From Loved Ones)
I find that facial massages calm me down in seconds. ESPECIALLY if my Mom does it. Not only does it feel good, but you’re also getting skin on skin contact, muscle tension relief, healing through relaxation, and if you are getting one from a loved one, you can feel their loving and nurturing energy. I love it when my mom is just sitting or laying down and I can just lay my head on her lap and she’ll usually automatically stroke my face and hair in the softest, most loving way. I swear it’s like magic! I can’t remember a time when it didn’t take my anxiety away.
NO. 4: Spend Time With Loved Ones
I feel like the number one cure for anxiety is love. Pure, true, love. So honestly the best thing to do for anxiety is SPEND TIME WITH LOVED ONES!!! That may be your family, your husband or wife, or good friends, it doesn’t really matter. As long as they love you greatly.
NO. 5: 54321 Method
The 54321 method is a great way to calm your mind and bring you to the present. Basically all you do is find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. When you’re doing this it helps to do it slowly, and really focus on it. Don’t rush through it.
NO: 6. Laugh
Laughter is honestly the cure for almost anything. The only hard part is actually getting yourself to laugh, but it’s still definitely worth a try! So just put on maybe a comedy, a youtube channel, Tv show, or movie that always makes you laugh.
NO: 7. Self Care
Self care is another big one that I feel is VERY important when dealing with anxiety. You can go to my self care blog post to find some great things you can do to take care of yourself and learn more about self care in general!
NO. 8. Listen To or Make Music
Music has the power to switch your mood immediately. So next time you are having anxiety that you can’t seem to shake, just try listening to some cheerful music! Or even better, play an instrument if you already know how or if not, maybe try learning how to play one (as long as it doesn’t stress you out more). I find that playing music and especially making music just brings me so much comfort and can switch your mood in seconds! Now, I know that there are some people that find music overstimulating (which sometimes I do too in rare occasions), so in that case I usually just listen to classical music, or meditation/spa music and I find that it really calms me down.
NO. 9. Remedies For Anxiety
There are definitely some great remedies for anxiety!
Some great essential oils to try are:
- Ylang Ylang (make sure to dilute because the scent is very strong)
- Lavender
- Roman Chamomile
Some great teas are:
- Butterfly pea tea
- Boba or tapioca tea
- Chamomile
- Sleepy time tea blend
Another great thing to try is to increase your intake of GABA. Foods like berries, tomatoes, potatoes, noni fruit, nuts, lentils, fermented foods, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed beef are great foods for GABA intake. Magnesium is another thing that works very well for me. I usually just pop some magnesium gummies in my mouth anytime I’m having anxiety. I like the Qunol Magnesium Citrate Extra Strength Gummies. You can also try L-theanine gummies. I use the XIAAN L-Theanine Gummies.
Okay, now that I have made the longest blog post I’ve ever made, I bid thee adieu for now. I really hope this blog post was more than helpful and I can’t wait to talk to you guys again in the next one! I hope you have an amazing, anxiety-free day. Hugs,
