How Can You Beat Anxiety

Originally posted by MavisCruet
I have suffered anxiety in the past, linked to stressful experiences and can be prone to intermittent bouts of it as a result.

Yoga really helps me with anxiety, but you say you already practice that? It has helped me be in the present and purge past memories and not to worry about the future. For me, anyway, yoga can be like therapy in that it purges energy and feelings without necessarily having to talk about them. Iyengar yoga, is the branch that I found to be most useful. Which branch do you practice? Have you tried different practitioners?

Therapy/ counselling can be a very useful way to take charge and conquer anxiety and I would agree that finding the underlying emotional cause (if it is one in your case) can be of great benefit. Better out than in. I find even talking about issues with friends can help in this way.

I would not discount medication, if you find your anxiety really disabling as it could help you gain control of it enough to work on the underlying causes. I agree though, just thinking that medication will solve the issue will just delay the anxiety until you are not taking the medication. One medication worth considering are beta blockers. I was once prescribed these to help prevent migraines and they really do take the edge off things.

A balanced diet, exercise and getting enough sleep really does help too.

If you have specific anxieties, sometimes tackling the fear head on can really help to desensitise you to it. At one point, I used to be really afraid of needles and hospitals in general. For health reasons this needed to be overcome. Undergoing lots of these things in a short period of time, combined with working out that my fear was tied to not being in control has really helped. I tell the nurses and doctors I am afraid now, keep my eyes closed and babble a bit. This help me get through it at the time and now I don't spend days beforehand whisking myself into a frenzy about having to have an injection and can remain calm in the build up.

During one round of blood tests a great Doctor practiced NLP technique with me (I think this is what he called it). He got me to close my eyes and visualise and describe somewhere I would really like to be and how I would feel there. Picturing a tropical beach, with the waves crashing, the sun shining down on me etc really worked and helped distract me from my fear- I didn't even notice the needle going in on that occasion.

Anyway. all of these things are worth considering, with relation to your anxiety. I hope something that has been suggested by all of those that have replied resonates and helps you in some way.

Hey Mavis,

I practice Kriya yoga - the type of yoga where they would sit in the lotus posture for up to 8 hours at one time. In fact on good times I will even incorporate that at work.

My problem with counseling is the money. I do not trust people who accept money to help me, because all they need to do is write me one or two emails, then I promise I will learn what I need to in order to change the physical and emotional parts of my reality. If I am going to learn what a need to from a couple words, there is no reason to cash a check that I work hard for.

When I was young my parents put me in a group home and they forced me about every medication on the market because I was telling them I didn't want it. I know the effects of medication, a large variety. I am not saying that an anti depressant will not make you happy, I am saying the government who makes these medications is corrupt and they want to kill the world. These medications have side effects that are well not worth the natural way of living healthy and I am very sad America is lied to because they are so gullible.

My goal is jogging 9 miles a week, I always do at least 7. I ate a tuna sandwich, water and banana for lunch today which is a daily habit. And I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

I am still looking for a way quick way to beat anxiety, as to immediately switch it off like a light switch. Provided you might see something scary or be in an experience your not comfortable with, but at that point when your heart rate starts to go up and I want to slow it back down again. Not trying to gasp for oxygen but be normal again.