Life Inside My Mind by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

So, What Works?

Okay, disclaimer time. What works for me may not work for you. We all experience anxiety differently—and we all have different fears. But, hopefully, something here will speak to or inspire you.

Medication

This is usually the first thing you’ll hear if you go to the doctor, and it does work for some people. But the truth? I don’t like medication. I’ve had too many negative experiences with it (granted I’ve been put on nearly every “brain-fixing” drug imaginable), and these days I don’t take anything because I’ve gotten better at managing my anxiety. However, in my case, benzos (benzodiazepines) were the only thing that stopped my panic attacks. In the past, I’d get a prescription of Ativan from my doctor just in case of a panic attack. Knowing it was there, if all else failed, actually helped. You know, kind of like the comfort of knowing you have an emergency brake . . . if you’re the type of person who regularly worries about your brakes going out.

Daily Exercise

I can’t stress enough how much regular, heart-pounding cardio has helped me. I like to think of it as kicking the hell out of my panic. Going on long walks or hikes in the mountains is especially healing for me. The quiet and the smells of nature give me a sense of calm I just can’t achieve any other way. An added perk? I now get a cold—maybe—once every few years.

Getting Outside

If I feel a panic attack coming on, I immediately go outside and start walking. If I can’t walk, I just stand and take deep breaths. Don’t ask me why this works—I actually have no clue. I think it gives me a sense of escape or the option to run if I need to. For me, closed, tight spaces make my panic/anxiety worse, and open spaces are calming because they make me feel safe. That’s the key—finding the one thing that makes you feel safe.

Yoga/Stretching

While I know yoga can fall under exercise—it’s not about exercise for me. It’s the sense of calm and release I get from stretching and focusing on my breathing. This is particularly helpful when I’m having anxious thoughts at night—it almost always puts me right to sleep.

Keeping a Regular Sleep Schedule

This one is hard for me. I’m an artist! Being unpredictable and spontaneous and staying up until four a.m. writing a song or a book is just who I am. But . . . a regular sleeping schedule is essential for me to help control both my migraines and my anxiety. Since I have a full-time day job, this means going to bed by midnight (okay—by one a.m.) and getting up at the same time each morning. If I’m not strict about this, I get insomnia, and insomnia leads to panic—not fun.

Changing My Diet

I’ve found eating fresh, unprocessed foods (although sometimes frozen meals are unavoidable due to my work schedule) helps my migraine symptoms. And, in my case, the better I feel physically, the less anxious I feel.

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