How I Distract Myself
Posted on November 14, 2008
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How I Distract Myself. It”s easy for a therapist to recommend you learn how to distract yourself during a panic attack, but actually doing so can take some practice. Since negative thoughts about yourself and your life are often the root causes of anxiety, then getting your mind off the panic would seem a good way to keep attack under control. In other words, you have to distract your mind so you don”t focus on the panic onset. The therapist taught me some ways to distract myself when I feel anxiety growing. Some people count, but to be honest, counting makes me more nervous. My approach is to sing a song that makes me happy or focus on something around me. If I feel anxiety while in the grocery store for example, I”ll go to the coffee section and check out the gourmet coffees (decaffeinated of course). I really enjoy drinking decaf coffee so shopping for coffee and flavored syrups is a pleasant experience. The point is I do whatever I can to replace the anxiety with something nice.
The Earlier the Better
Posted on November 7, 2008
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The Earlier the Better. One of the interesting things about phobias and anxiety is they dont go away on their own. Anxiety is not a sickness that heals itself. For a long time I thought if I just ignored my fear of expressway driving, it would eventually get better. But what happened is I started planning my driving so I didnt have to get on the expressway. Then one day there was no way to avoid it, and I had a dangerous panic attack while driving. My advice is that if you suspect you have anxiety, you should either try one of the self help tapes and books or even see a doctor. There are all kinds of way to deal with situational anxiety which is what my driving phobia really is labeled. I started working with a program that taught me how to gradually deal with my anxiety. Im now at the point where I still feel anxiety, but at least I can drive on the expressway. What I have learned so far is how to prevent the attack from becoming full blown.
Treasure Hunting for Self-Esteem
Posted on October 14, 2008
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Treasure Hunting for Self-Esteem. You don”t have to look far to find your source of self-esteem. You simply look within yourself. That”s where self-esteem lies. There are lots of people in the world who have problems with self-esteem and the result is high anxiety. Self-esteem is one of life”s intangibles that has an enormous impact on how well you”re able to function in your interpersonal relationships. If you don”t have a high opinion of yourself then how can you expect others to think differently. You may think you hide your lack of self-esteem, but it reveals itself in a number of ways. I know all about lack of self-esteem, because I had to go on a treasure hunt to find it. That”s how I think about my personal pursuit of esteem building. Before I began to practice positive self-talk and changing my thinking, I really didn”t trust myself to succeed. Instead, I was always throwing barriers in my way which created ongoing anxiety in my life. So I had to teach myself I”m valuable, creative, deserve respect and can succeed. Now I have a lot less stress in my life and panic attacks are things of the past.
It Might Not Be Hyperactivity
Posted on September 7, 2008
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It Might Not Be Hyperactivity. Sometimes children get fidgety, jittery and dont want to be away from mom and dad. Some of that is normal, of course, and part of growing up. But excessive anxiety is not normal and needs to be addressed. Kids are unfortunately frequently diagnosed as having something else like hyperactivity or ADD. Thats because they have trouble concentrating in school, talk rapidly and have trouble socializing. These are the same symptoms of anxiety.
The point of telling you this is so when you talk to the school counselor or teacher, you want to do a lot of investigating. Anxiety has causes even if they may be complicated. Your childs anxiety may be due to a problem with another student and he or she doesnt want to tell anyone. Or it could be theyre having emotional problems about school or home. Its too easy to label a child with ADD today. When that happens the real problem is not solved.
Sudden Anxiety
Posted on August 28, 2008
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Sudden Anxiety. It”s a fact that a sudden stressful situation can signal the start of panic attacks. The groundwork has been laid long before the actual attack though. I had my first panic attack shortly after changing jobs. I wanted the job and was ready to start the job, but I panicked for no apparent reason. The point is that that I was experiencing various levels of anxiety up to that point. I had experienced a lot of nervousness and started worrying about how well I was handling my job and family. I began waking up in the middle of the night. But I never had a panic attack until I had to give that speech. When you are looking at anxiety in your life, you have to look at the big picture. It wasn”t really the speech that caused my anxiety. It was the fact I was feeling my life was on the verge of collapse, because I was barely balancing my work and personal life. Changing jobs added to the worry, because it was so important I do well. I recommend you don”t do what I did ignore the warning signs. A panic attack is just one event away.
Sudden Anxiety
Posted on August 14, 2008
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Sudden Anxiety. It”s a fact that a sudden stressful situation can signal the start of panic attacks. The groundwork has been laid long before the actual attack though. I had my first panic attack shortly after changing jobs. I wanted the job and was ready to start the job, but I panicked for no apparent reason. The point is that that I was experiencing various levels of anxiety up to that point. I had experienced a lot of nervousness and started worrying about how well I was handling my job and family. I began waking up in the middle of the night. But I never had a panic attack until I had to give that speech. When you are looking at anxiety in your life, you have to look at the big picture. It wasn”t really the speech that caused my anxiety. It was the fact I was feeling my life was on the verge of collapse, because I was barely balancing my work and personal life. Changing jobs added to the worry, because it was so important I do well. I recommend you don”t do what I did ignore the warning signs. A panic attack is just one event away.
Accept Your Panic
Posted on August 7, 2008
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Accept Your Panic. It seems strange, but I couldn”t learn to control my panic until I accepted it. The more I tried to fight the panic attacks, the worse they got. It made my situation feel really hopeless for a long while. I finally realized I must be doing something wrong, because resisting the attacks wasn”t working at all. After getting some help through therapy, I”ve learned that the resistance I thought would prevent a panic attack was actually part of what was causing them to become more severe. That”s how complex the panic response can be in your life. The point where I was able to begin to reduce the severity of my panic attacks was when I learned to accept what was happening. With the acceptance came more control. Instead of reacting negatively to the experience, I learned to become a dispassionate observer. That was the key to keeping the panic attack as short as possible. Once I was able to do that I could begin working on methods for preventing them from even happening by addressing the causes of my anxiety.
Facing My Fears
Posted on July 20, 2008
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Facing My Fears. I was shocked to learn how many different kinds of phobias have been identified. People have fears of almost everything including driving through tunnels, being alone at home, driving on expressways, snakes and riding elevators. Phobias are when you”re afraid of something in particular. The most common phobia related to anxiety is called agoraphobia. It”s specifically a fear of having an anxiety or panic attack. The best way to confront phobias is to expose yourself to the very thing that sets off the panic attacks. You do this slowly though and not all at once. You have to face your fear by recreating the scenario over and over again until it becomes routine. During this time you would also work on coping with the signs of anxiety attacks you”ve learned to recognize. Usually, when you have a phobia it”s best to have someone along who can help you learn to cope during the exposure therapy. Another person can help you stay grounded by serving as a distraction when you get to that point.
Don”t Forget To Exercise
Posted on July 14, 2008
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Don”t Forget To Exercise. When looking for a great way to relieve stress and reduce anxiety consider starting a regular exercise program. Exercise benefits the muscles and bones, but it”s also just as beneficial for the mind and spirit. It makes a great distraction too when you”re feeling ongoing anxiety. Panic attacks are actually a fight-or-flight response that causes uncomfortable and frightening physical responses to mental anguish. It only makes sense to respond to physical issues with physical activities. Anxiety is a creator of tension in the body and mind. When you exercise, endorphins are released which are natural mood enhancers. You also improve your blood blow to the brain, relieve muscular and skeletal tensions and improve your digestive system. But doing regular exercise will also help you sleep, make you feel better about yourself and improve your memory. In other words, it”s a great outlet for you anxiety. I exercise regularly to keep my anxiety levels low and have even developed some exercises I can do quickly and quietly at work when the stress becomes too great.
Facing My Fears
Posted on June 28, 2008
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Facing My Fears. I was shocked to learn how many different kinds of phobias have been identified. People have fears of almost everything including driving through tunnels, being alone at home, driving on expressways, snakes and riding elevators. Phobias are when you”re afraid of something in particular. The most common phobia related to anxiety is called agoraphobia. It”s specifically a fear of having an anxiety or panic attack. The best way to confront phobias is to expose yourself to the very thing that sets off the panic attacks. You do this slowly though and not all at once. You have to face your fear by recreating the scenario over and over again until it becomes routine. During this time you would also work on coping with the signs of anxiety attacks you”ve learned to recognize. Usually, when you have a phobia it”s best to have someone along who can help you learn to cope during the exposure therapy. Another person can help you stay grounded by serving as a distraction when you get to that point.