10 Steps to Relieving Anxiety

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This article is about Carey, a woman who lived a relatively ordinary life only to be surprised by the sudden sensation that she was being suffocated – A weight on her chest led her to rush to the E.R. in order to figure out what was happening with her body.  All physiological assessments indicated that her heart and lungs were working properly, and the doctor’s only recommended solutions involved the use of antidepressant medication.  However, she felt the side-effect profile of these medications to be unacceptable, so she pursued a natural path of self-healing, and this article covers the 10 Steps that this woman took in order to reduce her experience of anxiety. 

How she did it:

Step 1:  Accept

The first step that Carey took was to accept the fact that she had anxiety and to stop endlessly searching the web for answers.  She explained that “Searching the Internet for answers will only tell you that you’re probably going to die. Talk about anxiety.. Jeez… this probably causes most of my anxiety.”  She recommends that rather than searching for the right diagnosis, one should search for positive stories and blogs about how others were able to successfully overcome their challenges.  If someone else can achieve relief from anxiety, than perhaps she could as well!

Step 2: Connect

The next step that Carey took was to find somebody to connect with – Sharing feelings with somebody other than a doctor is imperative for finding a solution to the problem.  She found that speaking with her boyfriend was the best method for her, and she encourages others to connect with people who have experienced these challenges in their lives in order to ensure that they can empathize accurately.

Step 3: Organize

The third step that Carey took was to clean up her personal space.  She explains that organization is important for reducing stress levels, and she encourages regular journaling in order to ensure that an accurate perspective on reality may be achieved: “Get a calendar and plan your days and weeks. Keep a journal to record your thoughts and feelings. You will start to see a decline in your anxiety level in your journal entries. You might start of saying that you feel like there’s no hope and a week later you will write that you doing much better. It’s encouraging to go back a read and see how far you’ve come.”  She feels that this simple strategy may be highly effective for reducing anxiety and stress.

Step 4:  Healthy Eating 

Perhaps the most important step to her, Carey prescribes a daily routine of consuming healthy substances throughout the day.  She believes that drinking a tall glass of ice-water in the morning, water throughout the day, eating healthy fresh foods rather than junk food, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and sugar are essential for nourishing the body and mind.  However, she also encourages the consumption of chocolate from time to time due to its mood-boosting properties!

Step 5: Basic Exercise

Carey strongly recommends a basic daily exercise routine that includes mild activity such as light jogging or yoga and breathing practices.  However, she cautions people to avoid high-intensity exercise that could raise heart-rate too rapidly, because this could cause a sudden spike in anxiety levels.

Step 6:  Shift Focus  

Focusing on something other than feelings of anxiety is critical. “Taking a bubble bath always relaxes me. A bubble bath, Netflix, and a cup of chamomile tea is how I treat my anxiety when it’s really bad.”  She also recommends community service as a way of helping others while relieving herself of stress.

Step 7:  Fear Not

The seventh step that Carey recommends is to live one’s life as though anxiety does not determine which actions to take or avoid on a daily basis. She recommends that one learn how to live one’s life without making anxiety-based decisions.  People should go out even if they feel some fear of experiencing a sudden panic attack, and they should learn how to confront their aversions.  Carey explains that “If you are afraid of it, it will conquer you. If you face it head on, you will conquer it. I promise this works.” She also encourages people to learn how to control their states: “When you feel the anxiety take over your body and you start to go into panic mode, try to increase whatever feeling you are having. Tell your body to create the most anxiety possible and see if anything actually happens to you. You’ll find out that anxiety is just a bully that’s all talk and no action. It can’t hurt you when you approach it like this.”

Step 8: Routine

Carey’s eighth step is to create a daily routine that includes a morning workout or yoga as well as eating and bathing at the same times each day in order to create a sense of order and certainty in one’s life.  Of course, preparing for bed-time through relaxing rituals is also critical, and chamomile tea can be a great to induce relaxation and sleepiness for the evening. 

Step 9:  Socialize

Carey recommends social activity as a must for anxiety – Connect with others and build relationships with trustworthy friends.  Learn to laugh, love, and play, and anxiety will be dissolved.  Carey explains that “Going out with friends and dancing is one of my favorite stress relievers. Dancing burns calories and makes you feel great. It’s fun and relaxing. Get dressed up in something sexy and feel good about yourself. Flirt with someone.”

Step 10:  Find Spiritual Meaning

The tenth step for Carey is to find spiritual meaning in life – Specifically, she recommends that people place their trust in God and remember that anxiety feeds on fear.  For Carey, faith, strength, and confidence are more powerful than states of anxiety.  Carey explains that “Just like anything else that is evil in this world, fear is trying to control us. Don’t let it. Have faith. You will beat it.”

For the sake of anonymity, we will refer to this person as Carey.  The author’s original story can be found at the following link http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Have-Anxiety/1892946.

-Anonymous Contributor