Thursday, July 28, 2011

Taking The Anxiety Bull By The Horns

I've often described anxiety as a beast and that's a pretty accurate description for me. Anxiety is when fear is multiplied and magnified to such a degree that it makes living difficult to say the least and almost unbearable at its worst.

And panic attacks are like having sickening explosions of fear.Sometimes they occur when you're in a trigger situation- a store, church, standing in line, driving. And sometimes they just strike out of the blue. Like in the middle of the night.

Living at the mercy of anxiety and panic attacks is like living in shark infested waters.  Or like living in a corral with an angry bull and you are wearing bright red from head to toe.

So how do you take anxiety by the horns and start to live with some sense of normalcy in your life? For me, I had to embark on my own journey of anxiety recovery. I learned over 30 years that no doctor, pill, therapist or magic bullet was going to cure me. This I had to do for myself.

Sound like a tall order? Well it is. But to me I got to the point where living in those shark infested waters was a crappy way to live. I just couldn't do it one more day. So I redoubled my efforts and gave it all I got.

And you know what? I'm getting better. Little by little. I can sit in church, go grocery shopping, go to a party, and more without fear of panic attacks. And with A LOT less medication. It feels light and wonderful.

Getting better is no cake walk, but it sure beats living life so restricted and afraid all the time. You can take your anxiety bull by the horns too and succeed.

Get psyched about your recovery and get going! Your awesome life is wating...

Anxiety Recovery

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Can Hypnosis Help With Anxiety?

People suffering with anxiety and panic attacks look to all kinds of things to help find relief. Hypnosis for anxiety is one of them. But can it really help?

It's a common misconception to think that hypnosis involves being put into a trance where you are not in control of your body. This is the kind of thing you may have seen on cartoons or even in a demonstration where a hypnotist can make a man walk around clucking like a chicken. Entertainment variety hypnosis is not what I'm talking about today.

Self hypnosis done while listening to mp3 audios is a subtle but effective way to help manage anxiety and even overcome panic attacks. The listener is in a relaxed state- usually with eyes closed- and listens to the suggestions on the mp3. These suggestions go into the listener's subconscious and can help "re-train" the anxious mind to think differently- calmer and healthier.

I have been using self hypnosis mp3s to help manage my anxiety for a few years now. You can learn more here: Self Hypnosis for Anxiety.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Are You Breathing Correctly?

Most anxious folk breathe shallowly and use just the chest muscles. But this can actually exacerbate anxiety symptoms because shallow breathing upsets the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body. The correct way to breathe is called diaphragmatic breathing and this is really simple to do.
How To Do Diaphragmatic Breathing.