I have problems with anxiety.
I am a person who loves to live in the mental worlds. I love the realms of air and water because of the ideas and dreams that sprout there. When I am open to the world and able to keep a positive momentum going I can pull from my airy and watery subconscious and bring things forth into this world.
But it is just as easy for nightmares and worries to breed themselves on your negative subconscious thoughts. From a flurry of life challenges, my last few years have been ones spent dealing with anxiety and panic. With life changes rolling in one after another, there was little time for recovery from the first change, must less the hundred other small and large changes that happened after. My mind was a whirlwind of landmines that would spring when I could least afford them to blow. I couldn’t breath and I didn’t know why I was so broken and possibly ill.
With my mind in a whirlwind, sleep elusive, and everyday issues never far from my mind, my mind was the last place I wanted to be. It wasn’t like I could conjure up a safe place in my mind for meditating, much less so I could help my kid do homework. I couldn’t control my breathing when I began spiraling out of control, so deep breathing was as useful as holding my breath underwater. My whole nervous system felt as it were almost constantly over-reacting. Having gifts wasn’t exactly helping either, it was just more information and sensation that I didn’t have the stamina to handle. When the mind is not safe refuge, where else can someone go? What can you do when your body is reacting to some stress or anxiety you cannot shake?
Anxiety can take it's toll on the body, leaving you exhausted and frazzled even after the main attack is over, so baby yourself. After all your body might think it's just been through World War III!
Know thyself
Anxiety can take it’s toll on the body, leaving you exhausted and frazzled even after the main attack is over, so baby yourself. After all your body might think it’s just been through World War III! The body doesn’t really know why it just went through all of that drama, it only knows what the brain tells it. And sometimes you can trick your body into more anxiety by not recognizing the effects of anxiety in your body. Shortness of breath and heart palpitations are scary things to have happen, and can have numerous causes, some very serious.
Know what you are experiencing and what seems to happen in the early stages. Having an understanding of the early signals that you are more stressed than you want admit can help you keep yourself on a more consistent even keel. For instance, my early warning signs are my stomach and my shoulders. If I’m getting a nervous stomach…and well, more gas than usual, either I ate something I shouldn’t have or I’m mentally grinding my wheels without realizing it. If my shoulders are up to my chin and I’m holding my breath, it’s time to walk away from whatever I’m doing and find a positive outlet.
But definitely see a doctor to make sure something more serious isn’t going on.
Where do you get your early warning signs from?
For me, easing my anxiety wasn’t as simple as simply going off to relax. Once the anxiety was already building I had to do more than usual to bring myself out the state I was in. Don’t be too worried if it takes more than your usual relaxation time activities to get you out of an anxious state.
Mindset, of course, plays a big part of what’s causing the whole situation. Yet, even I was being triggered by such large, buried, or subconscious triggers, that I couldn’t always rely on being able to self-talk myself down. For the most part, the things I would repeat to myself in those moments were very very general: “I am safe here now”, “I’m not dying, I’m just scared”, “none of that is actually happening in this moment, and I have time to figure out what to do.”
But If was in such a state, that the situation was beyond the mind and being led by the thumping heart, tight chest, and riotous stomach, then I had to soothe the body as well the mind. For many witchy and multidimensional beings it not easy to ground, and so these anxiety states can be very hard to cope with, because they spend so much time “out of their bodies” and off in other realms of being. If you are sketchy about being in-body to begin with, anxiety can quickly cripple you, until you can learn to work with your body, instead of in spite of it.
Knowing these things about your anxiety experience can help you find the right self-care tips to help you more quickly ease yourself back into a healthier, happier life experience.
Here are 7 basic self-care ideas to try out when you feel anxiety creeping in:
- Feed and water yourself. Lack of proteins and even dehydration can make you feel off enough in your body you might think something is more wrong than it actually is. You might even want to start with something like a mint tea to help ease your stomach and any gas-bloating pressure that might have built up from an upset stomach from your anxious state. That pressure can make the feeling of "I can't breathe" worse without you realizing the cause until it's removed.
- Get a hard ball and roll yourself up and down a wall, as you can. Rub the ball into all the knots in your muscles, especially the back and neck where most people carry a lot of tension. Take a quick look at where your pressure and acupressure points are, to be sure to get the most for your effort. Grab a heating pad and blanket to curl up with. It will not only loosen the muscles, but is an act that is comforting during a stressful time. Maybe dim the lights, put on music or a good movie. Changing your sensory input can change your sensory output. If you feel being touched is acceptable have someone you trust rub your back or even trace Reiki symbols down your spine.
- Go take a nap. At some point, even if are still upset, your body is going to feel exhausted from all the energy that's been flying around in it. Don't fight it. Pop in your ear buds, put on a bedtime story, biunral beat, or other meditative music or sounds and let your mind take in the new more relaxing input. Even if you don't sleep, you might be able to hit that trigger which will allow you to calm down.
- Take a shower or bath. Let the heat and steam melt away your immediate stress and have a “calgon” moment. Water magick or even blessing your bath water is a great way to bring yourself back to the present moment. Add some lavender oil for aromatherapy benefits! Additionally, Magnesium spray** can help calm your nervous system.
- Get moving! Even if at first you can only pace the room, take that time as a comfort creating space in your life. Even pacing a room can be a form of meditation! Go someplace where you can take your shoes off, so that you can get in a little grounding-earthing. But if you don't want get out or get into a session, clean! Take one small spot and focus your attention on it. We are not going for an overwhelming project, so just pick one drawer or shelf, or one basket of things to fold. Do one at a time until the world feel a little more in control. Let your outside actions reflect your internal actions!
- Make a cup of tea, savor the scent, feel its warmth and taste its flavor. Make sure to get the flavor you want! Chamomile, lavender, tulsi, peppermint or a lemon balm tea is good up-lifting spirits and calming the inner turmoil. If you don't mind a strange taste, valerian tea or capsules** can help bring your energy down.
- Do puzzle games, like sudoku or bejeweled. But careful not to stress yourself out with words or winning, just play the game and go over the strategy in your mind in order to channel some of that hyper-vigilance into a benign activity. Not inclined to play games? Then find a copy of your favorite picture or art piece, look at all the details and try to recreate those details in your mind little bit by little bit.
**Remember that anxiety is a medial condition and you should talk to your doctor about what you are experiencing. This list is sharing my personal experience, I am not medical professional.
