Anxiety sucks, it just plan sucks. The truth is we have anxiety for a reason, yes anxiety to some degree is helpful, we all have it. It is the bad feeling in your gut when you are walking down a dark street in the middle of the night. It is that dreaded feeling when we are a passenger in a speeding car. Anxiety is  there to warn us that something is dangerous, or wrong, it can protect us and prevent us from getting seriously hurt. Anxiety can be our saviour even our friend.

But ask anyone who suffers from anxiety at a level that affects daily functioning and the last thing they will call anxiety is their friend, in fact it feels more like an evil enemy. Anxiety at an unhealthy level can leave people crippled with fear and unable to face even the simplest of daily tasks. Let me tell you right now, if anxiety stops you from living the life you desire then please seek professional help. It is not a normal level of anxiety when it stops you enjoying life. The first step to dealing with anxiety is to recognise it, to shine a light on that hidden monster under the bed.

Anxiety is a normal and adaptive way of our body warning us that we are being threatened, so managing anxiety is not about eliminating it all together, it is about getting under control so that you can function in everyday life without fear of things that you don’t need to be in fear of.

Anxiety really only becomes unhealthy when we worry or perceive danger when there is no danger to our life or wellbeing. Your body may respond like it is in fear even though it is not. This is when to seek help.

One way to help deal with anxieties is to firstly find out what triggers that anxiety. I wrote a post about this recently, if you haven’t read it please do, it will go through some great steps on how to deal with these triggers.

Now I am not going to pretend I am an expert on anxiety, as I said before we all have anxiety, we just have different levels of it. So I think we can all benefit from advice on how to deal with anxiety when it becomes too much. To live a mind healthy,  and balanced life we all need to take care of ourselves mentally and physically.

  • Sleep: You need to get sleep, and not just 4 hours, and also not 12 hours, we should really aim for as close to 8 hours as possible.
  • Physical activity: We all need to move, whether it is strenuous exercise or gentle isn’t important, any type of movement is great for us. People seem to believe we only need to exercise for physical health, but exercise is so beneficial for mental health. Try and get out for a walk, run, swim, or do some stretching. Move anywhere, any time.
  • Focus time: This means using your brain. Whether this is at your job, or studying, or reading a book. Perhaps it’s reading a blog, in fact you are doing it right now. Spend some time everyday reading or learning.
  • Reflection: Take some time every day to think about you, some time to think about what you want or need to be at peace. Meditation is great for this. I highly recommend mindfulness.
  • Relaxation. This can be anything that you find relaxing, a bath, a walk, watching a favourite show, reading a favourite blog. “Me time“
  • Fun. This involves doing something you really love, anything you consider fun. Maybe playing with your kids or puppy.
  • Connecting with others: It is important not to isolate yourself. When you feel overwhelmed it is easy to shut off communication or catch ups with others, but this will only make you worse. You need to push yourself to talk to friends and/or family. Stay connected. It is fine to enjoy some solitude, but also spend time with people who care or who you have fun with.
  • Challenge: Challenge negative thoughts and perceptions. Sometimes keeping a worry diary helps. Write down your fear or worry and ask yourself how likely is that to really happen. And if it was to happen think about whether you can handle it. Ask yourself what is the best thing that could happen too.
  • Gratitude: Being thankful is a great way to reduce anxiety, it helps you focus on the good in your life.

If you are a regular here at my blog you will know I love photography. For me I find it reduces my anxiety, and I love capturing and remembering that beauty that surrounds us all in our world. Looking at beautiful images helps me, and I will leave you with some images to enjoy with the hope they will relax you as well. 

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Thanks for joining me, love Mackenzie xx

Click on the links throughout this post to find other posts that may help you with Stress.

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Welcome to Friday Reflections.

Here are this weeks prompts, enjoy reflecting. 14 August 2015

Write a letter to your son or daughter.

Reflect on something you learnt this week.

How does anxiety affect you and what are your tips for managing it?

Instead of reflecting on a quote this week, reflect on one of your favourite songs. Why not share the video clip too!

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Reflections From Me