How to deal with Anxiety

Anxiety – a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.

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Time to put the spotlight on Anxiety; a crippling mental illness that we know far too many suffer from. Anxiety has affected the lives of many of our loved ones and we often feel as though the isolation surrounding the illness proves only to be a catalyst for depression and loneliness.

Today we’ve reached out to a friend of ours, Sophie, to give us a brief rundown of her time spent battling anxiety and to share with us her top tips for combatting that negative mind.

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In hindsight, anxiety has been part of my life since I was very young, but it was only recently that I was able to acknowledge it as anxiety and begin to tackle it.

This year has been particularly challenging. My anxiety began to fuel a cycle of depression which left me feeling like there was no hope. But fast forward 6 months and after one hell of a self-discovery journey, I feel like I am in a much better place. That is not to say it’s all been rainbows & smiles but I do think I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks for tackling my anxiety along the way – so here I am, ready to share them with you in the hopes they will help you too!

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Recognise that you are not alone.

This is so important. Having anxiety can make you feel like you are the only one in the world who feels this way but it’s simply not true. Through encouraging people to share their stories on my blog my eyes were opened to how many people I knew who were going through the same thing. Whilst everyone experiences anxiety in different ways, talking to someone who truly understands can make the world of difference.

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Yoga.

You have probably heard this a thousand times but honestly if yoga works for you it can be a god send in times of anxiety. Whenever I feel like I’m ready to explode even a couple of minutes in child’s pose gives me a little bit of clarity. You don’t even need to go to classes – the internet is a wonderful thing filled with videos that take you through a yoga flow in the comfort of your room (and even on your bed sometimes!)

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Don’t be afraid to go to your doctor.

I was petrified to sit and talk to a stranger about how I was feeling but it was one of the best decisions I ever made. It is perfectly natural to feel nervous but they are professionals, they are not going to call you attention seeking or dismiss your fears. I am now on medication and seeking counselling and whilst I do not plan on staying on my medication forever, I accept that it is what I need right now. Don’t be afraid to take medication if the doctor feels you need it – don’t listen to the societal stigma that surrounds medication for mental health.

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Allocate worry time.

Learning to live with anxiety doesn’t mean learning not to worry. Everyone worries, it’s human nature. Learning to live with anxiety means learning to stop it becoming all consuming.

I recently learned this technique which allows you to allocate worry time. Give yourself 20 minutes a day where you worry about everything. Outside this worry time, write down what is worrying you but don’t allow yourself to think about it until those 20 minutes you have given. Usually, by the time I have got to my ‘worry time’ I have either solved the problem or forgotten about it completely. It’s a great little system to help combat those ‘everyday anxiety issues’.

(Although it is important to note that if you don’t solve your worry after your 20 minute worry time, that’s also okay. Rome wasn’t built in a day and sometimes things cannot be solved immediately).

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Find something you love and do it as often as you can.

Anxiety can take away my focus from the better things in life and make me feel as if I am purely surrounded by negative energy. To combat this I try to fill my days off with things that I love – writing my blog, playing music, reading, walking my dogs, watching really crappy reality TV in bed – and I focus on the positive, restorative energy this gives me. Even when I was working long hours in London, I always made sure I had my book with me for the train journey and did 5 minutes of yoga when I got home. This meant that even during the longest days I had time where I was doing something that made me truly happy. (Not to say I don’t LOVE my job but early mornings and late evenings do something to my sleep deprived soul!)

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“I hope this provides some helpful tips for combatting anxiety and the negativity it can bring. I’m not claiming that I always follow my own rules and it is totally okay to have bad days but please remember that life can have so many more good days if you are willing to find through trail and error what works and what doesn’t.”

To keep up to date with Sophie and the work she’s doing on mental health, follow her on instagram.

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