Coping with Anxiety-You are NOT alone

You probably found your way to this post either by visiting the blog tab and going through blog posts or because you were reading the awareness "Anxiety" tab and clicked on the link right? So either way I am thrilled that you are seeking ways to cope with your anxiety. Before I get into those ways I want to tell you a little bit about myself and my own battle with anxiety because, the tips that I'm going to be providing are things I do in my day-to-day life which work for me and though they aren't guaranteed to work for everyone, I hope that they might work for you.

My Backstory

All through grade school and high school I was a victim of bullying by my peers. They had said awful things to me, called me names, told me I was worthless, asked what I've ever accomplished, told me to go kill myself, and had even called me "fat" and laughed at me every time I ate which eventually led to my eating disorder. All of the people I had called friends in my life turned out to be fakes, backstabbers, temporary. I have A.D.D and have always been slower at learning and catching on than most, I have also been made fun of for this because I was placed in classes for kids who had learning disabilities. So with all of this I became self loathsome and self conscious of everything. I had no confidence, no self-esteem, major trust issues, and I was struggling big time with my schooling because in the midst of all of this stress I was also dealing with a severe eating disorder. My doctor had told me if I don't seek treatment for my anxiety it will get worse. I didn't listen. It got worse. Now as an adult I do not know what it means to not worry, not be afraid, not stress out, not think that when people are talking they're obviously talking about me. I'm afraid to go to party's, I'm afraid to hang out and meet people, I'm afraid to make new friends, because bottom line I know they will leave, I know they will find something about me to use against me to go tell all their buddies and laugh at the freak. That is my life, that is what has always happened. I hear bumps in the night and BAM I think there's a ghost so I start shaking and checking every room, I hear people laughing, I know they are laughing at me, I don't want to go out, I lost friends. That is just the way it is.

I am 25 years old and for the first time in my life I'm learning how to live. I'm learning how to control my demons instead of let them control me. I know at this point with as bad as my anxiety and paranoia are I'll have these demons, these burdens for the rest of m life but, I do not need to mope about it, I do not need to give into it and neither do you. Here is a little list of things I do on a daily/weekly basis that I feel (and hope) will also help you.

How to Cope

1. Remember: You are NOT alone, there are others (thousands) out there who are going through the exact same thing you are going through. This is not the most rare thing in the world that only you have.

2. Join a group. Facebook has a ton of groups that are there for support for people with mental illness. If you don't have anyone at home to talk to, you can talk to these guys. They will help you through it.

3.Write. Write in a diary, a journal, write a poem or a song or a story. Whatever your heart desires, just write and get that negativity out! I find it helpful to keep two journals. One for the negative (I use this one when I am on the brink of an anxiety attack so it is filled to the teeth with negativity) and the second for positive only, no negative allowed in the second journal. I call mine my "book of positive thoughts" I don't care if it's just "I got ice cream today" or a "A cute boy/girl smiled at me" heck even write "A lady said my shirt was cute" Write down everything good that happens to you in a day/every day so when you feel down you have that book of positive thoughts on you and you can look through it and see all the good, all the things that have made you happy. I hope to God that you guys have more happiness than not. I hope if you do write in a positive only journal that it is filled with happy thoughts, sayings, and more! You deserve to be happy so help yourself be happy and have evidence of the good when your demons are only trying to make you see nothing but bad.

4.Work out. Walk your dog, go on a walk with your bestie or your mom, just get out there and move!

Those 4 things are just a few that I do to help relieve my own anxiety and believe me it works! If you have any suggestions that you do feel free to leave a comment and I'll add it to the list. Now scroll down and there is a little link I would like to share with you guys :)

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