The Anxiety Buster

The Mind and Body Connection

The first step to reducing anxiety is raising self awareness. Extreme anxiety can be caused by traumatic learning which builds centers of neural pathways in the brain relating to the negative impacts you may have experienced. When re-visiting circumstances related to these triggers, anxiety can increase. You may feel shortness of breath, chest pain, paralysis, headaches, nervousness, an uneasy feeling etc. It is the the body’s way of protecting you from what it may perceive as a threat. Repeating stressful events and trauma creates the emission of chemicals in the body including cortisol and adrenaline into your system. This starts the cycle of anxious feelings and inflammation which greatly contribute to chronic anxiety disorder. Being aware of this cycle will better enable you to overcoming this obstacle.

It is important to practice calming behaviors and reduce stress. These actions reduce anxiety over time. Break the anxiety producing cycle by practicing and repeating behaviors such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, exercise, nature walks, massage, going to the beach, taking a bath etc. This is the way to improve anxiety and bring out tranquil feelings. Practice calmness and you will manifest calmness because you are building neuronal pathways in your mind that will surpass the negative pathways. You are building centers for calm feelings in your brain. This is the reason meditation and other calming actions, like hiking, help people feel better in mind and body over time. What you practice you become.

De-tox

Internally

Many don’t realize that nutrition has everything to do with mental well-being. When there is a diet high in free radicals and sugar, systemic inflammation becomes detrimental. Simply put, eating a whole, balanced, organic diet and hydrating well with water goes a long way in helping the body maintain homeostasis and obliterating anxious feelings.

Externally

There are many infectious energies we expose ourselves to every day without being aware of them. Television exposure and media influences are toxic on a grand scale. Media may fill your psyche with emotional turmoil. These influences affect your morale, mood, and may also fabricate irrational thoughts in your mind.
Watching uplifting and funny programs can create better mood and feelings. Remember everything you expose yourself to affects who you are, how you think, and what you feel. Being conscious of your surroundings will help you lessen exposure to influences which may infect your psyche.

Avoiding toxic people is important. Continual exposure to gossipy and negative friends and family will infect your energy. This cifens positive vibes and creates increased anxiety. What you are around will naturally absorb into you. Don’t deal with toxic people, avoid them. This is a part of taking care of you and making your well-being a priority. Just as you might avoid physical toxins, it’s important to avoid negative energy in life from people too.

Tone Down Your Environment

You will be surprised how much of a difference this may make in how you feel. Make your home calming by using lighter colors which soothe and provides a frame for harmony. Use serene color schemes which may include light colors like pale yellow, cream, white, celery to promote relaxation. Bold, dark colors are naturally depressive. Buy an air cleaner to ensure the air is lighter and cleaner. Cleaner air will help lessen heaviness felt in the chest. Let the sun in. Sunlight has monumental positive effects on your mental health.

Get Organized. People often don’t realize self sabotage when it is happening. Those with high anxiety tend to procrastinate because they put off encountering stressors instead of dealing with things head on. Bills are often paid late, appointments missed due to forgetting, laundry doesn’t get done etc. Even when you consciously forget to do something important, it is still there in the subconscious creating anxiety. Create a plan where important tasks are noted on paper list. Tackle each task based on priority then use a highlighter to cross off the task when accomplished. This is the simple routine is called the tangible method. When you write it down, it becomes something tangible that is not easily forgotten. The action of highlighting the task will create a sense of organization and accomplishment. Getting more organized and utilizing simple structure will have huge impacts on anxiety felt.

The Box

Visualize yourself standing in a big box with all different influences bouncing off the walls onto you. Each hit from every piece makes its mark on you depending on its weight, shape, and speed. Some pieces are bigger than others making bigger marks. Some pieces are circular which roll off smoothly. Some triangular pieces cut much deeper. Circular heavy shapes impact hard in a blunt manner superficially.

Some elements which may be striking you in your box include

childhood events, media influences, family pressures, relationships,

social class, traumatic experiences, lifestyle factors.

Now, ask yourself these questions.

What and who have molded your belief systems?

Are you being affected by toxic external influences by friends, family, or coworkers?

What role does the media play in creating your reality?

Have you had traumatic events in life which have damaged you?

Do you have toxic friends or family members who infect your energy?

Does external stress cause behavioral changes in you?

How does your nutritional style affect your health and how you feel?

Stepping Out of the Box

Visualize stepping out of this full, contaminated box into a different place. This place is peaceful where your own thoughts can develop based on objective reason. Your own personal truth can prevail over all these influences. Striving to be your most individual true-est you when you make this first step to step out of the box.
Open your mind to the possibility of emancipating the conditioning you have sustained. Your mind will continue to expand exponentially within this peaceful and beautiful calmness. A conscious, open, calm mind has more ability to understand the self and find its own personal peace. This process is important in becoming your best self and figuring out how to overcome your anxiety.

Develop higher awareness of yourself and environment.
Evaluate how certain life influences affect you in a negative manner.
Reduce contamination from your world.
Practice calming behaviors.