5 Ways to Overcome Anxiety

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.  That period of time in my life was filled with a lot of tears and panic attacks, which were caused by everything from "What am I doing with my life??" to "What am I going to wear today??"  I swear, these two diseases are very bad for your closet, because suddenly, nothing seems to fit right and nothing will ever fit right again.  And you know what else?  It also makes you super egotistical, because suddenly, it seems like everyone is look at you all the time.

I still get the feeling that everyone's watching me these days, but at the time same time, I usually think something like, "Well, it's because you're the baddest bitch, Kristen.  That's all.  Don't let the haters get you down today, girlfriend."  Or if I'm feeling a little low, I might think something like, "You know what?  Screw 'em.  Ain't nobody got time for their negative vibes."

See, when I was first diagnosed, I wasn't taking care of myself, because I was so worried about other people.  I was worried about what they were seeing, what they were thinking, what they were saying.  Honestly, it was just too much.  Caring about people is good.  Caring about people that much is not.  It didn't help that I was going through my first semester of student teaching at the time, so I was feeling especially judged by everyone from my professors to my mentor teacher.

It was an awful experience, but seeing how I've changed since then is very uplifting and empowering.  I got through it.  But you know what?  I still totally have my bad days where all the progress I've made feels like it's just disappeared and I'm that scared girl in college who panicked about everything.  And that's okay.  I'm not going to be perfect every day.  Or even most days.  I've accepted that about myself.  When I do something terrible, I don't think, "Why did I do that?"  I think "What did I learn from that?"

As long as I'm learning, I'm growing, and that's the important part, isn't it?

My five for Friday is five ways I've found that help with my anxiety when it starts getting really bad.

• Go to sleep:  It's super easy to just stay up and think about what's going on in your head, but trust me, it's just going to end up being a circular discussion with yourself and nothing's going to get solved that way.  Go to sleep or take a nap, and when you wake up, I guarantee everything will seem clearer and less devastating.
• Journal:  Get on your stream of consciousness and just write down whatever comes to your head.  It's easier to develop of a plan of action when it's all laid out in front of you.  Writing a journal is not for everyone, however, but using a loved one as a sounding board can be just as helpful.  Sometimes you just need a good rant.
• See a doctor:  Anxiety and depression are diseases and don't let anyone tell you anything different.  If it's interrupting your life, or making you live a life that is less than your potential, you need to talk to a therapist or a doctor and get the chemicals in your body sorted out.  
• Ask for help:  I kept my issues bottled up inside of me for a long time and when it came out, it came out in a really messy way.  I had a total meltdown in front of both of my parents.  If I could go back, I'd seek their help a lot sooner.  If they love you, they're not going to judge you for it.
• Take care of yourself first:  It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you have to do everything for everyone, but this isn't the case.  Put yourself first.  You have to be your own advocate when it comes to your health and well-being.    

And there you have it.  I'll probably post about my experiences with this more in the future, but I figured I'd put my initial thoughts about it out there.  

Have a great weekend!