Dealing with anxiety

I can’t really recall a time in my life when I didn’t feel some sort of anxiety. As a kid I’d sit at the window waiting for my brothers to come home. I’d be beside myself if they were late. It didn’t help that they were both adrenaline seekers with a tendency to jump off the highest thing they could see and swim out the furthest at the beach. 

It wasn’t just my brothers that I’d worry about, I always felt a nervous undercurrent about various happenings at school or home. I knew I was a bit of a worry wart and mum deemed me queen of ‘what if’ thoughts but what I didn’t realise is that I had probably suffered a generalised anxiety disorder since quite a young age. That was until it hit its peak.

When I was 18, I was having an ordinary day, finishing off my uni assignments when something extraordinary happened. I experienced my first serious supraventricular tachycardia attack, a heart condition where the heart beats violently out of control. Mine reached 240 beats per minute that day. I felt extreme discomfort in my chest and was finding it difficult to breathe. I ended up needing an ambulance and in the emergency ward I was injected with a particularly unpleasant drug known among the medical staff as the ‘doom drug’ in order to settle my heart rate. 

As you can imagine I was very shaken by these events. Unfortunately soon after this my family and I were due to leave for Europe. The trip was a nightmare for me. I practically held my breath the whole plane trip for fear my heart condition would return. We went to the most picturesque places around France, Corsica and Italy but my mind was in a very dark place. I made my brother program all the hospitals into our GPS. Whenever we were near one the GPS would sound an alarm, the sound of this alarm was one of my only comforts on the trip.

This month long trip filled with extreme panic had thrown my body into a very upset state. Not only was I experiencing strong chest and back pains from the tension I was putting my body through but the acute anxiety had also left me with serious stomach problems. I felt constantly afraid, I had become a nervous wreck. When we returned we tried the doctors, a naturopath, an acupuncturist, a massage therapist, counsellor, a chiropractor, yoga, meditation, self help books, diets and even hypnotherapy. Each of these avenues, along with the support of family and friends played an important part in my recovery. 

The inspiring thing I’ve learned from this experience is that it is possible to overcome anxiety. For me it was about learning not to fear the symptoms of anxiety. A panic attack for instance can be a very frightening thing: it can leave you breathless with an overwhelming feeling that something terrible is about to happen. Now if I suffer a panic attack I use a technique taught to me by my counsellor where I breathe in for 3 counts and exhale for 6 counts. A steady breath is truly an anchor and can do wonders for nervous feelings. Another technique he taught me is replacing my negative thoughts with more positive or realistic thoughts, this has been a major help.

While it might not be for everyone I also practice yoga twice a week and some meditation where I consciously relax each of the muscles in my body. Adequate sleep, exercise and healthy eating are also important to keep me feeling balanced. So that is how I keep on top of my anxiety. I’m interested to know, how do you guys keep your anxiety levels down?