It wasn't until I had my first anxiety attack that I realized that this was something that I had been struggling with undiagnosed for several years. Of course the easy treatment was for the doctor to give me anit-anxiety medication, but I knew this wasn't a long term solution. I had to find healthier coping mechanisms if this was something I was going to live with.
Here a some of the things I started to implement in my life to make the anxiety something I could live with:
1. Learn the signs of early onset of my panic attacks. If I recognized it was starting I could deal with it right away.
2. Release the shame I held about being week and not being able to handle the stress of life.
3. I learned to say NO instead of putting myself in situations that made me uncomfortable
4. End negative and dysfunctional relationships
5. I learned to find healthy outlets for my stress, exercising and running became a healthy release
6. I found people who I felt safe talking to when things started to build up inside
7. I gave myself permission to FAIL. I limited the pressure to succeed on myself.
8. I learned to Live in the Moment and enjoy life and not stress so much about things I couldn't control
This was a process that I undertook. I wasn't a situation where I woke up one day and the anxiety was gone, and there are still days that I deal with it, but by adapting myself to these steps has helped create a life that I have always wanted.
