Let's talk about... Anxiety

I am an extremely emotional person… 

I used to think of this as a negative thing, but when I think about it, actually being emotional is okay. I now acknowledge that if I’m feeling stressed, panicked, nervous, or down, I just need to give myself time to breathe and overcome the feeling. 

On this blog post, I want to talk about one feeling in particular and my experience with it… Anxiety. Quite a lot of people feel it, like stress… and if you’re quite an anxious person like myself you will know that your mind can change any small situation into a massively big one… 

People who know me know that I experience anxiety often and I want to explore more into the feeling itself, and how I find ways to conquer it.

Recognise when you feel anxious...

Now I know this sounds obvious because we all know when we're feeling anxious. But don't put off knowing why you're feeling this way, the best way to conquer them nerves or that stress is to understand what is making you feel anxious and then working out how you can fix it. The first step is always knowing where the source of your anxiety came from.

Stop and breathe...

Don't try to overcome it by thinking ahead of where you are now. Stop, take a minute and breath and then carry on. There is no use in carrying on with the task you're faced with if it is making you feel panicked or nervous. Be present and take in your surroundings.

I often get caught up in overthinking what will happen if I do this or what will happen if I do that when actually nothing is going to happen. I'm panicking over nothing! Focus on what is happening now and not what will happen...

Look after yourself...

Making yourself a priority is the most important thing you can do for yourself. When I feel myself getting nervous or panicked in any way I try to calm down, drink some water, think about how I'm feeling and then get on with what needs to be done. If I'm feeling stressed or anxious, I try to pamper myself. Not in terms of making my skin and body feel good but my mental state. I'll have a bath, read a book and do a facemask and it makes me feel so much better. 

The breathing square...

My shorthand teacher recently taught me the breathing square and personally I think that it is really handy! This helps me so much when I'm nervous or my heart is feeling fluttery. You breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds and hold for four seconds and I find this so helpful. 

My anxiety and nerves haven't been the best for a while and especially when exam season is around, it's just learning to keep calm and relaxed when you're in situations that worry you. I like to go for drives too when I'm feeling down, it gives me time to think and go over what's been going on.

Here are some helpful tips from a post I found on Pinterest... 

Hope this helps!

Love you always,

Chloe xx