Easter can be an anxious time for many people so if you are reading this post and have social phobia, congratulations, you survived it.

Times when family and friends get together can be seen as difficult for those of us, like me, who are shy or suffer from social phobia.  Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving,  major birthdays (like 21st and 40th) can be difficult to face, not only if you are anxious because of a phobia, but also because many families fight during these times.   I prefer to spend time with my mother, partner, children and grandchildren,  the people I am comfortable with.

This is natural to feel that way but remember, if you suffer from social phobia you need to keep practicing being social or it will again become difficult.  They say practice makes perfect and in this case they are right.  In regard to the family fights, just stay out of it and stay calm if possible, and if that all fails think about giving them a big miss.  See the family individually instead.

I had a party to go to and a wedding just recently so I got to practice my social skills.  If you face the fear of socializing and having a panic attack then you will learn to overcome it for good.  There is no way I am going to allow myself to slip back from what I have achieved.  Don’t let it happen to you.

How well did you do this last Easter season?

I love to travel but I also get stressed out by the preparation and the actual traveling but I still go and I have fun the majority of the time.  I am going on a cruise and so for the last week I have felt my anxiety levels rising.  When I feel like this I know I have to start to bring that anxiety down.

I tell myself to relax as often as I remember to. This helps a lot over the day if I remember it enough.  Relaxation music is also helpful and I listen to that before I go to sleep and I find it helps too at the airport to relax me and diffuse that travel anxiety I might be feeling. Read the rest of this entry »

We should all realize that a time will come when we will have to face our fears and anxieties irrespective of how difficult they may be. There is one thing that I learned and that is that you cant hide or runaway from your fears forever. Taking medications, drinking alcohol, or other methods will not take away your problems and fears.  A quote that I think applies here is  “No man is free who is not master of himself” by Epictetus.

So what do you do to make your problems and fears go away? Well, since you cant run away from them, then the best solution is to face your fears head on no matter how powerful they may be. The key is to be courageous in how you try to manage these fears. Read the rest of this entry »

The first time I had a panic attack I thought I must have some sort of virus that made me nauseous and that gave me diarrhea. My face was flushed and I was convinced I had a fever.  I was at a Christmas party at the time and spent the majority of the evening in the powder room.  I felt just miserable all night. Its amazing how strong are The Astonishing Power of Emotions.   I didn’t understand then that the waves coming up over me through out the evening were actually panic.  It took me two days for my stomach to recover.   Social Anxiety can sneak up on you and without help the phobia keeps getting re enforced by your behavior. Read the rest of this entry »

Fear and Anxiety

Have you been affected by fear and anxiety?  For me it was like a domino effect with stress causing anxiety, then panic appears and finally you fear the panic happening again.  Stress over a long time was the trigger for me.

Fear and anxiety are a normal part of life and have evolved on the basis that you adapt in response to threat.  They are closely linked but quite different and you need to deal with them in different ways.  Anxiety is a vague unpleasant emotional state and it often appears to have no basis or direct threat.  Fear is similar except that it has a specific object. Read the rest of this entry »

The way we react to bad stress is different for each person.  I know when I’m stressed, I race around, drink lots of coffee and talk at a hundred miles an hour.  My best friend though just retreats and finds comfort in food and a good red wine. You can see that we both handle stress very differently.

I probably fall into what is called a hyper personality when I’m stressed and I have found aromatherapy and Bach Flower Remedies work well for me.  When I realize my bad stress levels going up I then also watch what I am eating and cut down on the caffeine. I also slow my mind down with meditation.
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The majority of people experience anxiety and panic attacks at some time in their lives even if it is a minor experience. Some can find that this prevents them from concentrating, being social or continuing to work and study. There are  many ways to help cope with the condition though, and to relieve the panic attacks if they occur. What you need is an anxiety buster and breath control is your answer.

There are many forms of relaxation that are often recommended to prevent or reduce anxiety and panic attacks which may include meditation, yoga or breathing exercises but trying to relax while you are stressing is very difficult.  It is also not easy to control your heartbeat but the good news is that we are all capable of learning to control our breathing.

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Moving on after panic | living a normal life

I really cant say that I am cured from, and that I have succeeded in overcoming panic attacks. If I let my anxiety levels rise then it is a possibility that I may have another panic attack. The difference is now that I don’t fear it. I know how to work through it.

dont panic

Overcoming panic attacks hasnt been a quick fix for me and I dont think too many people can say that it has been for them either. I worked on it, and as I have said in previous posts, I took one step at a time and now I feel I have succeeded.

Looking at life through positive eyes has been something that I have to work at but I am much better at it now than I was in the beginning. It’s like anything that has been a habit, it takes time to change. Life has opened up to me again and I am happy, which is probably a result of that positive outlook. Read the rest of this entry »

I suffer from anxiety attacks!  I don’t want to make that sound like a final statement because most of the time I don’t suffer from anxiety attacks and panic.  It is only when I have let myself get too stressed that I may have them now.

Drinking too much coffee, not getting enough sleep or eating properly or a combination of these can also contribute to my having an anxiety attack. These are my triggers and I have learned to recognize what they are and also how to eliminate or reduce the affects they have on my mental health.

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We all need to eat, but the problem starts when you eat for comfort when you are anxious or stressed.  Stress and anxiety can be a bad aspect of your life if you react to it by overeating.  This can lead to weight gain and health problems as well. I was one who was a comfort eater and when things went wrong for me I would take pleasure in my food.

Finding out what your stressors are is very important so you are aware of why you are overeating.  Sometimes we can’t change the stressors eg a bereavement but we can control how we react to it.  We often hope that the comfort we get will make the underlying problem go away but unfortunately it just makes it worse or creates other problems.

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