When I was a new mother my biggest problem was anxiety attacks. I just felt overwhelmed, alone and like I was under too much stress. It would happen to me at the most inconvenient times. I would feel breathless, panicky and run out of a grocery store — too weirded out to pay for the full cart of groceries I left behind.
If you are one of those personalities who has them here are some clues as how to deal with it.
Step 1 – Recognize that you are anxious. Accept the feeling and admit that it is a sign that something is bothering you.
Step 2 – Give yourself permission to feel anxious about what is bothering you and tell yourself it is okay to react.
Step 3 – Treat the anxiety by breathing. First inhale through your nose slowly for two seconds and while doing this mentally count one, one thousand, tow, one thousand. Then exhale to the mental count of fours seconds by one thousands. Do this for at least sixty seconds.
Step 4 – Talk yourself out of it. Tell yourself that this too shall pass. Tell yourself –'It is just anxiety.' It will go away.
Step 5 – Get busy. Do something that distracts you from what stimulated the stress. Your body is like a car in high gear with the brakes on. Get rid of the adrenalin high by running, cleaning or whatever you have to get rid of the disturbing feeling.
Step 6- Try to see the humor in the situation. You feel odd but you are not odd. Give into it and try to figure out what is really bothering you. It is some kind of conflict from the past rearing its head. Is it a scary thought? Is it an expectation that you can't possibly fulfill?
It takes time to cure this condition. It takes patience to retrain a brain that has become addicted to fear, anger and producing adrenalin. However the only way to stop being in fear of panic and anxiety is to experience them. It is the only way that you can condition yourself to believe that they can't hurt you. It is the only way to stop the vicious cycle of terrorizing yourself.
I know when I had this disorder that I felt very alone. I found it hard to talk to my partner about what was going on with me. It was hard to talk to my doctor as well. He was really into prescribing medication for me. I was not into that because I got addicted to lorezapam before when I was in college.
Sadly I do not recommend that you tell everyone about your anxiety. Leave it on a need to know basis. It is still seen as a sign of mental instability even if you can reduce it all down to hormones!
