Anxiety and POSITIVE CHOICES Community Group
Learn the skills to conquer overwhelming anxiety from physical to emotional coping. We can choose how we feel and think, you just have to be willing to make those changes and commit to them.
I thought that it would be a good idea to share your Top 10 Things that have helped you get better.
This group is a place to share what works. Something you share might be just the thing that helps the next person get one step closer to their goal.
1) Writing in a "Success & Worry" journal daily; and watching my "Successes" slowly outweigh the my "Worries".
2) Learning to live in the NOW
3) Learning to mentally see a "STOP" sign in my head whenever I start to obsess, ruminate, make up wild stories, or when I am thinking about past conversations.
4) Getting good quality sleep. Getting myself on a sleep schedule; making sure there's no light coming in my bedroom (even nightlights), drinking a warm glass of milk and honey 2 hours before bedtime AND turning the clock away so I cannot see it and only using the alarm if I need to get up.
5)Daily Vitamin and Mineral regime: Multi Vitamin and Minerals, Calcium w/Magnesium and Zinc, an extra Magnesium and Vitamin D, 2,000mg Flax seed, and osteo bi-flex (chondroitin/glucosamine).
6) Walk and hour as many days as possible
7) Getting my face in the sun as early as possible in the morning; sit in a sunny window; eat breakfast outside when weather permits.
8) Start the day off with real oatmeal, eggs, and orange juice
9) Relaxation tapes at least 1-2 days a week
10) Listen to body signs when I am with people and learn from what my body reactions are trying to tell me. Learn and practive more assertiveness ( remembering the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness. Resisting resistance! When I am with know-it-alls I try not to be one, too. Let them think they have just taught me something. If someone has to win a conversation then that makes us adversaries rather than friends.
I am eager to hear what has worked for you, too. I hope all of us learn from each other.
Betsy
This group is a place to share what works. Something you share might be just the thing that helps the next person get one step closer to their goal.
1) Writing in a "Success & Worry" journal daily; and watching my "Successes" slowly outweigh the my "Worries".
2) Learning to live in the NOW
3) Learning to mentally see a "STOP" sign in my head whenever I start to obsess, ruminate, make up wild stories, or when I am thinking about past conversations.
4) Getting good quality sleep. Getting myself on a sleep schedule; making sure there's no light coming in my bedroom (even nightlights), drinking a warm glass of milk and honey 2 hours before bedtime AND turning the clock away so I cannot see it and only using the alarm if I need to get up.
5)Daily Vitamin and Mineral regime: Multi Vitamin and Minerals, Calcium w/Magnesium and Zinc, an extra Magnesium and Vitamin D, 2,000mg Flax seed, and osteo bi-flex (chondroitin/glucosamine).
6) Walk and hour as many days as possible
7) Getting my face in the sun as early as possible in the morning; sit in a sunny window; eat breakfast outside when weather permits.
8) Start the day off with real oatmeal, eggs, and orange juice
9) Relaxation tapes at least 1-2 days a week
10) Listen to body signs when I am with people and learn from what my body reactions are trying to tell me. Learn and practive more assertiveness ( remembering the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness. Resisting resistance! When I am with know-it-alls I try not to be one, too. Let them think they have just taught me something. If someone has to win a conversation then that makes us adversaries rather than friends.
I am eager to hear what has worked for you, too. I hope all of us learn from each other.
Betsy
-- Good diet.
-- Learning not to beat myself up for my anxiety problems
-- Exercise/bicycle riding. (I ride regularly in good weather.)
-- Music. I find listening to music can be a good diversion from useless worrying.
-- Getting adequate sleep. (This can be tricky because sometimes the anxiety & depression can make sleeping difficult.)
-- Rationalizing. I find my little worry-voice is stupid and I can usually come up with reasons not to be worried.
-- Attending social anxiety group meetings/events. Sometimes attending a meeting will make me anxious but overall it's been a great help.
-- Repeated exposure to anxiety triggers. If I I challenge myself to do something that makes me anxious enough times the anxiety usually decreases with repetition.
-- Talking/writing to my friends here on DS
-- Keeping busy. When I have an anxious event going on in the evening I'm usually less anxious about it if I keep myself busy with other activities during the day than if I just sit there and wait.
keep busy.
read or bring to mind the steps in the 4 agreements.
change my negative self talk. recognizing it and turning it around.
vitamins vitamins vitamins.
watch the caffeine.
get out in the sunshine.
watch my alcohol intake.
smile more.
journal and writing no send letters to people i feel wronged me.
look forward, instead of automatic dread, to upcoming events.
take things in stride. go with the flow not against the current.
don't concentrate or give attention to the anxiety. the more i give it attention, the more i'm focused on it and not on being happy or having a smile on my face.
what i need to do is exercise. part of it is weather and part of it is laziness. today is the kickoff of the nice weather.
even though too, it seems like smoking helps with the anxiety - it's what i've turned to for over 20 years, it doesn't - so i am hoping to get relief from not smoking as well...