Best ways to deal with anxiety

[Heaven]

Hey everyone

I’ve been practicing meditation, exercise in the gym and some breathing techniques for the last few years.

It definitely helps but I still feel a certain level of anxiety.

I would like to hear from u guys what is helping u.

Thanks?

[Heaven]

46 minutes ago, Smiles said:

Shadow work. EMDR therapy is phenomenal. Used to have incredible amounts of anxiety. Now the anxiety is basically gone for me at this point.

Anxiety is usually deep-rooted and EMDR takes a hatchet to the roots.

 

Sounds interesting.

Thank u for sharing?
You have been doing it with a therapist? Is there a way to practice it by yourself?

[Forestluv]

@Heaven A few things that have helped me and have been shown effective in studies for some people:

1. Cognitive reconditioning. Learn how to steer the internal narrative away from negative anxiety producing thought stories. For example, if someone was about to give a public talk, they may get nervous and start thinking things like "I'm so nervous. I'm going to screw up and look like a fool. I'm going to fail this course". This can cause a person to spiral down into anxiety and even panic. . . Replacement positive thought stories might include "I've been through difficult challenges before, I can do this. This presentation is a great opportunity for me to develop skills. Even if I make mistakes, I will learn a lot and it won't be the end of the world. And I have a support group of friends and family." Thoughts of resiliency have been shown to reduce anxiety-related activity in the body - such as the production of stress hormones like cortisol.

2. Trivial distraction. Sometimes it's helpful to distract the mind from an anxiety thought story. For example, if we are hiking in nature feeling anxious about our presentation we are giving in two weeks, it does no good to be worrying about it during our nature hike. This is a time to be in a rest and recovery mode. A trivial neutral distraction can help. For example, doing a mental puzzle.

3. Distraction into Now. This is bringing attention away from the anxiety-producing event to what is happening now. For example, returning to the breath or feelings in the body. Even things like dropping a pencil over and over - this can bring the mind back to now and help prevent spiraling down.

4. Meditation and awareness. Being able to sit and observe anxious thoughts and feelings from a detached view.

5. EMDR. I've found EMDR to be highly effective for specific triggers. The idea is that the mind and body underwent some form of traumatic experience that has been stored within the subconscious limbic system. The limbic system is a primordial structure of the brain the has no concept of time or rational thinking. For example, someone who gets headaches may start thinking "Omg, I have a brain cancer just like my aunt. I'm going to suffer and die". This can send a person into "fight or flight" mode for their survival. This is irrational thinking, yet the limbic system is pre-rational. . . EMDR therapy goes prior to thought stories. The person just says one foundational statement that is the theme. Mine was "I can't make this stop and it's never going to end". And that's it. No more thought stories. With EMDR, the person does alternative tapping or listens to alternative beats. The person is guided back to when the seeds of "I can't make this stop and it will never end" were first planted. The person may go back to that period and interact within the situation (for example, to tell the child it's ok and they are loved. Or to tell the perpetrator that their behavior is harmful). Also, EMDR focuses on how the body is responding (no thought stories). For example, where is the discomfort? In the chest? In the abdomen? Is is a sharp pain? A throbbing pain? Nausea? Shortness of breath? . . . When feeling anxiety, the mind will want to engage in thought stories that generally re-enforce the anxiety dynamic. One thing I like about EMDR is that it does not engage in thought stories.

6. Low to moderate doses of psychedelics. For someone with an anxiety-disorder, higher doses of psychedelics can be helpful or can be traumatic. Similar to EMDR, going into the source of the trauma can be helpful, even if it induces discomfort and anxiety. Yet if it gets too intense, it can re-traumatize the mind and body. Imagine healing from a knee injury. During physical therapy, there will be knee exercises and stretches that are uncomfortable that we would rather not do, yet are good for recovery. Yet we don't want to push the intensity so far that we re-injure the knee. . . Related to anxiety, I've found higher doses to be helpful, yet can be very intense and I would advise caution for those with anxiety conditions. As well, it can be difficult to acclimate, integrate and embody afterwards. Going this route, I would suggest working with a health care provider or those with psychedelic experience. . . I've found low to moderate doses to also be effective and much gentler on the mind and body. 

[universe]

Do you know what exactly cause the anxiety, maybe a specific event or situation?

[Heaven]

@Serotoninluv

Thank u so much? 
Amazing explanation.

Definitely took some important notes and it fix with my direct experience and contemplation on the topic.

3 hours ago, universe said:

Do you know what exactly cause the anxiety, maybe a specific event or situation?

I work in sales so there are goals and the environment is quiet stressful, also a big part of it is my personality(the perfectionist) which is trying to control reality many times.

That’s what lead me to the path to wash myself from myself and take life as a game and not as a competition.

[universe]

A good way for dealing with a need for control is to release it via the sedona method. Its one of the basic needs that many people have but some have it more than others. After the release you will be more peaceful with the fact that you are not in control.

[kmd2020]

I recently purchased a seratonin product with vitamin B-6 and Sam-e. I read that within days you can feel the effects to help calm anxiety. I ordered on amazon, i'll check back once i've tried it out! 

[Heaven]

5 hours ago, kmd2020 said:

I recently purchased a seratonin product with vitamin B-6 and Sam-e. I read that within days you can feel the effects to help calm anxiety. I ordered on amazon, i'll check back once i've tried it out! 

I would be happy for an update?

I use sometimes Pharma GABA which is a natural pill for relaxation. 
From my experience it works pretty well but it makes me slower during work so I avoid it..

[Heaven]

On 3/9/2020 at 8:49 PM, universe said:

A good way for dealing with a need for control is to release it via the sedona method. Its one of the basic needs that many people have but some have it more than others. After the release you will be more peaceful with the fact that you are not in control.

I purchased this book from Leo’s book list but it didn’t resonate with me and was hard to read. Maybe too long for me..

I’ll give it a second chance?

[Danial Walker]

The best way to deal with anxiety is to do meditation and yoga exercise in some quiet place. Where you can focus on one thing and find the inner peace inside yourself.