I remember this fun period of my life….
I still suffer from light symptoms, but I am able to live a much happier life now. I did not use any medications (although I recognize their use). My tips for success:
1. My biggest tip is to accept it. This one thing was very important for me. I learned anxiety, along with depression, was most likely always going to be a part of my life. I gave up trying to fight against it or “cure” it and brought it into my definition of self in a non negative and non judgemental way.
2. Feel it. When I was in a safe place where I was not afraid I was going to kill my self (I had an odd urge to harm myself and a great fear I would follow through) I would explore the anxious feelings as they washed over me. Try to pick them apart into individual thoughts, emotions, etc. Pay attention to your bodies response (heart, shaking, etc)
3. Don’t dwell on living in an unreal world sensation. I used to (and very occasionally still do) say that I am “out of it” to those close to me when I am not getting full sensation from this world. It’s ok, it will pass.Believe that. The fog might just be the brains way of protecting itself. I have not found a way to really pull myself out of this feeling by will, but for me it passes if I just give it time and not focus on it. These experiences took up whole days (weeks?) before and now it might happen for an hour here or there a couple times a month.
4. Keep doing what your doing. Sometimes I would get really scared I was going to faint in public or something. Often I told my best friend “don’t worry, if I faint I’m just having an anxiety attack” (ok, so I got a few odd looks…. didn’t want anybody to worry it was serious). I told myself I was not letting it interupt my life. If I fainted, so what. I think deciding on this mind set undermined the fear that the anxiety used to build on. If I didn’t fear the attack, it was defeated before it had a chance.
5. Create a higher mind. When I was in the depths of an anxiety attack and/or a depressive episode I sometimes would run out of mental self help talk. These times required that I looked a myself though a mind that was detached from my current feelings, but rooted in a strong knowledge of truth. I can’t explain this well, but it was where I could hold on as I waited for the worst to pass.
6. Picture the worst. Think its bad? Would you rather be having a panic attack in the middle of your friends wedding or be starving to death, physically abused or something else that others that very moment may be experiencing? Or think of it this way: What is the worst that will happen? Ok, I faint, a small crowd will gather wondering what was wrong, I might be sent to the hospital where they will figure it out. I will have to deal with a little embarassment. Life moves on. Or you scream (jump and pretend a spider landed on you ;0 )Or you feel you will go insane. I am not sure anxiety attakcs have ever caused this…I told myself they didn’t and that an insane person wouldn’t realize they were insane.
6. Get out there and talk! Lots of people are feeling it just like you. Really. I know you don’t believe me. REALLY. ALL YOUR FEELINGS HAVE BEEN FELT BY SOMEONE ELSE AT SOME POINT. Feel connected to humanity in one of its mysteries, the mind. Talk about it with people who are going through it.
7. Never underestimate the role of hormones. I experienced anxiety and depression most severly in high school even though it lasted well beyond. It did improve greatly though throughout my young adult life. This is something that takes years, give it time to get better and keep your hopes up.
I would like to note that I never formally saw a psychologist for my issues and maybe my advice is bad or dangerous for some people. This is only how I chose to fight my anxiety. I feel for anybody who has to work though these things. May it lead to the rewards of a new understanding of self and an empathatic view towards those who suffer from even worst mental illness.