Jack and the werewolf

First off, I’m so sorry for the delayed response! I didn’t have time to reply when I first got it and just remembered it now :( I just hope you see this !

The most important step in dealing with/overcoming anxiety is awareness of it. When you aren’t aware of it then that’s when it quickly spirals into the irrational thoughts and then the anxiety attacks. By being aware of when you first begin to feel the anxiety allows you to take a step back and slow down.

This is the exact strategy/technique I used that led to me no longer having severe anxiety/any anxiety at all and I still use today which prevents me from developing it again: Anxiety is just as much physical as it is mental. We actually feel the physicality of it before we begin the mental battle. Say you’re thinking of a huge workload you have to do in a short period of time, instantly it’s going to trigger your anxiety. As soon as that happens, stop everything. Take a deep breath and just feel how you’re feeling physically, in that moment. Not labeling it as anxiety or even good or bad. Just feeling it. Start with your eyes and work through your whole body.

I know that doesn’t really make sense so here’s an example of what I would typically do/feel: okay so my jaw is tense, my throat is sore and tight, there’s pressure and heaviness in my chest, my heart is beating fast, my stomach is in knots and my legs feel heavy.
In the moment it can be super difficult to stop and really just feel your body one part at a time, but force yourself to do it. And do it without the intention of trying to get rid of your anxiety. That will contradict the process. Do it to just feel. Because really that’s all the anxiety is, we’re the ones who label the tight throat, heavy chest, etc. as anxiety. And once we label our anxiety as anxiety, that just feeds it.

By just being with yourself in that moment and feeling how your body feels, you’re doing a few things. For one, you’re slowing yourself down and therefore slowing down the anxious thoughts etc. You’re also heightening your awareness of how you feel when you feel anxiety and can therefore catch it sooner and prevent it from excelling further. And lastly, well for me anyway, it makes the anxiety less scary and overwhelming. Realizing it’s just some tightness etc, made it almost seem silly to me that I was giving it so much power.

NOW, mentally, the best thing to do is to break down whatever is overwhelming you. Do notttt look at the big picture. Look at which part of the situation has the closest and most current effect on you and face that only. Then face the rest as they come, not as you think they’ll happen. Remember that whatever the situation may be, there is ALWAYS a way of conquering it and getting through it. But getting overwhelmed and anxious about it will not help the situation. You can get caught up in the anxiety over and over again but the situation will not be any different. And remember, you ARE stronger than your anxiety. It doesn’t have control over you in any way and it only has as much power as you allow it to.

A huge part of anxiety is the thought process you go through when having an episode and even an attack. The thought process is totally irrational but even knowing that at the time doesn’t stop our mind from thinking that way. Trying to stop our mind from thinking a certain way or at all is like trying to change the way our eyes see or stop our eyes from seeing. We simply can’t. But, we can be aware of it. Know “okay, here I go again, thinking these things.” and then remember THEY ARE JUST THOUGHTS. Absolutely nothing more. Although you can’t control yourself from thinking them, you can control how much power you give them and whether or not you internalize them.

Lastly, if you’re having anxiety about confrontation, remember that you’re really only getting worked up about your imagination. Whatever may happen, you have no way of knowing. You can be totally convinced that it’s going to go a certain way, but in the end, it’s not what’s real. Again, you can’t stop yourself from thinking about what’s going to happen, so just be aware that they’re just thoughts. That’s all. However the situation turns out, good or bad, you don’t know until it occurs. And when it does, take it on one step at a time as it unfolds.  It’s okay to have expectations of what might happen and it’s great to prepare for them, but don’t internalize whatever thoughts you’re having. Internalizing them just sets yourself up for a negative result bc you’ve then convinced yourself of a certain/definite outcome and therefore rely on it. 

Well, I think I’ve rambled enough. I’m not in my best advice giving state so I’m sorry if it’s a bit shotty :/ but if you have any more questions about it or about a specific scenario just shoot me another message :)

xoxx

I’m so stoked you’re curious :) unfortunately not quite yet doll! BUT, I have tonsss of stuff in the works. Keep posted on my page for sure though because I’ll definitely have a handful of pieces finished within the next week and I’ll be sure to post them here for feedback and to give you guys a sneakpeak of what will be on my Etsy shop that I’ll opening this summer ;) xoxx