As I get started on this series, I want to take a moment to talk about what it isn’t and what it is.
What it Isn’t
It isn’t about having to do enough of the right stuff.
It isn’t about implying that if you have anxiety, you don’t have enough faith.
It isn’t about making anyone feel as though their anxiety is caused by anything they are/aren’t doing.
Those are some of the basics, and I think they need to be cleared up and removed before I delve into this, because, so often, the implication is that if only we would just do [insert some action], our anxiety would go away.
We all know someone who knows someone who prayed for healing from their anxiety/panic attacks [alcoholism, drug addiction etc] and *snap* just like that they were healed.
But I’m not one of those people. And I personally don’t know anyone who has been instantaneously healed from it (not that it couldn’t happen – I just don’t have any personal experience with it).
The people I know who have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks have had to work through a lot and face some difficult stuff just to get to a point where where they could start coping with and managing the anxiety.
What it Is
It is about finding what works for you.
It is about shining a light of comfort into the lives of those dealing with anxiety/panic attacks.
It is about ending the shame and the cycle of guilt that we place on ourselves for not being anxiety-free.
It is about learning to find peace, even if the anxiety and panic attacks never completely stop.
What’s Next
Now, this is just my own, unprofessional opinion, but I’m not sure that anyone is ever fully healed from anxiety, and I’m not even sure that anxiety, in and of itself, is necessarily bad.
For many, it becomes more about managing, than total elimination.
I am not completely healed from my own anxiety. I still have to bat away the thoughts that creep into my mind…
But there are ways that I have learned to manage mine. I know my triggers, and I have a plan of action for when I do start to feel the anxiety/panic worming its way into my brain.
Tomorrow I’ll share some of what works for me when panic creeps in. I’ve been asked about this a lot, and there is no one way to do it, but maybe, if we share our tips in comments tomorrow, something in them might help someone who needs it.
This is the 1st post in a 31 Day Series: 31 Days to Peace: Finding inner peace for anxiety and panic attacks. Start from the beginning here.
Great start. I can’t wait to see how this will develop.
Thanks, Carl! I’m fully prepared to show my underbelly at some point of this…
What an amazing series! I struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for YEARS, and even though I still have a few odd anxious days here and there, I can’t even remember the last time I had a full on panic attack.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) helped me more than anything. You tap on accupressure points to address whatever issue you’re dealing with and reprogram your mind to stop viewing the issue as a threat. It’s really amazing. http://www.thetappingsolution.com is my favorite resource. I learned EFT in February this year and it’s totally turned my life around.
I also have a daily meditation practice of about ten to fifteen minutes, and that also helps tremendously.
I’ve had a phobia of elevators for years and last week on vacation, I was staying on the 16th floor. As I rode the elevator up the condo, I just felt…nothing. The panic I expected to feel was just NOT THERE. I even tried to make myself anxious (“This elevator is hurtling upwards, it could crash down any second!) and still, nothing. No panic whatsoever! I hadn’t used EFT on my fear of elevators and I was completely unaware this phobia had disappeared. But that’s part of the magic! Even when you’re not addressing a specific issue, tapping helps calm ALL your anxieties.
Laura,
Thanks for your comment!
It’s funny that you mention the tapping – I didn’t not know that there was an actual name and resource for it, and yet it is something that I’ve done my own sort of version of and it has helped me a lot through the years.
~K
I have dealt with anxiety as far back as I remember. I am glad to have the opportunity to hear your thoughts and hopefully better move in the direction of conquering my fears. Thanks for sharing your heart. God bless, Ashley.
Thank you, Ashley! I’ve been wanting to share this for so long. Anxiety is so hard… and I don’t want anyone to ever feel shame or think it’s about something they aren’t doing well enough…
Blessings to you :)
I know this is a couple years old now…but I’m so glad I found this. I’ve dealt with anxiety my entire life…but had my first full blown panic attack in 2011 when I experienced my first migraine (accompanied by a visual halo where I momentarily lost some of my vision) …what followed was a year of panic and anxiety and depression until I was finally diagnosed. I’ve been “fine” the last couple of years, being pregnant and raising my two children, but the anxiety and panic has started to resurface again (not surpisingly, I’m exhausted all the time and not taking care of myself) …I’m looking forward to reading this series…hopefully I can find a solution that works for me.
Hi Danielle –
Identifying my common triggers and learning some techniques for those times I would feel them coming on helped so much. Years later, I still occasionally wake up in a panic or feel that familiar tingle in my body that always accompanies my own panic attacks, but knowing what helps me through them has helped keep them from becoming full-blown attacks.
Keep trying/testing and I know you’ll find what helps you! And when you do, please feel free to share it here.
Best of luck!