Hi Jtk,
I can certainly relate to how you feel with your anxiety. I used to have debilitating anxiety attacks. It was so bad that I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I even had co-workers ask me why I was so fearful. It was both psychological and physical, and I had no ability to control the attacks.
I still get anxiety from time to time, but nowhere near as severe. What worked for me was a combination of many things. I’ve been meditating for the past 8 years, and this has had an amazing effect on helping me stay calm in stressful moments. I also did some psychotherapy, which helped me understand the thoughts that were triggering my anxiety.
I learnt that there are typically four ways to beat anxiety:
Realise that you don’t get to control anything outside of yourself. You only get to control your thoughts, not external events. Focus your attention only on what you can control.
Stop catastrophizing. Extreme thinking will cause anxiety. Try to catch yourself when you're thinking this way and redirect your focus elsewhere.
The future isn’t only negative. Anxiety is often fuelled by pessimistic thinking. Optimists rarely experience anxiety in the same way.
Adjust your posture. When you start getting those feelings, stand up tall or straighten your posture. Take some deep breaths.
All these steps take time. It involves catching your thoughts and teaching your body to react differently. It took me a year before I started seeing real results.
Reading your post, it does suggest that you’re already aware of the thoughts that are causing your anxiety. This is a great sign. The next step is the slow process of letting those thoughts go and teaching your body to relax.
It also sounds like your getting some help.
Keep going as it always takes time to learn a new skill.
All the best and I hope this helps.
Regards,
WB
