Hi Chloe,
Sorry to hear your not travelling well today. I've seen so many of your posts, and you're very supportive of others. I hope we can give you the same in return.
Oddly enough I think your's is the 3rd post I've recently replied to asking for strategies for anxiety, particularly that you can do when you're out. I know the feeling of the adrenaline, it would often just make me want to yell at people, and I felt like I wanted everyone to hurry up, like speed would be the saviour!
I've learned that to deal with my anxiety the best thing I can do is slow things down. Starting with my breathing. Inhale for 6 and exhale for 8, see if you can gradually increase the exhale so the inhale happens as a result. Anxiety can often make us feel breathless but in fact we are still capable of taking in air and the slower we do it we reduce our heart rate.
Mindfulness? Have I mentioned this to you in the past? It's about being present in the moment rather than thinking in the past or future. Unlike meditation the goal is to be aware rather than relaxed, so you don't need to be lying down. You can do it while you're walking. If you google mindfulness you should find apps, books, cds, and youtube videos to download. I actually downloaded Tara Brach's cd onto my phone, and whenever I need it when I'm out I just plug my earphones into my phone. It can be done alone without the help of another voice guiding you.
A mantra has also been helpful. Mine was always, "This is only 1/100th of my day", but you can choose something that fits for you: "this too shall pass", "I'm feeling relaxed and calm", "I can get through this" etc.
Mental Imagery: Picture yourself in a really calm, serene environment. What would you do there? Can you feel the warmth of the sun? Are there others with you or are you alone? What can you see, smell, hear, touch?
Use a little self soothing kit, I keep one in a sandwich bag in my handbag. It has a stress ball, a teabag, a picture of my partner, a piece of ribbon to play with, a piece of card sprayed with a really calming scent, and a piece of chocolate.
Ok, I hope some of these help, remember when you're starting out try to avoid judging the results. All of these things take regular practice.
Let me know your thoughts.
AGrace
