Vida Emotional Wellness

1. Vida Emotional Wellness 3610 Central Ave #400, Riverside, CA 92506, United States +1 951-220-8607 Counseling Control Anxiety Control Anxiety Even though we suffer from anxiety, life still goes on. We need to learn how to control anxiety so that we may continue to live and prosper. Most people that suffer from anxiety live normal lives. They have families, they work, they love, they raise children, they take vacations and they look just like everyone else. The difference is, we may become anxious or suffer from a panic attack at any moment. These attacks can range from complete debilitation to mild discomfort. Some people are able to hide their attacks and no one around them is the wiser. For an unfortunate few, the anxiety is so overwhelming that it controls their lives and their lifestyle and their behavior is completely based around their anxiety. Whichever category you may fall under, just know it is possible to function even while you are experiencing anxiety. In the article, Dealing with Anxiety, you read about the fear scale. If you are an 8 or above, it becomes very difficult to focus on anything but your anxiety. For people in that category, it is very important that you work on different methods to bring your fear level down to a 7 or below, before trying some of the tactics in this article. You can manage that by medication, breathing techniques, exercise or meditation. The point is, be pro-active and work towards lowering your anxiety fear level. Fear Scale Just to recap from a previous article, keep a journal in which you record daily what you feel your level of anxiety to be. 0 = No fear at all, completely relaxed, 10 = The worst fear you have ever had, complete panic. 4 through 8 represent a discomfort zone of heightened anxiety levels that most people can still function through. If you find yourself in that zone, it is important to work voluntarily in that zone in order to reclaim your life from the anxiety monster. In other words, it is important to CONTROL ANXIETY, rather than anxiety control you. Remember also, you are changing the faulty wiring in your brain by not responding to the false alarm that is being sounded. You are training the way your body responds (the physical symptoms) to your anxiety. At first, this may seem very difficult, but overtime, you will gradually notice the less credit you give your anxiety, the less effect it will have on you.

2. A big part of anxiety is our reaction to it. When anxiety triggers in our bodies, we experience physical symptoms. The second bite the anxiety monster takes is our fear of those symptoms. The less fear we have of those symptoms, the less control anxiety has over us. Only active practice will desensitize our nervous system. Functioning with high levels of anxiety Most people that experience a high level of anxiety (8 or above) find it very difficult to focus on anything but their anxiety. This makes it very difficult to use any of your calming techniques. That is why it is so important to practice, practice, practice! The time to practice is not when you are in critical mode, but when you are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety. It is during those times that you control anxiety with your breathing techniques or meditation or whatever it is you have found that works for you. Imagine playing a game of golf with your buddy Jim. The game has come down to the last putt on the last hole of the course. Both you and Jim golf on a regular basis. Over the last few months, Jim has been practicing on his swing while teeing off. You on the other hand have been practicing over the last few months on your putting. You are both about ten feet away from the hole. Who has the better chance of sinking the ball? That's right! You do! It really is that simple, if you practice something, when it comes time to use it, you will be more able to do it than someone who has not practiced it. Plain and simple!