by Bertil Hjert on January 31, 2010
Our own self imposed pressure could be causing our anxiety. Encourage yourself, rather than berate yourself and reduce your anxiety and panic.
A lot of people have high expectations for themselves and when we fall short, as we are all bound to do, we beat ourselves up about it and are extra hard on ourselves.
Our world is full of overachievers and that can be good but it can also exact a tremendous toll on our mental health. No one is perfect, no one can do everything and no one can please everyone.
These are nice goals but impossible to achieve and if you believe they can be achieved that mistaken belief is contributing to your anxiety. Success is not everything and many of us need to remind ourselves of that.
Many overachievers also have trouble with the word no. In an effort to please everyone and do everything, they don´t say no to unreasonable demands or impossible timetables to complete assignments. They simply say yes and work themselves to the bone to try to keep their word.
They become exhausted, stressed and under enormous strain and when they fail to meet their bosses´ expectations and he or she is disappointed, they are crushed, mortified and in abject despair. Does any of this sound familiar?
This type of situation can lead to social phobia, where you have problems dealing with crowds, authority figures and social interactions. This phobia also has the ability to easily snowball to the point where you are avoiding any type of crowded place, even the grocery store because it sparks panic or anxiety.
Our society is so goal and achievement oriented that too many of us get lost or trampled by the climb to the top. If you feel like you are responsible for everyone around you, if you have to take care of everything, if you have to do everything, then it´s time to take a breath.
Slow down, set boundaries for yourself, have others set realistic demands for your performance and stop saying yes to everyone and start taking care of yourself. It will help to come up with some affirming or positive thoughts as you work through the day encountering these stress provoking situations.
Here are some examples of affirming or positive statements that you can use throughout the day. They help you with self esteem, interpersonal interactions and your own harsh critiques.
It´s important to create your own statements as well, depending on your particular circumstances.
1. I am beautiful and capable
2. I have accomplished a lot today
3. I can say no and people will still like me
4. I can manage my workload
5. I work hard and get things done
These are encouraging statements that help your inner self feel more self assured, more nurtured and more in control. These are just generic statements; you can craft your own statements so they specifically address your needs.
Simply repeating these statements whenever you feel an uncomfortable surge of adrenalin coming on will help you temper your anxiety.
Anxiety and panic attacks are just reactions to uncomfortable stimuli. Reduce the discomfort and ease your mind and live your life unaffected by your anxiety.
Download your free eBook “Stop Panic Attacks and Deal with Your Anxious Thoughts” here: http://www.PanicGoodbye.com/freereport.html
by Bertil Hjert on December 5, 2009
Eat slowly, don´t overeat and chew your food well. If you follow these three ideas your body will have an easier time digesting and utilizing your food intake successfully. Being kind to your metabolism will help keep your anxiety levels in check.
If you´re struggling with generalized anxiety, phobias or panic attacks, you need to find a solution fast! Having these overwhelming fears surge over you can be extremely disturbing, disorienting and life altering.
So many people feel they are experiencing a medical emergency or on the verge of death when their heart starts exploding out of their chest and their breathing becomes labored. Anxiety and panic attacks are terrifying feelings and can lead to many phobias that severely alter the way you proceed throughout your day.
Everyone is always looking for a quick fix to these problems, a simple snap of the fingers. While some changes can provide immediate relief, they are rarely so simple as snapping your fingers.
Confronting, dealing with and resolving your anxiety takes hard work and motivation. One of the easier places to begin is changing your nutritional intake.
Most people here the words change the way you eat and they go running for the nearest exit. Why? Because they know they aren´t eating right but they also like the bad foods they are eating and don´t want to change.
Change can be very unsettling for most people but it might be a great thing for your anxiety problem. Here are some eating habits that you should follow to prevent high stress levels and decrease your anxiety.
1. Eat slowly while seated.
2. Chew your food at least 15 times. This helps you eat less because your body has time to register that you are full and it helps your body with easier digestion.
3. Avoid overeating. You never want to feel bloated or stuffed. This is putting a strain on your body´s metabolism and preventing proper absorption of nutrients and vitamins in the food.
4. Drink 1 glass of water or liquid at a meal. If you drink too much while eating, your body will have a harder time digesting your food because your stomach acids will be diluted.
Proper digestion of your food intake is a very important part of feeling physically well during the day. You will not suffer from bloating, cramps, gas and will not detract energy and resources from the rest of your body to deal with an enormous food intake.
Get the most out of what you are eating and help your body function at its optimum level. When your body is functioning well you will experience fewer stress and anxiety related symptoms and discourage panic attacks and anxiety.
Other important dietary considerations include watching your salt and preservatives intake.
Read package labeling carefully and consider what you are putting in your body. You also want to ensure that you are getting enough vitamins in your diet. If not, you will want to take a supplement which is an easy and effective way to help your body get everything it needs.
Vitamin B and Vitamin C are particularly important because they help you manage stress throughout the day. Small changes in your diet and nutritional approach can help you cope with the anxiety you encounter throughout your day more effectively.
Download your free eBook “Stop Panic Attacks and Deal with Your Anxious Thoughts” here: http://www.PanicGoodbye.com/freereport.html
Follow me on Twitter for new article updates: http://twitter.com/bertilhjert and visit my website: http://PanicGoodbye.com
by Bertil Hjert on November 15, 2009
Most people breathe shallowly. They hold in their stomachs and fail to engage their diaphragms when breathing. We all want to look slim but pushing that belly out with our breaths is the only way to fill up the lungs and utilize their full capacity.
Since most of us haven´t been abdominal breathers since infancy, we are unfamiliar with what it should look like and feel like.
When you breathe with your full body, your abdomen will push forward, it will expand to the sides and it will reach back towards the spine. You should be able to feel it in your entire torso from your pelvis to your chest.
You may even feel a pressure in your chest as you inhale. This is your lungs expanding against your rib cage. This is good and nothing to panic about. Your lungs were designed to expand and fill completely; we just don´t take advantage of it.
When breathing with your abdomen your diaphragm is expanding and contracting which causes your abdomen to expand. This expansion will make your belly protrude. For ladies this may seem unattractive or undesirable but your belly will expand and contract with your breathing, it won´t flop over your belt continuously.
You don´t have to engage this method of breathing all of the time, just when you need relaxation but you will find that as you practice you will want to breathe like this more often and eventually it will become second nature, something you even do in your sleep.
All it takes is practice and the health and energy benefits that you will receive far outweigh any belly protrusion.
Another abdominal breathing exercise
1. Stand up with your feet close together.
2. Free your mind of negativity.
3. Shake your arms then rub your hands together and place them hand over hand on your abdomen. The correct placement is over your belly button.
4. Exhale while pushing your abdomen in with your hands. Count to 8.
5. Breathe in for a count of 8 feeling your abdomen expand as you inhale.
6. Hold for 2 seconds.
7. Exhale for a count of 8 and then hold for 2 seconds.
8. Repeat your inhales, holds and exhales 10 times.
9. When you have completed your breathing cycles, rub your hands together again, shake your arms out and rub your face, cleansing it of all your anxiety.
Focus on your abdomen and the movement of it going up and down. That´s why your hands are there to help you contract it and ensure you are expanding it on your inhales. Start doing this once a day for a week and then two times a day for another week.
If you feel comfortable, continue to practice this breathing cycle two times a day and feel free to engage it in more often as your anxiety or nerves dictate. Stick with it, practice is the key to success.
Download your free eBook “Stop Panic Attacks and Deal with Your Anxious Thoughts” here: http://www.PanicGoodbye.com/freereport.html. Read more about the PanicGoodbye Program here: http://PanicGoodbye.com
by Bertil Hjert on October 25, 2009
Stress can be a major contributor to an anxiety or panic condition or the trigger that will start anxiety disorders. For many people who have personalities that are predisposed to anxiety, stressful events or the accumulation of stressful events over a relatively short period of time can lead to anxiety symptoms.
As our economy becomes increasingly perilous, more and more people are struggling with anxiety. You are not alone! Millions of Americans are grappling with panic attacks, extreme anxiety and the negative effects of these conditions. The symptoms can be frightening and contribute to depression and more trouble with your job or family.
To determine whether your stress load has become too much, think back over the past year or two of your life. Think about the events or changes in your life that may have contributed to your stress level. Individual events or changes may not have been overwhelming by themselves but when they are coupled with other events, the cumulative effect may be major.
Here are some events that are high stress, medium stress and low stress:
HIGH STRESS EVENTS
• Death of spouse or child
• Divorce
• Marital / child separation
• Jail
• Victim of a violent attack or sexual assault
• Death in the family
• Major medical problems
• Marriage (a happy event but also one that brings about a lot of changes and stress)
• Losing a job
MEDIUM LEVEL STRESS EVENTS
• Problems in Your Marriage
• Retirement
• Family members or close friends with health problems
• Pregnancy
• Sexual dysfunction
• New addition to the family (baby, adoption etc.)
• Death of a friend
• Financial difficulties
• Changing jobs
• Foreclosure or acquiring new debt such as a mortgage
• Child going to college
• Problems with family members or in-laws
• A change in living situation (location, type of residence etc.)
LOW STRESS EVENTS
• Problems with boss
• Change in working hours or job responsibilities
• Changing schools
• Changing social activities or friends
• Starting or finishing school
• Trouble sleeping
• Gaining weight
• Vacations and Holidays
• Minor legal problems such as misdemeanors, speeding tickets etc.
If you have experienced 2 or 3 high stress events over the past couple of years you are probably dealing with an anxiety problem.
Most people will have problems coping with that many negative events and will likely see their stress manifested in an anxiety condition. If you have experienced one high stress event and multiple medium or low stress events you may also have a significant and detrimental problem with anxiety. You could also be struggling if you experienced a high number of medium or low stress events in succession.
When you experience these problems back to back, your mind and body don´t have a chance to recover before they have to go into overdrive to deal with the next problem. Recovering from the loss of a spouse, child or loved one can be a long process and any added or additional problems may simply be too overwhelming and trigger panic attacks even in people who never previously struggled with anxiety.
If you take a moment to consider, it is easy to see why anxiety problems and panic attacks are such an increasing problem in today´s world. The level of stress that must be managed on a daily basis seems to grow with each passing day. It´s important to consider what you have been through over the past couple of years and whether that is contributing to your current unrest.
For many people, finding an outlet where you are free from worry is a great way to find some respite from the stress. Find time in your day to do something you enjoy. Do you have a hobby you enjoy or an interest you would like to pursue but you haven´t devoted sufficient time to it?
Stop waiting and start finding the time to enjoy your garden, a game of softball with friends, your bowling league or walking on nature trails. There are so many ways to find avenues of enjoyment and spend time with friends and loved ones. You need this time to recover from the stress of daily life and build up reservoirs of strength to deal with new challenges.
Download your free eBook “Stop Panic Attacks and Deal with Your Anxious Thoughts” here: http://www.PanicGoodbye.com/freereport.html
Follow me on Twitter for new article updates: http://twitter.com/bertilhjert and Squidoo: http://squidoo.com/panicgoodbye Visit my website: http://PanicGoodbye.com
