Thursday, May 29, 2008

IN THE BEGINNING

HEY THERE

This is for ANYONE who has experienced / experiencing or knows someone who is going through any trouble with PANIC / ANXIETY & DEPRESSION. For ANYONE looking for ANOTHER WAY... :) HERE'S MY WAY...

First of all, I would like to give you an insight into what I have experienced before I get into my tried & true practices. BUT, should you already be experiencing a Panic / Anxiety Attack, I suggest you go straight to the coloured-text where I have started listing my remedies!

Love
Joy

I had experienced all of these not-so wonderful feelings for the past 16 years. I can go into detail, however, those of you reading this know that there is no fix in doing so (going over the past that is). Reading about others problems does not always help, more to the point, it can (and did for me) hinder. UNLESS there is a MORAL VICTORY to the story (wouldn't THAT be nice), but, usually not! Most stories are filled with fear, regret, blame and shame, NONE of which need to be:) This is where I come in...

I have most recently discovered Blogging and have been wanting to share (and discuss openly here with YOU should you wish) some of my stories about how to overcome the overwhelming fear associated with Panic / Anxiety Attacks!!!

Fed-Up with "professionals" having varying opinions on what they THINK should be done about treating Panic / Anxiety Attacks. When questioning them about their 'theories', only to be told "well, this is how it is done, I know because I STUDIED it for years"... I don't know about you, however, their study habits didn't give me much comfort in my ability to recover! THEN to top it all off, watching the local 'professional' drive-off in the latest model Mercedes knowing there aren't THAT many people in this area code with the same problem, so, unless they keep getting REPEAT CUSTOMERS on a regular basis, this piece of machinery wouldn't exist in their experience...! What I wanted was to come across a method that had been used successfully AND what had already worked for others. So, without making you read much more, I am wanting to get right down to the business side on what I did that WORKED for myself and others:)

# 1 - First of all, I highly recommend you begin to meditate (morning / evening - or - both. Preferably first thing after you awake in the morning, or, just before you go to sleep). I am NOT talking about going on a 2 year bender where you're stuck ontop of a hill in some dark cave trying to find enlightenment! What I AM talking about is, taking 15 minutes ONLY *perhaps more if it feels good at the time, however, ONLY if it feels good to do so, if not, 15 minutes is sufficient for anyone!

This does not have to involve outsourcing a Guru either, 'nor does it involve having to purchase a "recommended" cd / book on the subject. These can be of assistance if you have trouble concentrating / letting go of old thought patterns, however, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS:

(Set a timer for 15 minutes, NOTE: DO NOT HAVE THE TIMER NEXT TO YOU IF IT IS LOUD, PLACE IT IN A DIFFERENT ROOM / WRAP IT IN A TOWEL, WHATEVER WILL MASK THE NOISE A BIT IF YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE VOLUME, BECAUSE IT WILL SCARE YOU IF YOU ARE NEAR A LOUD TIMER WHILST IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEDITATION).


Wear comfortable clothes (nothing restrictive).



  • Sit in an upright position (legs folded, crossed, straight out, whatever FEELS BEST to you...!


  • Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing (preferably through your nose if possible). What this does is quiets the mind (it will never be completely quiet, however, it reduces this dramatically), each time you feel your mind wandering to unwanted thoughts, gently accept that this will happen and let them GO / release the thought and continue to concentrate on your breathing. As you do this for a period of time, you may very well come up with your own way of going about it, for instance, picturing a beautiful scenery that makes you feel comfortable, perhaps planning how your day will unfold mentally, ANYTHING that makes you FEEL GOOD when you are thinking it is great for that 15 minutes!

# 2 - TENSION IN YOUR NECK / HEADACHES??? Buy some Lavender Oil (pure essential oil works best and is the ONLY essential oil that can be applied directly onto the skins surface), this works wonders, when you feel the tension coming on (or already upon you), get the Lavender Oil and put a dab onto your finger and put a bit behind each ear and at the base of your hairline / neck region and onto your temples. This helps alleviate the stress / tension you are putting in this area. You will also notice that you keep your shoulders tense, so, throughout your day, make a conscious effort to relax your shoulders, you will notice the drop immediately. This can also help prevent tension-related headaches, etc. ALSO, check your jaw, this is another HUGE tension area which creates headaches, etc. Make sure you relax your jaw and lightly touch the back of your top teeth with your tongue, this will keep the jaw muscles relaxed!


TIP: I recommend (when in a work environment and you don't want anyone to know you have Panic / Anxiety Attacks), you purchase a little bottle called "Migra-Stick" (it is a tiny bottle (approx. size of a lip-balm) which has essential oils in it with a ball on the end which allows easy application wherever you are), this is for Migraines, tell people who ask why you are using it, or, what the smell is, that you feel a Migraine coming on. This eliminates any need for further discussion and I have found people will leave it at that. Use it INSTEAD of the Lavender Oil, it has Peppermint & Lavender in it which will alleviate the stress-symptoms!

This can be purchased at most pharmacies, supermarkets, etc. However, I will put a link to the site up here just incase you have difficulties finding any.

The link is on the Top Right Hand side of this page under "MigraStick".

# 3 - When PRESSURE / TENSION IN YOUR CHEST: Buy SODA WATER. I have found where I am Schweppe's Soda Water is the best. BUT, all you need to do is find a Soda-Water that has a small-bubble content. Hard to describe, however, not like a Soda-Stream will make, you want one that gives tiny bubbles (most purchased Soda-Water is like this anyway). When you drink the soda-water, it helps to release the gas you have caught in your diaphragm which causes the tension. A great way to reduce this! Also, women, make sure your bra is not too-tight, as this will keep that knot in your chest and for both men & women, make sure that your clothing is not too-restrictive!!!

# 4 - BREATHE...! Perhaps this should be at #1, however, it's here and it's IMPORTANT... The deeper you can breathe (into your stomach), the better...!

TIP: When in the midst of a Panic Attack, count your breaths. Inhale through your nose slowly, counting the seconds it takes UNTIL you have reached the COMFORTABLE limit of inhalation, hold it for a few seconds, then, RELEASE SLOWLY THROUGH YOUR MOUTH - NO need to count with the exhalation...! The longer the seconds for inhaling, the better & stronger your breathing is becoming, this WILL HAPPEN AND this WILL help for current and future events, especially for eliminating Panic / Anxiety Attacks in the future! The better you can breathe, the more stable you will feel... :) It is the RELAXED DEEP BREATHS that come with time that will keep you FEELING RELAXED...!






PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS SITE (BELOW), I HAVE MANY MANY MORE TIPS USED BY MYSELF AND OTHERS FOR YOU AND AM ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR STORIES / QUESTIONS & SUCCESSES :)


LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*