I Struggle With Anxiety-10 Ways To Cope With Anxiety Disorder

I could lie and say that my mental health is in perfect condition and everything is peachy keen. I could tell you that I never worry about finances, my business, my marriage, and that I'm "blessed" and that every opportunity that comes to me comes because I'm "privileged". But if I said that, none of it would be true. Do amazing opportunities come my way? Yes. Have I worked extremely hard for these amazing opportunities? Yes! Am I blessed to be married to be married to a good man with a decent paying job? Yes. But that doesn't mean that I don't work just as hard for all of the things I want. It is a constant struggle to keep my business going and to get another business off the ground. I'm an entrepreneur and with that comes struggle and anxiety. A lot of anxiety. Sometimes my anxiety attacks are so bad that I have to lock myself in a dark room and hide for a few hours.  I used to be afraid to admit that I struggle with anxiety disorder, but hopefully, my story will help someone else out there who struggles with anxiety too. You are not alone. Let me repeat that one more time. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I know how it feels to feel like you have no one to turn too. To feel like you are suffocating in a sea of emotion and bewilderment, wondering where to turn too. I'm here to tell you that you can manage your anxiety and that it's going to be okay. It may not seem like right it this exact moment or when you're in your car, driving, not being to breath because another panic attack just hit, but it's going to be okay. Below you will find my 10 tips to cope with anxiety without having to take boatloads of medication and walk around the street like a zombie. 

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Tip 1: Acceptance. Accept that you have an issue with anxiety and that you're not alone. 70% of the population struggles with anxiety and most of them are women. You are not alone!

Tip 2: Drink Tea! Drinking tea has helped me so much with my struggle with anxiety. You'd be surprised at how much a warm, caffeine-free drink can help calm you down. In fact, after I wrap up this blog post for you lovelies I plan on doing just that. You can buy this turmeric with ginger tea from Trader Joe's and it's amazing! It's hands down one of my favorite teas for calming down and relaxing. Turmeric also helps with inflammation so drink up! 

Tip 3: Soak, soak, soak! Soaking in Epsom salts will help alleviate stress and will also help with inflammation. You can find good, cheap, Epsom salts at Target or Trader Joe's. I buy the big, lavender bag and I soak away. Eucalyptus is great too! Make some tea, light a candle, grab your favorite book, and make a hot bath. Add some Epsom salts and soak your worries away. 

Tip 5: Exercise, exercise, exercise! Get moving, get outside, go play, go for a run, lift some weights, smash out a kick boxing workout, stretch it out with some yoga. MOVE. The key is to get moving and keep moving for an extended period of time. Fitness isn't just great for weight-loss, but it's key for keeping your anxiety levels in check. If I don't workout, or at-least go for a run, start to feel panicked. Moving helps me cope and react better when an anxiety does strike. Breathing exercise help too. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out...

Tip 6: Do Yoga, beginning a daily yoga practice can seem daunting, but just 10-minutes of yoga a day and your body will reap all of the rewards. Yoga helps maintain balance in your body and is key for dealing with anxiety levels. There have been many reports of people starting a daily yoga practice while on anti-anxiety medication and actually being able to get off their medication because of how much their daily yoga practiced helped them. 

Tip 7: Eat a healthy diet. Eating healthy foods will help your body react better when an anxiety attack flares up. Eating a diet high in sugar and fats will only make your cortisol levels rise. Eating healthy will help maintain healthy blood sugar levels so your cortisol won't spike as high when your body get's stressed. Remember, your body's reaction to stress is to raise your cortisol levels. If you follow a healthy diet, your body will react to stress better. Check out my blog for lots of health recipes, tricks, and tips to maintaining a healthy diet. Kale does do the body good! Bottom line: Eat more kale. 

Tip 8: Meditate. Meditation has been known to help with anxiety in a variety of ways. While it may be hard to meditate at first, starting a daily meditation practice, much like yoga, will help ease an anxious mind. Have racing thoughts I do? Do you go over your day when you are trying to fall asleep? Me too. Meditation will help calm those anxious thoughts and will help you focus. Try meditating for 1-minute in a quiet place saying the same word over and over again. A happy word. Like love, or joy. It works, I promise!

Tip 9: Talk it out. Talking about your anxiety with a friend, counselor, or loved one can do wonders for your anxious mind. Anytime the panic starts to brew in me, I turn to my person and he helps calm my anxious mind. Mainly by telling me that everything is going to be okay and that this anxiety I'm feeling is only temporary. 

Tip 10: And now for my final and probably most important tip in dealing with anxiety. Adopt a dog! Think I'm kidding? I mean it, adopting and owning a pup will help you with your anxiety more than you could ever imagine. First of all, dogs love the outdoors and one of the key ways to managing anxiety is to get outside and explore nature. Dogs are also very loving creatures and can tell when you are feeling anxious. All of my three dogs know the moment I'm feeling anxiety and they are by my side in a moment's notice. Studies have proven that being near a dog can help quell anxiety, so living with one will only make that even better. I adore my pups and having them around calms me down. They also force me to get up and get moving. I run with Roxy daily and not only have we established a strong bond (and legs) from our daily runs, but she's helped me calm down. 

Do you struggle with anxiety disorder like I do? Did you find this article helpful? Have you found any tips that you could suggest to me?

And remember, everything is going to be okay.