Conquering Anxiety: Learning from others
Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. This is week 7 of our Conquering Anxiety series. Please complete the earlier post if you have not yet! This week we will be learning from @fearlessSail5693, a teen member who has generously agreed to share their own experience in dealing with anxiety and how they managed to make progress.
At what point did you start this journey and what steps did you take early on?
I started this journey when I was tired of feeling anxious and scared every day. I was being crushed under the weight of being unable to live freely and that's when I decided to bring a change. Initially, i asked for advice and help and found out what method works for me the best
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Initially, I wasn't able to stop ruminating and feeling anxious and was about to give up. There were days when I kept doubting if my phobia/anxiety is ever going to end or not. But I kept hoping and believing that I could do it! Eventually, I learned my way through it. Even I learned what words would trigger my anxiety and instead of avoiding them completely, I slowly used them myself so I could grow out of it. The key to this whole process is just trusting yourself
What are your tips for people who wish to better manage their anxiety?
Keep your hopes high and believe in yourself that you can and you will manage your anxiety! There will be some ups and downs but don't let them discourage you. Don't think that it'll be gone in a day or two, be consistent in whatever you do and slowly you'll start seeing results. Stay optimistic!
What methods/habits were helpful for me to get over my anxiety
I tried to avoid rumination by not paying attention to it much and just agreeing with whatever my brain kept telling me. I tried Leaves on a stream meditation every day consistently which helped me tremendously
I also worked on controlling my breath so whenever I felt extremely anxious, I tried to maintain my breathing pattern and I started going for walks which kept my mind clear of any anxious thoughts even if temporary
Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
The task of the week! (Please stick to the prompts based on your account type)
For members
- Does any of the points mentioned by sail resonate with you?
- Can you think of anything sail did that may be beneficial to apply in your life?
For listeners
- How can you support someone who is struggling with anxiety and wishes to use exposure therapy to overcome it?
- You are welcome to share words of encouragement with sail.
Both members and listeners can ask sail further questions by tagging them. Sail will answer the questions they feel comfortable to answer.
This post is part of the Conquering Anxiety series, you can find all posts of the series here.
@Hope
For listeners
1. How can you support someone who is struggling with anxiety and wishes to use exposure therapy to overcome it?
- Educating yourself about exposure therapy overall, especially if you may not know or be familiar about what it is, its pros and cons, how it may be used to treat those with struggling with anxiety. As well as in the process either use those same resources or creating a list of helpful resources that would be appropriate for the person.
- Creating a safe environment, meaning you are empathetic, non-judgmental, validating, reassuring, and encouraging.
- Celebrate and encourage small steps, victories, autonomy, no matter how small or how big they maybe in the overall big picture of getting this person to where they can identify and decide they have overcome what they may have been working on.
2. You are welcome to share words of encouragement with sail.
I applaud you for having the courage, honestly and being vulnerable in sharing your experience. I found it amazing and interesting to see how self-aware and knowledgeable you are in generally especially at such a young age. I wish you all the best in your journey overcoming the things you discussed in your share.
