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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Re: How do you deal with anxiety?
if i can i remove myself from the situation and focus on breathing and just count in my head until i calm down. i inhale for 1-2-3, exhale for 1-2-3 for as long as it takes.
i do take meds for times i know i won't be able to do that, like at crowded events or something like that.
eta: this is more for a panic attack, so that probably doesn't help. sorry.
Hard exercise. Or whacking off. Or a long walk. A good book, one that I know I like. Food helps too. I am sorry to hear you are stressing.
Daycare is SO exhausting!
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I give myself a project to mini-obsess about, nothing that takes longer than a weekend. It helps me release all the anxious energy I get out. A little DIY project with a quick turn around helps me feel centered and accomplished and ready to tackle other things.
And wine.
Have a panic attack is what I usually do...
I took a yoga class once were they taught us this breathing technique where you plug one nostril, and breath in and out of the other very slowly, then switch. This always calms me down and brings down my heart rate.
Today Instead of Working
Like spit, I have a panic attack. Actually I haven't had one in awhile. Regular exercise and yoga is key for maintaining balance for me. Breathing techniques like diaphragm breathing and the one spit mentioned really work for me. Waking mynah up in the middle of the night to talk me down...
I have never taken medication and I definitely resist it bc anxiety is something I'm used to and can usually manage and drug side effects freak me out.
I find that a lot of the time, my worst anxiety happens when I am in my head too much. If I can focus my attention on something sensory, breathe deeply, and calm down a bit, I generally feel more like I can handle whatever it is instead of psyching myself out into a spiral of escalating crazy. Things like a handkerchief made of a fabric that feels nice to you, a piece of beach glass, a smooth stone that will fit in the coin pouch of your purse, or a texture-rich bracelet can be good things to try this with, since you can carry them around with you. I have gone from meltdown to "handling this sh*t" in under 10 minutes because I spent some time crying in a bathroom stall rubbing a rock. It sounds nutty, but it works for me.
Doing stretches can also help get tension out of your body. This is a really great way to prevent a total meltdown--if you're encountering some stress and can recognize the signs that things are heading to a bad place, you can do them before things get too bad and get out some of that tension. Doing breathing exercises with them is even better. This is also really great if you get panic attacks that convince you that next time X happens, you will have a panic attack since you had one this time X happened, which gives you a panic attack just thinking about X. I find that if you can break the pattern/association with something and do well with it once or twice, it gets so much easier to handle it better after that.
Comfort food and a Real Housewives marathon.
Updated September 2012.
I do not let myself borrow tomorrow's worries. It sounds dumb and simplistic but I keep my thoughts to day by day. I don't let my mind trail to what I need to do or could happen 2 weeks from now. Just focus on today and plow through it.
This helps me a TON. Right now with worrying about the baby and my maternity leave I would be having anxiety attacks on the daily. But I just make myself focus on what I need to do today. That shuts my mind down.