Reducing Anxiety
- anorangedragonfly
- Aug 20, 2020
- 4 min read
Anxiety is a hot topic -for some it can seem so small and for others it's a massive part of everyday life. During these past 6 months I have had an increase in clients reporting symptoms of new anxiety they never experienced and heightened anxiety for those who were already coping with it.
I spent many years suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks. These were triggered by different situations and emotions so I am well aware of what the body, mind and emotions go through when anxiety is heightened or in the throws of panic attacks. At my worst I collapsed during a severe panic attack and an ambulance was called for me. I refused any medications at the time. I seen it as a sign of weakness that I needed a crutch to get me through the day and I knew that they had an underlying cause that the medication wouldn't cure. I sought out counselling and coping mechanisms to help me recognise the triggers, the onset of panic attacks and techniques to reduce the severity of the panic attacks. The most I allowed myself was to carry a paper bag incase I started hyperventilating and a small roller blend of essential oils to put on my wrists.
In later years I realised how hard I had been on myself and how restricting I was being by not allowing myself those things as they would have helped me navigate the anxiety with more ease. I didn't always pay attention to the triggers and some times would just bull on ahead and the end result was usually me back home completely drained and exhausted from pushing myself to do things I deep down knew were causing me the anxiety.
After having all my kids and noticing the looming panic attacks starting to creep back in I spoke to the GP who listened to all my reasons why I didn't want any medication but assured me that she was prescribing me something to 'take the edge off' and that I wouldn't become dependent on, I reluctantly took the medication. It totally worked - it didn't 'cure' the root of the anxiety but it allowed me to function as a person and as a Mum to 3 young kids. Why did I just not do it sooner?!
What I learnt in the later years of the anxiety was that it's ok to take the help, the medication, the venting, the me time, doing the weird and wonderful that got me through the day. You see nothing is permanent, not even the anxiety. We can all share our own experiences which help each other. We can try different things to lessen our anxieties and no one else has the right to judge any of the ways we try to help ourselves. Life is not a one size fits all and neither is helping with anxiety. What worked then may not work now, what works for you may not work for me - the coping mechanisms are all as unique as each of us.
So what can I tell you?
I can tell you that there are different types of anxiety;
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Social Phobia
Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia
Phobias
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
I can tell you that anxiety is defined in the dictionary as:
'distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune: earnest but tense desire; eagerness Psychiatry. a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder'
I can also tell you that anxiety does not define you - sorry you didn't read that right - it reads ANXIETY DOES NOT DEFINE YOU
Shocker I know, you are a person who has emotions and feelings and you deal with a lot of spinning plates at one time. The past 6 months, along with the uncertainty of the times has added another bunch of spinning plates to the pile.
Coping with the current C word situation has been a roller coaster and some of the things I have been able to do for clients is create a space for them to talk, suggest some self care techniques and create personalised blends for them to use.
Utilising the fantastic powers of essential oils to help reduce anxiety and stress can be a major game changer for clients. During lockdown one key worker was able to see through her days because she had a personalised roller blend and used it throughout her shift to boost her confidence and give her a much needed lift when facing the adversities.
Personalised blending allows me to create the best fit for you, your physical needs and emotional needs and takes into consideration all your medical requirements. When you have a blend as unique as you that is fully tailored to you, it can fully support your needs.
When you know you have a fully qualified therapist who has been there, done that, got the t-shirt too and on the odd occasion goes back for more - you know you're in safe hands.
If the thought of returning to work or kids heading back into school is giving you heightened anxiety and stresses get in touch and book some time with me for a chat or a personalised blend.
Consultations are a great way to discuss any issues and can be booked here
Personalised blends can be booked here
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