Hi lovlies,
I have been working this week on content for my Five Senses Therapy socials and the topic has been about anxiety. I felt I wanted to share with you my experiences of anxiety and how this came out when I went through some life defining changes.
Anxiety is your bodies natural response to stress. It is a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous. Anxiety can effect anyone of any age. Some of the things that triggered my anxiety when I lost my right eye, the thought of going out in public let alone getting dolled up for a night out filled me with dread. I thought everyone will be able to tell that I have a false eye and it will look silly. I need not to have worried as time went on and I became more comfortable with the eye and my new state. I went out and no one noticed and now, if they do notice I simply explain to them and even offer to take it out and show them. Another time my anxiety was bad was the first time I went outside after losing my sight completely. This was so nerve wracking and my irrational thoughts were going into overdrive. At this point I had a few tricks up my sleeve and used them to face the fear because looking at it from a different angle I thought about my worries from my right side and that turned out okay. I then thought about the worst possible outcome and came somewhere in the middle.
There are many things we can do to help and reduce anxiety. There are medications that can be taken but if you are like myself and prefer a more natural approach, then there are plenty of options for this too. A good massage either a full body aromatherapy or a reflexology treatment on a regular basis can help with the symptoms of anxiety along with difficulty sleeping, difficulties concentrating, feeling irritable and racing thoughts. There are some simple things you can do to help yourself if you experience a level of anxiety. One I found to be really helpful is one of the pressure points known to aid this, the pressure point is called the union valley point and is located in-between the thumb and fore finger. It is the piece of webbing skin in-between these. It looks little like a ducks web foot. Applying minimal pressure to this point and a little massage can reduce the effects of anxiety. I have used this one for a long time. It has helped me through many things such as interviews, speeches, when I travelled for the first time after losing my sight completely. It is a good idea to concentrate on your breath whilst doing this. it helps to relax the nervous system.
The one thing I have learnt in the last 20 years is that change is inevitable!
Change can come in many forms from small too large. It can be recognisable or can sneak up on you. Either way change will happen to you at some point in your life and I have learnt that embracing this helps with the anxiety of change. Don’t get me wrong I still have the odd melt down especially if I don’t see it coming like the loss of my sight but I am learning to handle it better and I am reframing my thought process and using methods that aid in this.
Like Tom Hanks said in Forest Gump ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know which one you will get” so you might as well enjoy the chocolate. If anyone wants to know any more about what can help with anxiety you can check out my socials. We are here to support each other, like the people who have supported me over the years and the things I have learnt along the way, I am here to share with you.
Take care of yourself, be kind and show love
Nina xx
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