Antidote for Anxiety

I have to admit to you I did not know much about anxiety until this past year. I went on an eighteen month mission for my church. I came home half way through to deal with some kidney stones. When I went back out I experienced my first anxiety attack. I had no idea what was happening to me. I was sitting on the couch one day and all of a sudden I had a really hard time breathing. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was trapped in my body and there was nothing I could do about it. I remember just laying down on my bed and breathing in some lavender oil. I was trying to calm down. It took me over an hour to be feeling ok. That was the first time I have ever had an anxiety attack. 

Since then I have been studying psychology. In my psychology class we are learning about anxiety. My teacher informed us that everyone deals with anxiety to some degree. My teacher asked us to show by raise of hands who has dealt with anxiety. Around two-thirds of the class raised their hands. It was then that I really realized what an issue it is. We learned that people cannot handle more than 10-12 stressors in their life at one time. As soon as you have more than that your body cannot handle it. It will literally shut down. I think this is what happened to me. I had too many things that were creating stress in my life at one time. 

I still have more anxiety than I would like. I get stressed out a lot more than I used to. I have several things that have helped me. If I start to feel stressed out I will put on lavender oil and wild orange. I have started to put it on in the morning after I shower. It helps me to get into a very relaxed state of mind that carries with me throughout the day. If I have things come up later during the day I will just put more one. Within seconds of smelling the oil I feel much more comfortable and I can feel my stress decline. 

I was reading about anxiety online. My teacher recommended that we read about what the Mayo Clinic has to say. They said that the symptoms for anxiety include the following:

• Feeling apprehensive
• Feeling powerless
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired

I have only had one bad anxiety attack, but in my mind it was one too many. I am now aware that there are many people who experience that on a daily basis. I feel as if I can understand a little bit of what they are going through. Lavender and wild orange help ALOT! They also help you to think more positively. Since anxiety is in the mind, my teacher informed us that people with anxiety need to try to change their thoughts. It is hard to think positively with anxiety. I also put the oil in a diffuser and I can smell it all day long. 

People with anxiety should also go on walks and try to enjoy the beauty of nature around them. It helps if you try and relax. Focus on all that is good in your life. Breathing deeply really helped me to calm down. I am a HUGE believer in the power of thoughts. I believe "what we think about we bring about." I have written on my bathroom mirror a phrase that helps me to get in the right mind set every morning. It says "Change your thoughts. Change your life." We each choose what to think about and what to focus on. If you are looking for good you will find it. If you are looking for bad you will find it. I don't think most of us realize what a huge impact our thoughts have on the outcome of each day! Try to focus on the good! It will make a world of a difference.