Anxiety is becoming an epidemic in our culture. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada, “one in four Canadians will have at least one anxiety disorder in their lifetime.” This can be debilitating as people often experience sleepless nights, preoccupation of negative repetitive thoughts, or feel a sense of dread, worry, or terror. Along with the psychological symptoms, anxiety can present physically as nausea, sweating, diarrhea, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, and feeling constantly on edge.
Most of us want a quick fix because living with anxiety can be unbearable. However, before you run to the doctor and ask for a “magic pill” that will ultimately just mask the symptoms, consider treating anxiety with a holistic approach.
In order to treat anxiety, I consider your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Here are five strategies you can implement on your own.
Learn to Say No
You have a thousand things on the go! Running from one appointment to another, over committing yourself, saying yes when you really want to say no, you are running on pure adrenalin, it is no wonder why your mind won’t shut off and you feel completely overwhelmed! If you are a people pleaser this can be hard to do, as you fear rejection and abandonment. However, when you say no, you are really saying “yes” to yourself and your well-being. As a rule of thumb, I say listen to your body, if it is not a “hell yeah”, it’s a no.
Practice Self-Care
First things first, self-care is not selfish! I recommend to all my clients to take at least 30 minutes of non-negotiable self-care time each and every day. This could be meditating in the morning or night, exercising, yoga, reading a book, taking a bath, or spending time in nature. Ensure that you are getting enough sleep at night, slow down, take some deep breaths, and limit social media time.
Listen to Your Body
Sometimes anxiety can be a symptom of an underlying physical issue going on such as hormone imbalances, vitamin/nutrient deficiencies, chronic diseases, metabolic issues, side effects from medications, or dietary issues. I highly recommend seeing a naturopath or doctor to rule out any physical causes of anxiety.
Watch Your Thoughts
Dr. Wayne Dyer says ‘you create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, and your intentions create your reality.’ Our thoughts have incredible power over us and anxiety is only FEAR, which stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Begin to take an inventory of your thought patterns; do you have any evidence to back them up?
Know When to Ask for Help
If your anxiety is debilitating, is causing you to feel hopeless, is a result of trauma or PTSD, or is causing extreme panic of fear, it is time to reach out for help. Therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are effective treatments for anxiety. You can visit my website at www.corehealingtherapy.ca for more information on how I can help.
Tricia Veltri, MC, CCC.
Core Level Healing
250-212-7763