So tonight I was washing the dishes and I felt a slight panic come over me. It started with my heart rate increasing and the feeling that I could not breathe very well. I continued to wash the dishes knowing full well that I was in the first stages of a minor panic attack. I allowed it to continue and kept washing the dishes. At this point I am not feeling good, but I kept on and began my breathing excercise. Slowly breathing through my nose and out my mouth, repeat. I told myself that today was a hard Monday, I am tired and stressed, there is no reason to be afraid. Of course I was not lying to myself, I was simply reminding myself that despite my minor panic I was completely safe.

This went on for the duration of my time washing the dishes. Once I stopped I took a warm bath and continued to remind myself that I was fine, just tired. About an hour after this all began my anxiety subsided. Three or four years ago I would have stopped washing the dishes and ran to my bedroom to lie down. But overtime I have learned that it is better to keep the mind occupied than to lie in wait for a full blown panic/anxiety attack. This is not to say that you won’t feel bad as you continue your task, but the idea is to not stop. The idea is to not allow anxiety to disrupt you – to shut you down.

It is easy to lie down and wait for fear to overtake you and it is hard to stand there and maintain your focus while anxiety plays its games on your body and mind. It does take practice but it can be done. Nothing related to recognizing and challenging your anxiety will be easy, but it is worth the effort. What’s the alternative? If you shrink from anxiety the cycle will only get worse or at best continue as is. You don’t have to be a superhero to live with and overcome anxiety, you just have to have goals and a plan. You have to have a mechanism by which you take on the challenge and a means of measuring your progress. And remember that no matter your methods or goals it all starts with baby steps. The rest will come with time.

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