The next steps in my ANXIETY journey

It's no secret that I have been very open about my anxiety journey and have come a long way however my journey is far from over. 

I still find myself having bad days now and again but no where near to the extent that I used to suffer. I feel that this journey may not be over for me just yet and it may always be something that lingers in the background but I have found my coping mechanisms working and I have identified some of my triggers so it's safe to say I feel as though I am well equipped for the future. 

My advice to anyone who is suffering is to know your anxiety, know your triggers and know how to deal with them. I know my biggest triggers are crowds and travel they seem to set me off no matter how prepared I am but what I have found that it's all about how I approach each situation that varies my response. 

I know when travelling that I have my headphones and my meditation app at hand, I know to be prepared and make sure I know what times to travel and that I have packed everything. When travelling through airports I often get fast passes to speed us through so I am not in a security for too long and my husband takes a lot off me so I know that my only focus is to get through the check ins. When travelling around the UK it's important for me to not rush and reduce my stress as much as possible. I am lucky that my husband takes a lot of responsibilities off me so that I can only focus on myself and getting through the situation. 

It's also important to note that I never shy away from situations and do try and confront my fears as much as I can. This helps me when I am having an attack to think about the times that I overcame my anxiety and how I managed to get through that situation so that I can overcome this one. 

It's important to reduce the stress around a trigger but also in your life. I am unfortunate that I am a very stressful person and I like things to be done in a certain manner but I have worked really hard with my friends and family to give up some responsibilities and focus on myself and having days where I only surround myself in things that I like. An example of this is having rest days to spend time watching my favourite shows / film and eating my favourite food or going to my favourite place. 

Though my anxiety is more manageable I do still find myself having those feelings of panic and I do have attacks but it's my management of the situation and my exposure of situations in the past that helps me overcome the attacks more quickly and recover a lot faster.  This journey is long and it is by no means over it has taken me years to get to this point but it is safe to say that I can start having a positive relationship with my anxiety instead of the overwhelming feeling of dread. 

I know not everyone has the same triggers or can manage the feelings as easily as I have found myself doing but just no that it is no quick fix and eventually there will be a time where you can overcome the worst fears. You are not alone in this battle. 

S