Anxiety feels physically like a gripping in my stomach. My head feels hot, my arms feel weak; I'm restless and can't hold still. When I'm in the throes of it, I can't imagine what it's like not to feel that way. This is where I'm reminded of the flu. A stomach bug also feels like it will never end. It's as if I've always felt that way, and I will always feel that way. I can tell myself that it will end; I know it will end; but I can't quite make myself believe it. And unfortunately, although a bout of anxiety is not as intense as a bout of stomach flu, it lasts a heck of a lot longer.
BUT the thing is, flu ends. I do stop feeling quite so horrendous. And anxiety flare-ups end too. They end on their own, though it helps to find useful ways to deal with the obsessive thoughts that accompany them.
Here's what helps keep anxiety symptoms at bay and prevent flare-ups for me:
- Regular exercise, to the point where my muscles feel worked out.
- Limiting or preferably eliminating caffeine consumption.
- Connecting emotionally with people I care about in a general way; and
- Discussing what is particularly bothering me before it gets out of control. If it's a relationship issue, discussing it with the other person or people in that particular relationship.
That last one is something that I keep having to relearn. I try and talk myself out of obsessive ideas rather than bothering someone else with them. This seldom works and I work myself up into a frenzy before breaking down and having some sort of crying fit to be told that it's just not true that so-and-so wants me to go away and never come back.
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