Anxiety

courtesy of jw.org on anxiety

Unfortunately, these definitely are times for people to become consumed with anxiety. For my mom it started out from abuse and stress. Some days she's fine, and other days she isn't.

I am shy too, and I get tense when I have to speak in front of people. It doesn't cause me anxiety though. And yes, people can be jerks. There's this saying that I love. "You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at all of you because you're the same." It can be difficult to control one's temper, particularly when people keep pushing those buttons.

Facing your fears head on is one way to deal with your anxiety. At the moment, I'm sitting here thinking of anxiety and what causes people to have it. The types of anxiety versus the types of fears has me wondering what the difference is. I don't like being in crowds. Mainly because I'm small and everyone else around me is taller and bigger. I've been stepped on before, pushed aside too; either from people just being rude or from people not seeing me. I don't think that's a form of anxiety, because I don't stress over it. Still, I hate crowds.

I imagine it's very hard to deal with on a personal level. How many breathing techniques do you do before you are calm again?

That's very sad. What do you do in circumstances when you're in a panic attack, and you have no money and you can't reach anyone? I wonder if maybe one of those little cards or bracelets with a medical note on it would help in case? Something that would identify your condition and a phone number to a contact just in case you are unable? Some years ago, a friend of mine told me she suffered a terrible panic attack when she became separated from her mother in a grocery store. She said she felt like she couldn't breathe, and all she could feel was terror. Then, some months ago, one of my sisters had a panic attack; she literally thought she was dying. Her chest hurt, she couldn't breathe. Physically there was nothing wrong with her, but her stress levels were high and her nerves were shot (figuratively speaking). She said it was one of the worst things she had been through.

@BelleStarr Oh good! That's a relief. As someone who suffers from anxiety, what do you recommend to someone who encounters a person having an anxiety attack? I apologize for all of the questions, but I would like to understand this mental condition better and to do the right thing by someone who suffers from it.

@Firestorm0122 I am never in a position to be away from home without resources. I always have my purse and a credit card. The last time I had one I didn't have my phone so I went to the entrance where we had entered the mall and waited for my daughter to go to her car. I have come up with strategies to control the overwhelming feeling.

That's a good idea. I'll try that with my mom. Thank you for the suggestion.

What makes you nervous? My mom gets freaked out any time our cats get into one of their squats, or if the dog simply barks or shakes himself.

Is yoga the only answer though? What about meditation or reading? I know some people deal with their anxiety by doing a mental activity like reading or crosswords to get their minds off their anxiety. Some may try other forms of distraction; some healthy and some (unfortunately) not so healthy.