Tag: anxiety

STEPS TO A BETTER SLEEP

Published on by Aimee Eddy3 Comments

All people stop breathing while they are sleeping, but when a person stops breathing frequently during the night, that is called sleep apnea and he or she needs a CPAP machine. A CPAP machine can be difficult to get used to, and some people can’t get used to them at all. Others who get used to their machine find they get a better sleep at night and can get off sleeping medication. Some can sleep with their machine, but feel no difference in how they sleep or feel the next day.

I got my CPAP machine in August. In an earlier post I wrote about how I had to change masks because the one I had was giving me anxiety attacks. Once I found the mask that worked for me, it took a week or two to get used to sleeping with a mask over my nose and head, but once I felt comfortable with it, I noticed I was falling asleep sooner. Before my mask, with sleeping medication, it took me a half hour or longer to fall asleep. With the mask and my sleeping medication, I fell asleep within fifteen minutes. I was sleeping better, but I still felt groggy in the morning and yawned at work. I figured it was probably my sleeping medication.

A month after I got my machine, I talked to my psychiatrist on the phone. He asked questions about how I was sleeping with the CPAP. I told him I was falling asleep sooner and sleeping soundly through the night. I take medication that dissolves under your tongue. My psychiatrist had me taking a 5-milligram tablet cut in half. I had been on sleeping medication for many years. Anxiety and racing thoughts kept me up at night, and the sleeping medicine helped me relax so I could sleep, but sometimes my worrying and racing thoughts were so bad that I had a hard time sleeping with medication. Over a month’s time on my machine, I didn’t struggle with my thoughts. I just fell asleep.

My psychiatrist’s voice sounded confident over the phone. “I would like you to cut your pill into quarters. You should have four pieces to take once a day.”

I swallowed hard. Worries filled my mind. Could I sleep on less medication? What happens if I end up staying up all night and I start making mistakes at work? This can’t be a good idea. I have been on this medication for years; how could a CPAP machine help me sleep without it? I can’t go back to staying up all night begging God to let me sleep.

It was my day off. I tried to keep myself busy all day so I wouldn’t worry about the change in my medication. I did laundry and other housework. Later that night I cut my pill into quarters. I put one quarter under my tongue and crawled in bed beside my husband. I prayed to God to let me sleep. Fifteen minutes after I went to bed, I fell asleep.

For two months I slept well on a quarter of my medication. In November I had another call from my psychiatrist. I gave him a report on how I was sleeping. He then told me to break the four pieces in half so there would be eight small pieces. Then to take one a night. That amounts to a very small piece of medication. I was sure this would not work. It wasn’t enough medication to relax me. I was determined I would be up all night. There was no way a little piece of medicine could help me sleep. I’d be tossing and turning all night. That night I took my medicine and put my CPAP mask on and once again I was asleep in fifteen minutes.

During November I got a cold and had to miss work and then the cold went into a sinus infection. In December I got sick two more times and had to miss work. In the meantime, my husband went from forty hours to thirty-two and the place he works at was shut down for a week. We were behind in bills and deep in debt. We started going to the food bank and I tried to make arrangements with the bill companies. I was under a lot of stress and my anxiety was high. Normally under this kind of stress I would struggle to sleep even with my medication, but with my CPAP and a little piece of medicine I slept well.

I’ve had problems sleeping since I was a child, and throughout my adulthood, I have been on sleeping medication. To get to the point where I could sleep on just a very small amount was a miracle to me. I thought I would be on sleeping medicine for the rest of my life, but as I cut my medicine down, I began to hope that soon I would no longer need my medication. My next talk with my psychiatrist is at this end of the month. I have a feeling he will discontinue my sleeping medication. I’m excited and a little scared. The “What ifs” are filling my mind, but I’m trying to stay positive.

Not everyone has sleep apnea and needs a CPAP, but if you need one, it might change your life and sleep. A CPAP machine seems like a hassle, and you might think you could never sleep with a mask on your face, but give it a chance. It may help you take big steps in how you sleep and help you get off medication.

With my CPAP machine I sleep much better, and a good night’s sleep helps me function better during the day. With steps to a better sleep, I am standing tall in the light of recovery.

HOLIDAY STRESS AND DEPRESSION

Published on by Aimee Eddy2 Comments

Holidays are a joyous time of year, but also a stressful time, especially this year. With inflation being so high, people are extra stressed about affording the fixings for dinners, for buying gifts, and paying bills. We work hard to keep family traditions going and giving our best to our loved ones. Such stressors like these can increase sadness in those who have depression. It can make the holidays seem bleak and hopeless.

When I was a child, the holidays sent me into a deep hole of depression. When we exchanged names for gifts, I usually got a gag gift and became the joke of the class. Everyone laughed but me. During the holidays I spent a lot of time alone, I got upset easily, and I got into fights with my siblings. I even argued with my parents and cried silently at night.

 I felt so alone. I was bullied in school and had very few friends, which worsened my depression. One year I asked for a Ventriloquist puppet so I could have a friend. I got the puppet for Christmas and worked on having it talk without moving my lips. I carried on conversations with it, but it wasn’t the same as having a human friend.

When I met my husband, my holiday depression faded away. He goes out of his way to spoil me with love and gifts. With him I’m never alone and I get wonderful gifts instead of gag gifts. I’m the sparkle in his eyes and he is the sparkle in mine. I enjoy spoiling him too. But this year is extremely hard and stressful. We’ve had a rough year financial. There has been a lot of unexpected problems throughout 2023.

Every year my husband and dad have a tradition of going together to pick out Christmas trees, but this year we don’t have the money for a real tree. My older sister is giving us a fake tree to put up. It’ll be our first fake tree since we got married.

We are struggling to pay bills and put food on the table. Each week I sit down to pay the bills and tears fall because the money won’t stretch far enough. Bills keep coming in that we can’t pay and my stress increases. By the time I pay what I can, we have little money for food. My parents help us out by bringing us some food and we go to our church food bank. I fear my biggest nightmare is coming true. I fear we’re going to go bankrupt and lose everything. This stirs up my anxiety and leaves me struggling with obsessive worrying when I should be sleeping at night.

Stress has led to bouts of depression. I feel like I have failed us. I take care of the bills and I have always been able to pay them until now. What have I done wrong? How will we ever get out of this mess? Will we have to skip Christmas? Will we end up living in a box in an alley? The worries are nonstop day and night. I feel like I can’t breathe.

I’ve been asking to work overtime at work to get more hours. Sometimes they say yes and other times no. I’ve tried an author event in a town forty-five minutes away, hoping to sell some books, but unfortunately very few people showed up. I did sell some bookmarks, that were meant to be given free, to fellow authors. That money got us supper on our trip home. I’m woodburning Christmas ornaments, hoping those will sell to give us a little extra money. I’ve sold two so far.

We have a Christmas account at our bank. I used some of the money to pay some bills, but Lou insisted we keep a little money to get each other a few gifts. We’ll be having Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s. My parents always send us home with leftovers.

To cope with my stress, bouts of depression, and the holidays, I journal out my feelings and I list five positive things each day. I also turn to my support system, I pray, and I keep myself busy with my writing and woodburning. Most importantly, I take care of myself. I remind myself that money doesn’t make the holidays happy; love does. I rely on God to see us through our difficult times, and I thank God for all who have been helping us in out time of need. Traditions can change, gifts can be small, but love is the largest gift of all. God’s love is what shines in every holiday.

If you’re struggling with the holidays, then write a list of the positive things in your life. Do things that make you happy. Take care of yourself. Remember the holidays are about much more than large meals and fancy gifts. Sometimes the best gifts are those from the heart. Make do with what you do have and be grateful that God gave you that. Worry about your stressors for a few minutes and then let them go. Focus on the positive.

These holidays are different for us, but this Thanksgiving I am thankful. I’m thankful for the help of family, for my husband’s love, for having a home, for the support of friends, and for God’s love. Holding onto the positive is what is getting me through the holidays and keeping me standing in the light of recovery.

YOU ARE WORTHY

Published on by Aimee Eddy2 Comments

When you’re in the deepest part of your hole of depression it is hard to see your own self-worth. It’s easy to lose all your self-esteem. You see yourself as useless, hopeless, and an awful person. It’s nearly impossible to find anything that is good about yourself. The truth is: you are none of the things your sick mind tells you that you are. You are so much more than your illness and the dark lenses you are looking through. You are a worthy, special person.

I know many of you need reassurance that despite the illness that tortures your mind, you are a wonderful person. Below is a list of reasons why you are worthy. Maybe this is the moment you need to read this or maybe you need a reminder to fuel your determination to fight this awful illness. Whatever your reasons are, please read on.

Reasons you are worthy:

  • You are worthy of living. Your life is valuable and even though it doesn’t seem like it You are an important part of this world. You have people who love you. They would be broken-hearted if you were to die. You can get better and make a big difference in people’s lives. You’re important.   
  • You are worthy of happiness.

You might think you’re doomed to a life of sadness, but you’re not. You can reach recovery and live a happy life. You deserve happiness and it’s up to you to strive for it. Don’t be afraid to be happy and to search for happiness.

  • You are worthy of being loved.

You might hate yourself right now and think you don’t deserve love, but you are wrong. Everyone deserves to be loved, even you. Those sad, hopeless, and miserable feelings you have are not you. It’s your illness. The person you are is a beautiful person who is kind, caring, fun and much more. That person is worthy of love.

  • You are worthy of kindness.

You don’t deserve to be called names, to be hurt physically or to be used. You are worthy of people who will care for you, give you a shoulder to lean on, spend time with you and are willing to get to know you.

  • You are worthy of respect.

You don’t deserve to be treated like you are dangerous or a loss cause.
You deserve to be admired for your strength to fight this illness and for the person you are. You are special and are worthy of others’ respect. You deserve to be admired for your strength to fight this illness and for the person you are. You are special and are worthy of others’ respect.

  • You are worthy of recovery.
    You’re not meant to spend your life stuck in deep sadness and emotional pain. You deserve to learn coping techniques, learn new ways of thinking and of finding the right medication that helps you manage your illness. Recovery means managing your illness well enough that you can function and live a happy life and you deserve that.
  • You are worthy of loving yourself.
    Right now, you might hate yourself, but you don’t deserve the self-hatred. That person you are despite your illness is a beautiful person deserving of your love. Fight to find yourself and look inside you. See yourself for the person you are, not the person your illness makes you think of yourself. Inside you is a person craving to be loved by you.

Read through this list every time you feel unworthy.

Remind yourself of how worthy you are, each time you feel like giving up.

Write theses down on index cards and put them in different spots in your home where you’ll remember to read them.

Write each thing out on a piece of paper you are worthy of, if necessary.

Do this until you believe them to be true.

I am worthy of all of these and much more. Knowing this keeps me in the light of recovery.

TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH BULLYING

Published on by Aimee Eddy2 Comments

Unfortunately, bullying is a big problem in our schools. Children are being abused physically and verbally for being different. This abuse leads to mental health problems, behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse, and academic problems. Many parents are lost, not knowing how they can help their child.

From personal experience as a bullying survivor and through research, I put together some tips for parents to help their children. Below are my tips:

  • Look for signs of bullying. Some of the signs that your child is being bullied are: missing or destroyed belongings and clothing, loss of friends, spending time alone, loss of self-esteem, not sleeping or having nightmares, trying to avoid going to school, unexplained injuries, and so on. You can find out more at this site What are common signs of being bullied? | NICHD – Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (nih.gov)
  • Keep an open communication with your children. Talk to your children about school. Ask them about their day and friends. Tell your children they can talk to you if they need to. Be interested in their activities and what is going on in their lives. If you have a busy lifestyle, make a special time each day to sit and talk with your children.
  • Be willing to listen. If your child wants to talk, then make time to listen. Let your children know you’re always willing to listen to them. Sometimes they just need a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen while they let out their feelings.
  • Encourage children to share their feelings with other adults. Understand children don’t tell their parents everything. Let your child know if they can’t tell you something, they can tell an aunt, uncle, grandparents, or another adult they feel close to.
  • Look for signs of mental health problems. Many children who are bullied struggle with depression and anxiety. Learn about the signs of depression and anxiety such as nausea, frequent shaking, tightness in the chest, irritability, hopelessness, talk of suicide, excessive worrying, and feelings of sadness. You can find out more at Identifying anxiety, depression signs – Mayo Clinic Health System.
  • Seek professional help. If you notice signs of continuous bullying or signs of depression and anxiety, look into therapy for your child. Bullying is a form of abuse that rips apart a child’s self-esteem and mental well-being. A therapist can help your child cope and talk about what is happening to them. If you don’t feel confident with the school therapist, look for another professional. If you do not have health insurance, look into state funded programs. Many state programs offer help at low cost or no cost. The sooner you get your child help, the better chances you have of combating the effects of bullying.
  • Fight for your child. Talk to teachers, principal, school administration, or school board to put a stop to the bullying your child is facing. If no one will listen then document what is happening and talk to the news. Do what it takes to end the abuse your child is facing.

If your child is being bullied, use these tips to help them deal with what is happening to them. It’s your job as a parent to do what it takes to help your child. No matter how busy your life is, make time for your children and be aware of what is going on in their lives. Lean on friends and family for support. Let’s stop what we are doing and speak out for our children.

I wrote my book Escape to the Garage: Family Love Overcomes Bullying to show not only the effects of bullying, but also the importance of family. My mom fought endlessly for me, but unfortunately back then she didn’t have the resources we have now. My family and my parents got me through many hard times as a child. The only regret I have is I should have never kept so much to myself. Writing my book and speaking out against bullying helps me heal in the light of recovery.

TIPS ON HANDLING LIFE’S CHALLENGES

Published on by Aimee Eddy2 Comments

Life is very unpredictable. Sickness hits us when we least expect it, and other things seem to go wrong all at once. Our car breaks down, our roof leaks, a friend walks away, or a husband gets hurt. When you’re struggling with mental illness, life’s challenges can worsen your illness. If you’re in recovery or on the road to recovery from mental illness, life’s challenges can threaten to push you down that dark hole.

If you have been following my blog, you know I have faced a lot of health problems and challenges that have tested my ability to stay in the light of recovery. If you’re new to my blog, check out some of my older posts. I developed ways to cope with life’s challenges that I faced. Below are a few tips on how to handle challenges.

  • Allow yourself time to feel. Give yourself time to get sad, cry, scream, and let out your emotions. Holding in your feelings can only send you further into that hole of darkness. Do what you need to get those feelings out even if it means spending a day in bed.
  • Pull yourself together. Don’t let yourself stay stuck in your emotional state of mind. Remind yourself of how strong you are and what it took you to get where you are, whether it would be on the road to recovery or in recovery. Wipe those tears away, get out of bed, get dressed, and remember how strong you are.
  • Focus on the positive. Even though things are tough and seem hopeless, there are positive things. Pull out a piece of paper and write down the positive things in your life like you have a home, you got up that morning, the sun is shining, and you have food. Even the smallest things can be positive. It might be hard to find good things during the hard times, but don’t give up.
  • Turn to coping techniques. What kind of coping techniques did you learn in therapy? Do you do deep breathing, or grounding techniques? Do you have a hobby, do you journal, or do you go for a walk? Whatever coping techniques work for you, use them. If you don’t know of any techniques, then research some on the internet or talk to your therapist.
  • Lean on your support system. Talk or text your friends or family members who are part of your support team. Often, they can give you good advice or guide you to a healthier path. Sometimes it’s just good to have someone listen to you.
  • Push forward. When life hits you hard, it’s easy to give up and go backwards, but remember you’re strong. Stand up tall and push forward. See the hard times as something you can find away around. Be determined that you won’t let the struggles pull you down. You can get through this, and life will get better.
  • Seek help or talk to your therapist. If you find that you can’t get through this difficult time in your life on your own, call your therapist and make an appointment. If you’re in recovery and you no longer have a therapist, find one. There is no shame in seeking help. A therapist will have lots of ways to help you through and can guide you through the challenges that face you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Remember no matter how difficult things can get, you can get through it. Don’t let life’s challenges push you down that dark hole. Your road to recovery or remaining in recovery is too important to risk. Follow these tips or find your own ways to handle life’s challenges.

I have been through numerous illnesses, surgeries, and hard times and through it all I used these tips to keep me in recovery. I face life’s challenges with strength in the light of recovery.

THE BATTLE AGAINST ANXIETY

Published on by Aimee Eddy4 Comments

Around forty million people today struggle with an anxiety disorder. It often goes along with other mental illnesses like depression. Anxiety manifests in different ways for different people. Some have panic attacks, whiles others get physically ill. Fighting and learning to handle anxiety are challenges that on some days can seem impossible.

A couple of weeks ago I was stretching beyond my cash register to scan a cake a customer was holding up when I felt an immediate pain in my left hip. I tried to ignore the pain, but it started shooting down my leg. I told a manager and filled out an accident report. A co-worker took me home and when my husband got home, he took me to an urgent care that was approved for workers compensation. The doctor examined me and told me I had popped a joint in my hip out of place. He gave me steroids and pain medicine and recommended I go to a chiropractor to have it put in place.

An approved chiropractor didn’t have an available appointment until a week later. While I waited to be seen the only thing I could do comfortably was lie on the couch and watch TV. Sitting and standing for more than a couple of minutes hurt. Nights were also rough. It was hard to get comfortable. A few nights I cried out as pain shot down my hip and leg.

 This made me worry that maybe more was wrong than what the urgent care doctor said. Maybe he missed something. He didn’t take x-rays. I have osteoporosis; maybe I broke my hip? What if I needed another surgery?

While I waited for my appointment, my dad and his friend put a kitchen floor in my house. While they tore up the old floor, my dad frequently asked how I was doing. I told him I was hurting. I lay on my couch watching them work while worrying about my hip. The medicine made the pain bearable for a little while. I could sit up for short periods of time to do edits one of my beta readers made on my memoir.

I tried to remind myself of the positive things of being off work. I got to watch my old worn-out kitchen floor transform into a beautiful floor, I had a good excuse to lie around, I got to be waited on by my husband, and I got to spend extra time with my dog, Esther.

New kitchen floor

The worries about more being wrong with my hip started to grow bigger and bigger. The night before my chiropractor appointment, my thoughts took control of me and ran wild. I pictured myself having hip surgery and being laid up for six months or more. I wanted 2022 to be a year without surgeries and now I would probably have one. It seemed like every time I had a problem it led to having a surgery. It seemed inevitable. I was sure the chiropractor would say he couldn’t help me because more was wrong.

I rolled from side to side in bed while my thoughts raced, and my stomach twisted. I did deep breathing to try to calm my anxiety, but it didn’t help. I tried to picture myself floating on a small boat, but the nagging thoughts intruded. I took my sleeping medicine, and usually a little bit after I lay down, I’d drift off to sleep, but not this time. Even my sleeping medication couldn’t calm my overbearing anxiety and obsessive worrying. I was wide awake.

“Why aren’t you sleeping? Are you worrying about tomorrow?” Lou whispered.

I buried my head in my pillow to hide my tears. “I can’t sleep. No matter what I try, nothing works.”

Lou stretched his arm out to me. “Come over here.”

I lay on his chest and he gently stroked my back. “Let go of your worries. Close your eyes and relax. Sleep, my love, sleep.”

I lay on his chest for a while, and when I thought I was drifting off to sleep, I rolled over to my side of the bed. Then the thoughts started screaming in my head again. I thought if I lay still Lou wouldn’t know I didn’t fall asleep, but there was no fooling him. He knew I was awake, and he refused to sleep until I slept. He suggested I counted sheep. So, I gave it a try. I got to 100 and I was still awake.

The chiropractor can’t help you. You have more wrong with your hip. You probably broke something. You’ll end up having another surgery. This time you’ll be out longer. You may never be able to work again. If I broke a bone, it would be because of my osteoporosis and workers comp won’t pay my medical bills. I’ll be out of work with no money to pay bills. Lou deserves a healthy wife. Not one he has to take care of all the time.

Internally I yelled at myself. Stop it. Stop thinking. Think about something good. You’re going to have a book published. Think about that.

Lou wrapped his arm around me. “Baby, you need to sleep.”

I hit my fist against my head and cried, “I can’t stop the dumb thoughts. What’s wrong with me? Usually, I drift off to sleep. I’m trying so hard, and nothing is working.”

Lou massaged my shoulders and back, but I was still awake. At 8:00 a.m. we decided to get up and go get breakfast. As we got closer to the time to leave for my appointment my stomach began to cramp, and I felt sick. I recently developed an obsession with squishy toys I found at Dollar Tree. I like the feeling of the toys in my hand and squishing them is relaxing. Before my appointment I squeezed the squishy toy like a stress ball, and it helped settle my nerves some.

Once I got to my appointment my anxiety faded away as the chiropractor popped my joint in place and massaged my muscles around my hip. Later that night I discussed with my friend Cheryl different things I could have done to calm my anxiety so I could sleep. My plan for the next time anxiety and worrying get the best of me is to do grounding techniques, keep a squishy near my bed, and talk or journal about my fears before bedtime.

Sometimes anxiety gets the best of us, but once you are calm it’s good to make a plan of how to better handle it. Think about that anxiety attack and plan out different things that could help you fight it. Anxiety is relentless, but not impossible to fight. Try different methods such as deep breathing, meditation, listening to nature sounds, squeezing a stress ball or a squishy toy, practice grounding techniques, and so on. Find what works for you and plan to use it when anxiety gets the best of you.

I continue to look for new ways to help with my anxiety. I keep track of things that work and what doesn’t. Fighting my anxiety helps me bathe in the light of recovery.

OVERPOWERING AN ANXIOUS MIND

Published on by Aimee EddyLeave a comment

The mind is a very powerful part of a person. It’s the mind and the knowledge we collect within it that help us build our lives and our future. Within our mind is intellect, knowledge, thought processes, decision making, creativity, and much more. Of course, the mind is a part of the brain. It’s one of the many functions of the brain. What happens to the mind when small worries and fears grow and grow until they become huge? An anxious mind can be overpowering and debilitating. Anxiety affects the mind and the whole body.

Brilliant-Mind

My anxiety hit me powerfully in college when I fell to the rock bottom of my depression. I lost my cousin in a car accident my senior year of high school and I moved forty-five minutes from my home to live with my grandparents to be closer to college. My friend took notes I wrote her, telling her my deepest feelings and my need for comfort, to her mom and a teacher I had in school. My friend’s mother forbade her to see me, but she snuck out and began abusing me. On top of that, it was stuck in my mind that my grades had to be high because I had to prove to all those who thought I couldn’t do anything that I could succeed.

In the mornings before college the worrying and fears started.

I spent hours doing my homework and studying. I have to get a good grade. I can’t be a failure. I can’t let everyone be right about me. I’m so tired. What if I fall asleep in class? I didn’t study enough. I should have studied longer. I don’t remember what I studied. I forgot everything. I spent hours studying for nothing. I can’t go to classes. I don’t even remember the chapters I read last night.

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I started feeling nauseous. I began to dry heave.

What am I doing in college? I’ll just fail. I hurt my friend with my notes and I’m messing up my one chance to prove myself. Everything in my life is going wrong. I can’t go to my classes. I feel sick. I can’t do anything right. I need to study more. I have to get a high grade. I’m not ready. I need more time. I’m going to fail out of college.

My anxiety kept building as my mind made a small thing like getting a good grade on a homework or test into something huge. The more I worried about my grades in college, the more my body reacted. It started with nausea, dry heaves, and then getting sick. I got sick every morning before class, in between classes, and when I went to see my friend.

Woman feeling sick with stomachache in bed - Pain in stomach

At the time I didn’t understand what was happening to my body. My mom took me to a doctor and he gave me anti-nausea medication, but that didn’t even work. The anxiety didn’t stop until I moved back home and began therapy and the abusive friend moved away.

It wasn’t until many years later I learned what anxiety was. I was happily married, I had been working the same job for several years, and I was managing my illness, yet the nausea, dry heaves and throwing up started up again. Doctors did many tests and found nothing wrong with me. My doctor told me he believed I was having anxiety attacks. I thought he wasn’t taking my problem seriously and he was blaming my mental illness on an illness he couldn’t explain, but when I talked to my therapist, I realized my doctor was right. I started journaling my thoughts.

close up of patient and doctor taking notes

During a normal work day my worries turned to fears and grew throughout the day. It started in the morning before work.

I have to catch the bus on time. I can’t be late. I can’t be late for work. I hope I don’t make a mistake at work. We can’t afford for me to get fired. We’d lose everything if I’m not working. It takes both of our paychecks to pay our bills. If we can’t pay our bills we’d lose our home and everything.

By the middle of my day I was fighting nausea and dry heaves. The worries grew and grew. I began to fear throughout my day that I would make a big mistake and by the end of the day I’d have no job. My body reacted as the anxiety took over. I would fight my dry heaves until I had to get off register to get sick in the bathroom. The worries continued after work. I worried about not having enough money to pay our bills and to make it through the week. My anxious mind overpowered my body, my thoughts, and my feelings.

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Anti-anxiety medication helped a lot, but I also had to practice relaxing techniques like deep breathing, listening to soft music, and doing something I enjoyed. I also had to learn to identify my worries and take control of them before they overtook me. Recently my best friend Cheryl sent me a post about grounding. Now I keep the grounding techniques on my phone and when my anxious mind becomes overpowering, I use them.

If your anxious mind is overpowering, talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about anti-anxiety medications and talk to a therapist about coping and relaxation techniques. Learn to identify your worries and fears, then work on ways to stop them from getting bigger and bigger. When the worry starts, tell yourself, “Stop. You have worried enough. Now focus on something else.”

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Try grounding techniques like: look around you, find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Find this and more grounding techniques at https://www.redorbit.com/grounding-techniques-for-anxiety/.

With the help of medication, grounding techniques, and relaxation methods, my anxiety is pretty much under control. Sometimes it gets the best of me, but because I’m willing to fight it, my anxious mind no longer overpowers my life. Since I’m willing to work hard to calm my anxiety, I strive within the light of recovery.