Anxiety and Stress

This is a blog post I've been wanting to do for quite a while now because I don't think its something that is talked about in the way it should be. I mean, its definitely talked about more than it was a couple of years ago but does anyone really address it properly? I believe its important to look at the science behind it as well as ways to help. I've been struggling with stress and anxiety for years but its never really been explained properly to me, not even by a doctor. So, I did a bit of research...

 

Stress

 

Stress is a completely normal thing and if your body uses it in the correct way it can be great. it can keep you motivated, active and challenges you.It's a natural reaction and can really help you in dangerous situations (its part of the fight-or-flight process). Stress is part of releasing hormones, like adrenaline, when you in an emergency situation. However, when your body is overworked and you become too stressed it can very negative affects. This kind of stress can effect your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. It is important that we keep our stress levels as low as possible and find a way to recognise when we are becoming too stressed. Sometimes stress starts affecting you so much that eventually you don't even release it there- this can be extremely dangerous. It's so important that you listen to your body because if you don't it can have some very devastating affects.

(http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm)

 

Anxiety

 

If you are affected by anxiety then it can be really controlling. It generally takes over you and affects how we feel, how we behave and has a lot of physical symptoms. There are different levels of anxiety- some people have mild anxiety, where as some people physically can't do anything because they are so scared. Anxiety, similar to stress, is part of the fight-or-flight process. It's an action that sometimes takes place in our body and can cause uncontrollable fears. Anxiety, ironically, is caused by stress. Some of us are more vulnerable to anxiety than others but we can learn to control it. Anxiety is sometimes made worse by negative self talk- the process of which we tell ourselves things are worse than they actually are.

 

Symptoms of anxiety- Tense muscles, trembling, churning stomach, nausea, headaches, backache, heart palpitations and numbness. I also get panic attacks with my anxiety which is also very common.

(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7603.php)

 

I am currently going through sessions of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) which is the process of changing the way you think and feel about things. This has really helped me and is something I highly suggest if you are struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, panic disorders or anything similar.

 

I am in no way an expert in anything I have just written about but I do have experience with it and I really hope this blog post has helped at least one of you!

 

Bye bugs xox

 

 

New Year, New Me?

Happy New Year to all of you! It's such an exciting time of year, everyone's getting over Christmas and feeling motivated, although that doesn't always last. That's a thing that always comes around with the celebration of the new year- the resolutions. Everyone makes these whether you believe you'll follow them through or not. But how many of us actually do?

 

Resolutions are  funny things really, it's like you're deciding you're going to change your entire personality overnight. It's crazy the difference that one day can make on someone; the leggings and the running shoes come out and suddenly everyone has an iPod shuffle and can bare the cold January mornings. Most people vow to lose weight or something like that- but what's the point if it's not actually going to happen?

 

That's why I don't normally make new years resolutions. However, this year I made an exception. I don't want to talk about how I'm planning  to change every part of my life, that's not what this blog post is about. What I am going to talk about is how I plan to become happier with myself.

 

Over the last couple of years I've noticed that my self-confidence has dropped to a record-breaking low. My anxiety got worse and everything just generally felt like crap. This year I've decided enough is enough- I'm doing my exams soon and I want to make sure my last year at high school is one I can enjoy. This doesn't mean that I have to change my life drastically but  what I do need to do is slightly adjust the small things I'm not okay with.

 

I decided the first thing I needed to do was become healthier- this didn't mean losing weight but I wanted to make sure my body was happy so that my mind would eventually catch up with it. The next thing I have decided to do is to remove the people that brought a negative energy to my life. Now, obviously that wasn't completely possible, but I did press that big red delete button on the people that had brought me down and quite frankly treated me like crap.

 

These are just a few changes I've managed to make in the last few weeks (and I intent to continue) but I've already noticed a massive difference in myself. The purpose of the blog post was to show you that new years resolutions don't have to be impossible or drastic, just do the things that make you happy. Do things step by step, little by little and you can do anything.

 

I hope everyone enjoyed there new year and you all have a good week!

 

Bye bugs xox