a step in the right direction.

[admirablesloth]

so there a few new things i’ve been trying out.

1) deep breathing (easier said than done when your anxiety creeps up constantly but takes practice). this can put your heart rate on a rhythm and helps with a more steady type of breath

2) meditation (also WAYYY easier said than done and also takes practice). i’ve been trying to tell myself positive things, “everything will be okay, i am loved, i am smart, i am so on and so forth”, tbh i’ll tell myself things i usually wouldn’t but you’d be surprised what your capable of achieving when you begin to believe it.

i’ve had some set backs, some pretty awful days as well where these won’t solve all of life’s problems, but they have made them a bit more bearable. if you’re anything like me, i spend a lot of my time worried about things that haven’t even happened, my image, what people will think, and what ILL think of myself. i fear not being able to live with myself sometimes because of my failures that seem to haunt me as if i’m meant to be perfect or something, but attempting to go on this journey of beginning to love myself at least takes me a step in the right direction.

what about you guys, any other tips or helpful practices that you’ve tried?

[Starrlight]

Happy for you. My thing helpful right now is running. I also find deep slow breathing a great tool.

[admirablesloth in reply to Starrlight]

yess exercise also helps a lot!! been trying to do that more often as well, but yay good to hear that works for you ☺️

[Starrlight in reply to admirablesloth]

Thanks 😊 🙏

[Billsfriend]

Wow, I've been doing the same things, and more. I had to start with reading to learn how to concentrate, I believe that in the process, I was training ( and disciplining ) my mind. I used a computer game where you searched for a smiling face on a grid of 9 or 12 faces. They claim it trains your mind to look for positive things ( it's free anyway).

I prayed, because I'm trying to believe, and I know it works for a lot of people. I went to AA meetings too, because their techniques have been proven to be very effective ( and it's free). Besides I used to have a problem with drugs and alcohol.

I say I Used To, because I believe it's helpful to not label a problem as ongoing.

Besides I have 5weeks clean now!

I look for anything that makes sense to me. And I convince myself that it will work. I don't allow my mind to entertain any doubts.

Then I implement it.

I quit smoking 8 years ago, by convincing myself that I could. Then I just did. I never had a desire to go back to smoking. ( A thought would enter my mind occasionally, but I refused to entertain it, instead I overwhelmed my mind with negative thoughts about smoking.) I've written other posts here where I talk about this, if you care to look at them

I am really impressed to learn of your success, thanks for posting!

[Hidden]

Oh I am indeed like that. I worry too much that things will go wrong when nothing even happened yet. I always see the worst in scenarios instead of the good outcome. When I fail, i feel like the world would end. I can't easily forgive myself. I live in regrets a lot.

And I did try it. Talking to myself, thinking positively. I kept telling myself today, that it will be alright. All problems can be fixed and solved. I can do this. And yes, the outcome of my worry was nothing at all. Everything worked out fine. I feel relieved.

Some of the things I tried is watching horror or love-comedy movies. If not, I would go grab a novel from authors that I really really like. And it helps. I feel relax and I forget my worries, depression and anxiety even for just a while.

[quitter333]

1. there's good breathing method that help anxiety (the 4-7-8) 4 second long inhale, 7 hold breath, 8 exhale.

2. people often think meditation is mantras and repetition, while it's usually thinking about the things you feel and have in mind and chosing something to focus on.