davidr
06-03-05, 23:21
I was wondering what strategies people are using for coping / dealing with their health anxiety issues at the moment and how they are finding these work. I thought it would be extremely useful to build up a profile of the most popular and effective (or not) methods of reducing our anxiety. Hopefully we can learn from each others experience and techniques and take the most productive bits and integrate them into our own strategies if they are not already there.
My List: in no particular order
1. Monitoring (keep a diary of feelings thoughts) and controlling my thoughts through reduction of periods spent outside of the present, particularly where they relate to things I have no control over. I have compiled worksheets to record this onto.
2. Relaxation through audio CD for 30-45 minutes a day, which involves slowed breathing, muscle relaxing and some imagination work where I drift to a more tranquil, healing place.
3. Weekly yoga, reflexology and a massage, this may seem expensive but unless I am well I cannot function so in the long term it is cheap and money is no good to me if I am not around to spend it.
4. A bath with lavender oil listening to relaxing music without voices and a few minutes deep breathing ( breath in the lavender scent and breath out through the mouth the stress of that day. This helps slow my heart rate down before I go to bed.
5. I take a B complex supplement and vitamin C tablet. I also take 1 Rhodiola Rosea tablet to help my poor adrenal glands. I also take a multivitam.
6. I purchased a pedometer to try and do the 10,000 steps a day, but currently only manage on average about 5,000 but am working toward this and find walking a wonderful time to practice staying in the present and enjoying nature etc.
7. I eat fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid processed food as much as possible and drink 2 litres of water a day.
8. I have started reading about NLP and reading people like Deepak Chopra and absorbing things that will give me a better perspective on myself and the world. I am really working on unravelling my negative wiring. This is not about positive thinking as I never found this useful but about changing my conditioned responses to things so that I can deal more effectively with change and my condition.
9. Power breathing using powerbreathe which is a small piece of equipment that helps to improve the efficiency of my lungs and diaphragm so that I do not shallow breath as much and train my respitory system to breathe correctly again.
10. Connect with other sufferers on this site and listen, support and learn from each others experiences.
I would love to hear others views and opinions, just one technique would be great if it is working for you, you don't have to have a great big list like this, unless like me your going through a chemical rush which makes you capable of doing a million things an hour. I still don't know what these are but they are a left over from my Prozac days, does anyone else experience them?
My List: in no particular order
1. Monitoring (keep a diary of feelings thoughts) and controlling my thoughts through reduction of periods spent outside of the present, particularly where they relate to things I have no control over. I have compiled worksheets to record this onto.
2. Relaxation through audio CD for 30-45 minutes a day, which involves slowed breathing, muscle relaxing and some imagination work where I drift to a more tranquil, healing place.
3. Weekly yoga, reflexology and a massage, this may seem expensive but unless I am well I cannot function so in the long term it is cheap and money is no good to me if I am not around to spend it.
4. A bath with lavender oil listening to relaxing music without voices and a few minutes deep breathing ( breath in the lavender scent and breath out through the mouth the stress of that day. This helps slow my heart rate down before I go to bed.
5. I take a B complex supplement and vitamin C tablet. I also take 1 Rhodiola Rosea tablet to help my poor adrenal glands. I also take a multivitam.
6. I purchased a pedometer to try and do the 10,000 steps a day, but currently only manage on average about 5,000 but am working toward this and find walking a wonderful time to practice staying in the present and enjoying nature etc.
7. I eat fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid processed food as much as possible and drink 2 litres of water a day.
8. I have started reading about NLP and reading people like Deepak Chopra and absorbing things that will give me a better perspective on myself and the world. I am really working on unravelling my negative wiring. This is not about positive thinking as I never found this useful but about changing my conditioned responses to things so that I can deal more effectively with change and my condition.
9. Power breathing using powerbreathe which is a small piece of equipment that helps to improve the efficiency of my lungs and diaphragm so that I do not shallow breath as much and train my respitory system to breathe correctly again.
10. Connect with other sufferers on this site and listen, support and learn from each others experiences.
I would love to hear others views and opinions, just one technique would be great if it is working for you, you don't have to have a great big list like this, unless like me your going through a chemical rush which makes you capable of doing a million things an hour. I still don't know what these are but they are a left over from my Prozac days, does anyone else experience them?