Anxiety and Health

Note: You can also print this document in Adobe PDF format by clicking here. (It requires Adobe Reader which you can obtain for free here.)

Prior to coming down with my anxiety and panic attacks and agoraphobia I did not take care of myself. 

I overate, smoked, drank too much, and did not exercise.  I was in a job that I did not like.  The activities I mentioned were my only means of stress reduction.  I didn’t have patience or have any interest in all the natural stress reduction exercises that were out there and had no immediate interest in exercise.  I always told myself that I would exercise and watch my diet at a later time in my life.

I began having panic attacks, and at that point, I became quite concerned about what was wrong with me.  Despite being checked out several times by different doctors I still felt that there must really be something physically wrong with me.

Right there and then I made the decision to give up my bad habits and start taking care of myself.

Now it was very hard for me to give up these things but I felt it was something I needed to do to help lessen my anxiety.  So despite the advice of a doctor I gave these things up cold turkey.  (I definitely would not recommend doing so but rather recommend you seek the help of a capable healthcare practitioner in kicking bad habits)

This was one of the things that turned the corner for me – taking up a healthier lifestyle.

I became interested in various forms of wellness and how these things could be pleasurable but still healthy – such as healthy recipes and relaxation exercises such as hypnosis, etc.

The point I’m making is that just taking care of myself made me feel better about myself.

Now I know what you’re probably thinking: This advice is so basic and obvious.

Can you say that you are doing everything you probably should be in regards to your own health and wellness?  Now I don’t know you – so maybe you are – but the point is, many people are not doing enough.

Now I haven’t told my story to make you more anxious but rather to encourage you to really become proactive in your overall health and wellness, and not JUST focus on your panic attacks.

You really can feel better by making small changes.  For instance, beginning to look at a healthier diet, starting to so some regular exercise such as walking, swimming, etc. can yield very positive results. 

Bu making the changes discussed above, I began losing weight, feeling more energetic, generally more positive, and feeling overall more confident.

You may be thinking that it is simply too hard to worry about wellness because you are so preoccupied by your panic attacks and anxiety.  But the truth is: taking these types of steps for your overall health can be exactly what will be helpful. 

Additionally, by focusing some of your time on overall wellness you can start to take back the time that belongs to you – time not taken by panic attacks - and this shift in focus, however brief, can begin to grow more and more every day whereby you keep edging out more and more “panic attack time” which is currently dominating your life.