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Yes, anxiety can be debilitating but for me, it has been something I have worked really hard on and it is now something that I really embrace. Anxiety used to be something I was truly ashamed of, but now I simply view it as something that is part of my story but doesn't define who I am. With my anxiety I use it to my advantage; at least now I do. Now I am able to really focus on my self talk and breathing exercises when I am having a panic/anxiety attack. I have also been able to focus on finding habits that work for me, when a panic attack or even just a anxiety attack happens after the fact I really try and write things down so that I can go back on it later and really see if I can remember what worked and what didn't. There are times however that after a panic attack I really can't even remember what happened or what I did to help myself out of it.
So this post is going to be about why I embrace my anxiety. I have discusses what it is that happens for me during an attack and even why I am not ashamed of it but we are now going to dive into why I embrace it as well as what my anxiety is classified as.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (or GAD) is marked by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events for no obvious reason. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school. Everyone feels anxiety now and then -- and there can be good reasons why. But in people with GAD, the worry is often unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear, and dread. Eventually, anxiety can even dominate a person's thinking so much that they find it hard to do routine things at work or school, socially, and in their relationships.
Now while I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder I still suffer from panic attacks as well as well as social anxiety. My panic attacks have gone down considerably since I was diagnosed back in July of 2014, my social anxiety while getting better is definitely still there, and if I am placed in a position with a large group of people I feel the beginnings of a panic attack coming and I can usually calm myself down enough that I can be okay in a large group. However in most cases I am with my sister or someone else and they can usually sense when I am feeling overwhelmed and they can help me out.
The ways that I embrace my anxiety are rather varied depending on my situation. For the most part though I don't hide my anxiety anymore and rather than just avoiding situations where I know I will be anxious I purposefully place myself in those situations to work on my anxiety. I also don't hide my anxiety from people. If I know that I will be in a situation where I will be anxious and possibly have to leave and take a breather, I will let someone know so that they don't worry when I suddenly disappear.
Now really this post isn't going to be anymore in-depth because really there is not much more that I can say.
I will say this though, just because my story is different than yours, or I have used different techniques than you have used, doesn't mean that your way is any less beneficial. Everyone is different and each of us grow and work differently then each other.
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