There are many things we can do to work on our anxiety. The first is recognizing what it is that we do to ourselves that cause anxiety attacks. Sometimes we feel like they are completely out of the blue, but I bet if you thought about all of them long enough and figured out what you were doing before it happened, what you ate, who you were around, what you were thinking, etc. you would eventually figure out what your "triggers" are. Here are some of most common things we do to ourselves that can trigger attacks (in no particular order):
- Play the What if Game and other negative self talk- Setting Ourselves up for Failure
- Poor Self Esteem- thinking we're not worthy enough to be around others and be liked for who we are
- Put too much pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" for others or not to have an attack
- Focus on ourselves more than those around us
- Eat poorly, drink a lot of caffeine
- Do not exercise and or meditate regularly
- Full Exposure to our phobias instead of baby steps
- Do not get enough rest at night
- Hold in our feelings
- Do not focus on breathing deeply- I think I will focus more on this particular topic tomorrow as it is so helpful for calming you down when you feel initial anxiety symptoms.
If you are still not sure why you have anxiety attacks and you desperately want them to stop or at least reduce in their frequency or severity, take a look at these and see if you are giving in to any of these triggering behaviors, and make the needed adjustments.
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