Learning to Live with Anxiety

Only the people very close to me know that I have been anxious a big part of my life. I was too young to understand what these feelings meant but mainly uneducated about the dreaded word Anxiety.

If you have not experienced this first hand, it will be very difficult for you to grasp the effect it has. Anxiety is a constant feeling of uneasiness and worry, mostly about things completely out of your control. Anxiety is not the same as fear, it is the expectation of future threat. It is not easy dealing with this unsettling feeling so you have to learn to cope or find a coping mechanism.

My anxiety was "mild" the past few years and then suddenly it lead to my first panic attack - which was literally the scariest moment of my life, i honestly felt like i could not breath and I had no idea what was happening. I soon realized that I did not have my anxiety under control and this was in fact, a panic attack.

I developed a love for running, trail running, road running, any type of outdoor running and i found that this helped immensely. What many people don't realize is that daily exercise alone is powerful enough to drastically reduce your anxiety. Studies have shown time and time again that there is an incredibly strong relationship between anxiety and exercise - one that could tip the scales towards living an anxiety free life.

I have to add that i find a gym very depressing, i find it so therapeutic exercising outdoors. So,my advice to everybody that silently struggles with anxiety, invest in a pair of running shoes and hit the road, the mountain, the trail, whatever floats your boat! Anxiety can be managed, you don't have to suffer.

YOU have the control, just take it back.

Love and light.