Anxiety Update

Anxiety for me lately has been HELL, I cant even do simple things like cross the road, main roads are so scary to me and zebra crossings.. WOW. Some people might read this and think WTF!? Crossing a road is a normal day to day thing which everyone does but to someone with anxiety it can actually become such a big task!

I'm not sure whats triggered it to come back so strong as i was doing really well but i've learnt that anxiety can come and go when ever it feels like it..

I get asked this question a lot "How do you cope with your anxiety?"

Well.. a lot of the time i don't want to go places or do certain things but i'll literally force myself to do it and then once i'm there ill usually be okay after a while. Doing video shoots and photo shoots is something I've forced myself to do , the lead up to them is the worst, when i know the days coming up i'll try and think of so many excuses to try and get out of it but when i'm there i start to feel more comfortable. I always tell myself i cannot let anxiety win, if i do it means i'm letting it control my life and it will block opportunities!

Something that i found out the other day that i'll share with you is this coping mechanism called 'The 5 Thinking Hats' its proven to stop overthinking which is all anxiety is really if you think about it.. we make scenarios in our heads and think of all the outcomes (usually negative ones)

Step 1: Name 5 things you can see. Look around and become aware of your sight in particular. Name in detail, for example, instead of saying “chair”, describe it as brown, torn and large enough for two people.

Step 2: Name 4 things you can feel. Take a minute to move your toes inside your shoes or feel your rough sweatshirt rub against your arm.

Step 3: Name 3 things you can hear. Close your eyes and listen closely to what’s around you. Is there a dog barking in the neighborhood? Is there a baby crying on the other side of the room? Pick out three distinct sounds and separate them from all other noise.

Step 4: Name 2 things you can smell. Keep your eyes closed and try to identify specific smells like popcorn, sweat, peanut butter, Windex etc…

Step 5: Name 1 good thing about yourself. Here comes the hardest part of the method, because your attention is redirected upon yourself. The key is to think of a positive quality as fast as possible, before any negative thoughts have the opportunity to worm themselves into your mind. You are a precious soul and you will make it through this.

Another thing people always say to me "Your'e so pretty how do you have anxiety?"

No one can control whether they get anxiety, i can tell you from experience and also other people that i know who have it, its just something that can come at any time and can be caused from anything or NOTHING at all and just because you don/t have it now it doesn't mean to say it wont creep up on you in the future.

I take every day as it comes i know ill get over this anxiety sooner or later, it will all fall into place when its time for all of us!

#the5thinkinghats #anxiety #copingmechanism