Anxiety and How to Deal with it

'Life is a beautiful Struggle'

This is a pretty heavy  subject, and something I wouldn't normally post on my blog but because of recent issues I thought I would like to discuss an on-going issue that effects our population all-over the world. This issue is Anxiety, and teenagers are the most prone to experiencing it. Body weight, size and imperfections are major causes for teen anxiety and can often carry on until adulthood.

Everyone is effected by Anxiety at one point in their life, whether it's nervousness going for an interview or feeling scared of doing something you normally wouldn't. But for some people it is a thing they need to deal with every day and constantly struggle with it. One thing some people with Anxiety may experience is a Panic Attack, which most people brush off as an issue pretty easily. In an ideal world, I would say a panic attack is a moment of feeling a bit scared or a moment of feeling uncomfortable, but that would be a lie.

A panic attack is basically (Long story short) an overwhelming sense of uncomfortableness, fear and feeling generally unsafe. It's like the feeling of nearly falling off a chair, or the feeling of missing a step on the stairs but amplified for up to 20 minutes at a time. Nausea and Hyperventilation are also effects that occur during panic attacks and can often make the persons situation even worse, as can a crowd of unfamiliar faces.

Anxiety and panic attacks are very common especially in teenagers, and some people often misinterpret what it's actually like to deal with them both. Here is a list of methods I PERSONALLY found useful and effective which may be of use to you:

1. Get yourself out of the situation - This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give you. If you are in a crowded or enclosed area, and you begin to feel a panic attack coming on, get yourself out of the situation immediately and get some fresh air. Claustrophobia is also an effect of having a panic attack and gives the person the sense they can't breathe properly.

2. Control your breathing - If you breathe too quickly your brain takes in too much oxygen and you begin to experience uncontrollable hyperventilation.,

3. Get something to drink - I'm not sure exactly why this works, but it can often calm peoples down. Water is the best thing to drink.

4. Don't be embarrassed - People will often try to hide they are experiencing a panic attack because they don't want to be seen as uncool and want to be 'part of the group' but this however can make things even worse. The person will worry about not embarrassing themselves AND what's happening to them, which can add unnecessary pressure.

I hope some of you found this at least a little bit useful, especially if you personally experience these issues or know someone who does. If you did find this useful, please remember these are methods that won't necessarily work for everyone and can sometimes not be as effective.