How I deal with Anxiety

On one of the saddest days of my life…

My first anxiety attack was in 2004, I was headed home from the courthouse in Angleton, Texas.  I was starting the journey to divorce from Jas + Erica’s father.  It is weird how our relationship ended up, definitely not a happy ending.  What started as love, at first sight, ended up being a life lesson on how not to rush into things.  In result, it caused heartache, a split home, and a whirlwind of anxiety.

My symptoms all started with tightening of the facial muscles, quivering lips, and blurred vision.  I was not okay and I was freaking out!!  I pulled over immediately and called my brother Markos.  I hesitated at first to make the call because I started to feel embarrassed.  What was my brother going to think of me?  What is my family going to think?  Are they going to put me in the hospital?  All these thoughts were running through my head.  When I did make the call he tried calming me down and asked where I was located.  I couldn’t think straight – it was so hard to tell him my location.  I knew I was somewhere on Hwy 288 between the Angleton exit and Hwy 6.  He found me and took me home where I ate a bean taco with a real flour tortilla + slept the rest of the night.

An anxiety attack leaves you feeling equivalent to running a half marathon

I was so excited to celebrate my niece on her special day…

Anxiety attack number two happened in 2008.  I was on my way to my niece’s birthday party and again I started to feel the same symptoms as my first attack.  This time I had medication prescribed to be taken as needed.  The only problem was that I left the medication in the drawer of my bedside table.  I was panicking so badly, again, I didn’t know what to do.   I ended up turning the car around and going straight home.  I took the medication and slept for the rest of the night.  Luckily, the girls were with my parents.  Unfortunately, I didn’t make the birthday party.

Till this day I have no idea what causes my anxiety or why it is apart of me.  I hate it so much because I do remember the days when I was so carefree and didn’t know what anxiety even meant.  What is anxiety??  Anxiety is one of those evil emotions that instill fear and makes you feel like you are a crazy person.  The truth is you are not crazy!

For a minute, I did try the “as needed” medications and it did help.  I was on cloud nine when I would take a pill and my anxiety would disappear just like that.  I noticed after a while my starting dose of .5 mg was not enough.  When I called my doctor to ask him how to proceed he would just up the dose.  That was his answer each time, up to the dosage.  After a while, I didn’t want to keep taking this medication that would leave me tired and sleeping all day long.  Life is for living not wasting the days.

How I manage my anxiety…

I have been medication free for years now I only use the best CBD cartridges.  I am tempted from time to time just for an easy fix, but that’s all it is an easy fix.  I strongly believe that for me a simple routine works best.  I can always add to it if I need to.  You see what we have to understand is when we have anxiety we feel like things are out of control – our control.  So how do we fix that problem?  We set boundaries + make routines.  We must always and I mean always fit in an emotional release.  What does that mean?  In more common terms, a workout.  This can be anything that can get you moving for at least thirty minutes or more if you’d like.  This release in emotions will help filter what needs to come out.  Whether it be stress, sadness, happiness, a sense of accomplishment, fears.  This is huge!!!  The issue in today’s society, we think exercise has to be a hectic form of moving our bodies.  No…not at all.  It can be yoga, pilates, a walk around the neighborhood, HIIT, running, cycling, swimming.  The easy part is finding what you enjoy – the hard part is sticking to it.  You got this and I believe in you.

Keep moving forward…

When I record everything down on my calendar on my iPhone it helps me tremendously.  It helps me to plan my days around the events I have in concrete (can’t be changed).  I also love to add in something I really look forward to like dinner + cocktails with my girlfriends.  I love it so much – I make it a must on my calendar.

What you put in your mouth matters…

A well-balanced diet is essential in living a healthy life + keeping a strong mind.  I don’t necessarily mean you have to follow a specific diet like Keto, South Beach, etc… Recently, I started following my macros – you can find out more on that here.  Everyone’s macros are going to be different based on weight, age, how much you want to lose, etc… I really enjoy this method because it allows me to have the foods I love and still lose weight or maintain my weight once I reach my goal.  I also do intermittent fasting – I start eating at 12pm and stop eating at 8pm.  It may seem a little complicated but you can read more about here.  Together with eating proper macros + intermittent fasting I have noticed my blood sugars are more balanced throughout the day, my mood swings are non-existent, and I lose unwanted body fat.  Winning!  When I do ALL of these things collectively my anxiety is not an issue.  I’m in control of lots of things within my life if I apply these simple steps.  To be clear, I’m not saying you have to be a “controlling person”.  That’s not where I’m going with this – better yet, more controlling of your life balance.

Social media…

I hate to be the one to break it to you…social media breaks are a must if you are prone to anxiety.  I normally take the weekends off and this helps so much.  During the week it literally feels like a rat race – trying to keep up with blogging, posting, social media, O—M–G-  I understand if your business is based on a social media presence.  I can relate because mine is too.  I make myself take two days off a week – it’s literally a must do.  There are many ways you can figure this out…there are apps that allow you to schedule posts.  This is a dream come true for those of you who like to stay consistent.  One that I like is called Sprout Social.  It’s literally a one-stop shop.  You can thank me later.

A place I created with you in mind…

My blog is a place where I feel I can connect with many people.  I also love sharing all the things that I enjoy with my readers.  I know you like fashion, beauty, and real talk and that is why you are reading this today.  I like to keep it real and honest.  I appreciate you being here as I take so my pride in my blog.  I have to also add that I am in no way portraying to be a doctor of medicine or psychology in any shape or form.  These are real-life events that I have experienced and want to share with my readers, YOU.  If you ever have suicidal thoughts or fears or anxiety, the first thing you should always do is talk to someone right away.

Here are some helpful resources:

Associates of Family Psychology – Dr. Amy Mullholand

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