Lisa Shouldice MA, RP, CCP, Psychotherapist

Anxiety is like a temperature. A temperature tells you there is an infection or virus in your body. Anxiety is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong in your emotional centre. It means “too much”, “overload”, “this is too much to handle”. So the first step is too LISTEN and figure out what you can change in your life to decrease your stress level. Too much change at once is naturally going to lead to increased anxiety. This is a time to increase self-care and be gentle with yourself.

However, there are people that due to genetics &/or a difficult childhood have a lower threshold for anxiety. The result is it takes fewer stressors to experience anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety Symptoms: (Diagnostic & Statistics Manual)

-feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness

-problems sleeping

-cold or sweaty hands

-shortness or breath

-heart palpitations

-an inability to be still and calm

-dry mouth

-numbness or tingling in the hands

-nausea

-muscle tension

-dizziness

MEDITATION is a great way to raise your anxiety threshold and manage anxiety symptoms. Meditation starts the breakdown of the chemicals naturally released in our body that leads to anxiety symptoms. Please start with three minutes a day to ensure you stick with it and make it a regular part of your life. After a meditation you will always feel relaxed, but we are talking about you changing your threshold for anxiety. This takes daily practice. There are many ways to meditate and you will need to explore and figure out what works for you. When you first start you will not be able to stop your thoughts or clear your mind completely. This takes a lot of practice. It helps to focus on something ex: your breath or a candle. You may find a progressive relaxation is a good start. Please stick with it. It really works!!!