What activities have most helped reduce fear/anxiety?

[dominick]

I know people here talk about a number of things they've done to help reduce the amount of fear and anxiety so I thought I'd open a poll. A few that I've heard talked about before are deep breathing, EFT, exercise and meditation. I'm going to open the poll with those and then if you have other things that have helped please post them in this thread and I'll add them to the poll. Looking forward to seeing what people post!

[dulaney0330]

I have found most of those help a little, although exercise does increase heart rate for a prolonged period of time.

I have found that expressing my negative emotions, through speaking to the inner child, the most helpful.

[180]

I tend to be a high strung person naturally. But I've learned to cope with stress by doing visualization techniques. The one that I particularly find useful is imagining myself in the most stressful position possible... and then returning to reality.

By contrasting what COULD be the worst possible scenario and pretending to deal with that and then coming back to reality... everything seems like cake...

For example, I imagine myself in a war, as a general getting shot at... bombed. making front line decisions. Having to deal with incoming waves of men... etc etc...

And then I realize "hey... know what? going to the bank at 9am in the morning isn't quite as bad."

By purposely stressing my mind and imagining a contrast image I know that stress from minor things can be easily dealt with. It's kind of a mind hack.

I "input" false memories into my psyche. Stressful situations, responsible leadership roles, etc...I give myself the sort of... "man" experiences to make me a mature person... without ever having to go through them.

[dominick]

Good replies. Not sure how to formalize them into poll options but I'll see what others respond and if there is enough consensus around one of them I will add it.

[Greek Dog]

I think all are helpful.
EFT helps me the most.
I often find the anxiety interferes with my meditation.
While exercise helps significantly, EFT can be done anytime and anywhere so when I feel anxiety I can get to work.

[aelle]

Breathing exercises work to an extend, as an immediate but light relief. Long term methods that I've found efficient have been: exercise, classical singing (seriously - the combination of breathing exercises, public performance and sense of accomplishment through art has had a great impact on my life) and most importantly, identifying the roots of anxiety triggers and actively dealing with them.

[butterflyeffect]

I have found meditation and deep breathing very helpful as a daily practice.

I have also found the Leftkoe Method that Steve reccomends really good. I have alot of anxiety that im working through. It focuses on removing limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves like
- I'm not good enough
- I'm not important
- Mistakes and Failure are bad

I usen't to be able to cope with any form of critiscism without gettting devastated, upset and crying. I bought and completed Morty Leftkoe's Natural Confidence DVD and I have found I am far less sensitive. People can make catty remarks or guenine critisism and I just let it wash over me. I take whats relavant and ignore the rest. A far cry from the girl who practically hyperventilated before appraisals.

Also socially I feel so much more relaxed and more confident in myself. Its a great feeling..

[brendannz]

I find the only thing that reduces fear is doing what you fear.

[dominick]

Great answers. I will look into the Leftkoe Method and add it to the poll if others suggest it is helpful. Also, several people have mentioned elsewhere that The Sedona Method is helpful. I can add that to the poll as well if others here think it is warranted.

[SMA]

So interesting and relevant, as anxiety can be utterly debilitating. Having suffered from extreme anxiety many years ago, I understand that such things as meditating and deep breathing aren't always easy or possible while one is in heightened states of fear or anxiety.

The pressure points used in EFT and acupressure tend to be a good source of quick relief (try Acupressure for Anxiety|How to Stop Anxiety & End Panic Attacks), and physical movement can help as well.

There are some pretty cool and honest suggestions here about exploring and expressing the emotions and beliefs responsible for the anxiety. If you are suffering, I can tell you there IS a way out. I live an incredibly happy, passion-filled life and would probably not have believed it had you told me back then...it would have given me immense hope to be able to 'see' my future self. This is one reason I love Steve's future/past self meditation, and use it often. It's fabulous for being able to comfort your past self, and even your present self.

xox

Shauna

[ttt]

Eating a lot of chocolate and bananas as a meal- anxiety vanishes temporarily it happened twice.

[Remez Sasson]

There are many things one can do to reduce fear and anxiety, such as affirmations, visualization, meditation and self discipline, but all of them require time and training, and not every one is willing to invest the necessary time and energy.

There are also other simple ways that mitigate fear and anxiety, though only temporarily, such as taking a few deep breaths, drinking water, listening to relaxing music, or watching a funny movie.

[FazK]

The only thing that will reduce your anxiety is

DOING / FACING / ATTACKING / GETTING THROUGH

The thing that scares you. What do you think would be better. Doing anyone of the above techniques every morning or actually going to that terrifying social event and talking to as many people as you can.

[bluedragon]

The best and first thing I would suggest to solve any concrete, practical problem, is NLP. I'm on the first module of the NLP Practitioner level and I can already achieve measurable, permanent results in myself and in others. It simply works!

But on the quizz I voted for meditation, cause passive meditation just makes everything alright for me, at least in the instant. It usually has a long-lasting effect of 1-2 days even for a short 10 minute meditation. But when I do it, I am able to completely empty my mind.

[dendennz]

I've found for fear to do as Brendan recommends and just do what you fear anyway.

As for anxiety, I'm a long sufferer of anxiety and the best thing I ever learnt for that was self-hypnosis. We have a really good hypnotist in Wellington city and he taught me how to self-hypnotise and how to really chill out with it. Fabulous.

Cheers,

Jenny.

[Piercetheveil]

During an attack--Grounding techniques

To maintain and dig into issues surrounding anxiety--meditation---mindfulness (being in the moment, awake, and paying attention).

[dominick]

Some great replies and if others mention NLP or self-hypnosis I will add that.

"Facing the fear" is great but it seems like that works well for some fears but not as much for others. For instance, if your fear is public speaking you can go speak and that will do wonders for curing your fear. However, if you have a fear of an earthquake I'm not sure whether it's possible to face that fear easily. Would love to hear any thoughts.

Great stuff though. Please keep 'er coming!

[Nemosyne]

I also have severe anxiety. I've tried all of the above methods. The one that works the best for me, so far, is also the simplest. I force myself to breathe through my diaphragm. That's it. It works great. It's hard to breathe through my stomach when I'm highly anxious, but I make myself do it, and it helps a lot. I believe it will eventually cure my anxiety. I thought of it while doing intensive research on things that help people with anxiety - the one thing that struck me is that when we're anxious, we breathe shallowly through our chest, our back, neck and shoulders tighten up. I think the simple stomach breathing, resolves all that, which is also probably why meditation helps as well.

[funchy]

Self-reflection: being more aware of the anxiety levels rising, identifying the triggers, developing better coping mechanisms

Not giving up: by facing my biggest anxieties, I came out the other side alive and intact. And now when I'm in that situation again, I may not be happy to be pushed, but I have the confidence I can keep making it through.

Giving myself permission to say no. If I am stressed out by something I need to do, then it's ok for me to say no to other things. Nobody is allowed to guilt trip me or demand my time until I've tackled the big anxiety and solved it. I can still be a "nice" person even know I don't say yes to all others' requests, favors, and demands.

And giving myself permission to feel good. We all give ourselves permission to feel fear, anxiety, pain, hate, and depression... but some of us don't give ourselves permission to feel pleasure. It's ok not to be in total control of everything at all times. Do something a little out of the ordinary, like an impulsive road-trip. Or do something that gives you personal pleasure, like a bubble bath, getting a backrub, or a really great sexual experience. Slip away for the weekend with a lover, but leave the laptop & work behind.

[veranadine]

For me shamanic healing and ritual dance really help with facing/releasing fears and other pent-up energies. I really miss being near my trusted shamanic healer and have to say that the lack of it in my life is making me consider studying it myself.

I also feel really drawn to reiki and acupuncture - having experienced some great mini-releases through both - but shamanism is still my hands-down favorite modality.

[Karanime]

****ing over the idea of doing something that's crippling you with fear.

Recognize that you'd love to do it. Wait. If you don't eventually do get over your fear and do it, you just don't want it enough. And then it's not worth pursuing. You can call this acceptance of the fear, lol.

Or, be completely arrogant and think you're entitled to whatever it is you're after, those things you fear be damned. So, that's barreling through.

/<3

[Small]

Originally Posted by dominick

I know people here talk about a number of things they've done to help reduce the amount of fear and anxiety so I thought I'd open a poll. A few that I've heard talked about before are deep breathing, EFT, exercise and meditation. I'm going to open the poll with those and then if you have other things that have helped please post them in this thread and I'll add them to the poll. Looking forward to seeing what people post!

Exercise has done wonders for me. Another thing that was really helpful for me was spending time with people who support me in my journey or are on the same path. Before I knew some people like this I used personal development videos. Reading and listening is really good, but with video is more like a face to face interaction, it has a profound effect on the mind.

[dominick]

Originally Posted by Small

Exercise has done wonders for me. Another thing that was really helpful for me was spending time with people who support me in my journey or are on the same path. Before I knew some people like this I used personal development videos. Reading and listening is really good, but with video is more like a face to face interaction, it has a profound effect on the mind.

Interesting commentary about videos having a more profound effect on the mind. I had never thought about it in that way.

[ar81]

Something else: A good laugh.

[Dignity]

Science tells us that when we live in fear alot, are depressed or filled with anxiety, that our bodies are GABA deficient. Medications that target these disorders are formulated to target the GABA neurons in our brain. Unless you know this, the tendency is to fall for the medications the doctors prescribe for these sorts of disorders. Fact is that if we suppliment our diets with GABA, which incidentally is an amino acid inhibitory neurotransmitter, we can correct our bodies and no longer feel the fear, the depression or the anxiety. In addition, GABA works excellently at reducing the activity in the brain that moves pain signals along. So a great way to utilize GABA is for pain relief as well.

Here is some great information about GABA.The following information about GABA is from the WholeHealthMD.com website:

Popularly referred to as the body's natural tranquilizer, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid produced in the brain. It acts as a neurotransmitter--a chemical that fosters communication between nerve cells--and helps to keep stress-related nerve impulses at bay.

Normally, the brain pumps out all the GABA we need. Unfortunately, due to a poor diet, exposure to environmental toxins, or other factors, levels of GABA may become depleted. Too little of this important compound may result in anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. A deficiency of GABA has also been linked to depression.

Because various safety issues have recently surfaced concerning the use of the popular tranquilizing herb kava, nutritionally oriented physicians have begun recommending GABA more frequently. Basically, the clinical effect of both GABA and kava appears to be the same, namely they're both gentle and nonsedating tranquilizers. GABA is now available as a supplement in pill and powder form.


Health Benefits

GABA supplements appear to promote relaxation and sleep. They may also have a role to play in preventing seizures and allaying chronic pain.

While GABA has been tested for improving exercise tolerance, decreasing body fat, and stabilizing blood pressure, research on the supplement's effectiveness and safety for these purposes has been mixed at best. GABA supplements have also been proposed for improving concentration in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and promoting prostate health, although it remains untested for these purposes.

Specifically, GABA supplements may help to:


Promote sound sleep. GABA participates in promoting relaxation, which explains why many well-known anxiety medications--Valium among them--target GABA receptors in the brain. But unlike many prescription tranquilizers, GABA is not habit-forming.
GABA itself does not cause drowsiness. Instead, by easing anxiety, it simply makes it easier to fall asleep. Some research indicates that the popular insomnia-fighting herb, valerian, boosts GABA levels too. When specifically treating sleep disorders, some people like to rotate GABA with valerian or melatonin, the popular hormone-based sleep supplement.


Allay stress. GABA may be taken to calm the mind and body. In this respect, it is much like better-known prescription tranquilizers, such as Xanax and Valium, but doesn't carry the fear of addiction. Persistent stress may also contribute to depression, and some evidence suggests that GABA may have mood-elevating properties.

Combat chronic pain. Stress can aggravate pain, making you feel worse. As a natural stress-reducer, GABA supplements can help to relieve the intensity of pain. They may also lessen pain-related nerve impulses.

Treat epilepsy. While the specific cause of epilepsy often remains a mystery from individual to individual, a link has been made to naturally low GABA levels and seizures in some cases. Like a pistol lock, GABA appears to inhibit nerve cells in the brain from firing and setting off seizures. Interestingly, many standard epilepsy drugs, such as benzodiazepines and phenobarbital, serve to enhance GABA levels in the brain.
Clinical study findings have been mixed, however. In a 1994 pilot study, for example, GABA supplementation had no benefit in people with epilepsy whose seizures were set off by exposure to flashes of light. Still, in that study, only a single oral dose of GABA was used. The researchers speculate that GABA may have cumulative benefits when taken over the long term. Earlier studies had reported that GABA helped people with various types of epilepsy who did not respond to conventional medicines. Clearly, more research is needed.

So while GABA should never be used as a substitute for conventional epilepsy drugs, it could possibly compensate for nutritional deficiencies that are contributing to seizures and be a useful adjunct to standard treatments. It may also allow you to take lower doses of conventional medicines. Always check with your doctor before taking GABA, however, and never change your dose on your own.

Forms

tablet
powder
capsule
Dosage Information

Special tips:

--GABA is usually found in the amino acid section of the supplement aisle.
--For those who don't like swallowing tablets, capsules can be opened and added to juice or water, as can powders. A sublingual tablet, which is placed under the tongue until it slowly dissolves, is also available.

For insomnia: Take 500 to 1,000 mg an hour or so before bedtime. It will have a calming effect that can help you fall asleep. If anxiety is contributing to your sleep problems, combine GABA with other natural tranquilizers, such as the herb valerian.

For stress: Take 250 mg three times a day.

For chronic pain: Take 250 to 500 mg three times a day.

For epilepsy: Take 250 to 500 mg three times a day.

Guidelines for Use


If the mood swings of PMS are causing you to lose sleep, try taking GABA for a week to 10 days before and during your period.

Like other amino acids, GABA may best be taken between meals for best absorption (one hour before or two hours after eating).

Store in a cool, dry place, away from light, heat, and moisture.

General Interaction

* Many well-known prescription anxiety medications, including alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium), target GABA receptors in the brain. Using GABA with prescription anti-anxiety agents may produce a dangerous additive effect. Always let your doctor know if you are taking GABA or other supplements.

* GABA may produce excessive drowsiness when taken with other medications that have a tranquilizing effect, including codeine and other narcotic pain relievers, antidepressants, sedatives, and muscle relaxants. Combine with extreme caution.

Note: For information on interactions with specific generic drugs, see our WholeHealthMD Drug/Nutrient Interactions Chart.

Possible Side Effects

* GABA appears to be safe at recommended doses. In research studies, some mild gastric upset and nausea were reported, and some participants reported drowsiness.

* At high doses, GABA can actually increase anxiety and insomnia. It may also cause numbness around the mouth and tingling in the extremities.

Cautions

* There is limited information on the safety of GABA supplements.

* Don't drive or operative heavy machinery until you know how GABA affects you.

* When treating a serious condition such as epilepsy, never alter a prescription medication dosage or add GABA to your regimen without consulting your doctor first.

Like many supplements, GABA has not been tested in pregnant or breast-feeding women, children, or people with liver or kidney disease. The proper dose in these groups is unknown.

Ailments /Dosage
Epilepsy 250-500 mg 3 times a day
Fibromyalgia 250-500 mg 3 times a day, as needed
Insomnia 500-1,000 mg at bedtime
Stress 250 mg 3 times a day or 750 mg once a day
Tobacco Dependence 250 mg 3 times a day, or 750 mg at bedtime.

Drug/Nutrient Interactions:
There is a fairly long list of potential interactions with GABA at the following link:
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshel...,10027,00.html