Anxiety and panic be GONE

Very sadly, one of the main things my clients suffer with is anxiety and panic. In fact, I was talking to Claudine Hope of Power of Women Magazine just the other day, and she fed back to me that the biggest subject she is asked to provide information and advice about is anxiety and panic.

So many of us struggle with it. You know, if you’ve been in my world for a while, it was my achilles heel for more years that I care to think about now. But now, thankfully, it’s not.

Last week I promised we’d dive into how to reduce anxiety, stress, and panic. I was clear in the last newsletter about the importance of doing the work to really learn to love yourself and bring your authentic self to this world. That is my number one tip for kicking anxiety and panic up the arse for good.

But this week, I also want to give you some really actionable stuff to get to work on straight away.

First off, let’s get a little scientific about it for those of you who need some tangible facts and reasons… (I’m one of those)

I want to talk about oxytocin. Do you know of it?

Oxytocin is a chemical produced by the brain. It’s commonly known as the ‘love drug’ (ooh er missus - yes please). It’s the feel-great stuff. It’s essentially like the opposite of cortisol, the stress hormone that causes anxiety and panic (bleurgh). I’m kidding, I don’t want to be down on Cortisol, it is there for a good reason after all. We produce cortisol to keep us safe from danger. But in this modern world of ours, constant cortisol production, due to stress (rather than keeping safe from an approaching lion for example) leads to anxiety and panic. That’s what we really don’t need, and that’s where our mate oxytocin comes in!

Anxiety and panic doth not make for a happy life. Agreed? It makes us hide parts of ourselves, we too often feel embarrassed about it (which perpetuates it - ffs) and hiding ourselves does not lend itself to making those all-important connections.

So, how about we set some things in motion to counteract that cortisol by means of increasing oxytocin production? Up for it?

Here are some quick things you can do to make that happen:

• Hug someone you care about. For a good while too! Why? Physical touch releases oxytocin, which in turn helps to reduce cortisol levels (and makes you feel all warm and yum inside!).
• Spend time with people you love, friends, family, people in your network etc. Quality time with people who make you feel good can really elevate your oxytocin levels.
• Laugh as much as you can. Laughter truly is the best medicine, it’s ACE, and it’s another great way to produce oxytocin.
• Get involved in sh*t you really, truly enjoy. Do what makes you happy and brings you joy. As much as possible. End of.
• Practice acts of kindness. Go on, it feels brilliant! Try it - lots. Doing something nice for someone else can give you a massive oxytocin boost. Give for the sake of giving, don’t want anything in return. See how that feels and feel the benefit of that beautiful injection of oxytocin.
• Take time to relax and unwind. Whatever that looks like for YOU, make sure to book out some time to just be.

Honestly, including these really enjoyable things, (along with working to align your work and pleasure with your true self - step by step, day by day, no rush), will send you well on your way to creating a balanced, fulfilling, and truly happy life. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now, YOU are in control of all of this. You really are.

But let’s not stop there. I really want you to get over this debilitating anxiety bugger…

As I said last week, to truly reduce anxiety and stress for good, we need to dig a bit deeper into finding who we are and what we really want.

Here are some additional practices to really help you get started or continue on with that:

• Self-reflection: Spend a few minutes each day really taking notice of and reflecting on what makes you happy and what doesn’t. Making notes is a great tool for this. Notes app on your phone will do, or an old school pad and pen.
• Meditation: It’s not just for monks! Even a few minutes of meditation each day can help quieten the outside noise and connect you back into you. Meditation can be guided, silent or just walking around with nothing playing in your ears. Don’t overthink it - just allow thoughts to flow and concentrate on letting them float past like clouds, tuning into your breathing instead.
• Set boundaries! Learn to say no to things that you don’t want to do (you know you can feel it when you don’t want to do something - listen to that!). And say more ‘yes’ to the things that you do really want to do.
• Follow your passions: What lights you up, gives you energy, makes you feel great? What gets you excited? Do more of that!
• Seek support: Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or even a professional for support (I am 100% here for you). Sometimes an outside perspective can be incredibly helpful.
• Be kind to yourself: Treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion you would a friend. I really mean that. You’re doing your best, and that’s always enough.

Willing to give this a go? Let me know how you get on. And please, if you need me, I’m just on the end of the ‘reply’ function.

As the saying goes, life is a journey, a marathon not a sprint, so take your time and enjoy the process. The end goal is not the ‘thing’, the life bit that happens along the way is.

You can make this week your best yet. Get on it!