Anxiety- it seems like so many of us suffer with it, yet I still feel the subject is grossly misunderstood, as well as grossly under discussed. Growing up- mental health was as commonplace a conversation as anything, (my mom is a therapist, go figure).
INTERRUPT ANXIETY WITH GRATITUDE
While my anxiety has been at times, violently crippling, I have been working heavily with the practice of mindfulness in the past two years to try an quell these bursts of panic. Intertwined with bouts of depression, keeping these two at bay is an active and on going practice. It takes work, and it takes consistently checking in with myself to evaluate how I'm feeling and how I'm reacting.
What has helped me enormously is the aforementioned quote "interrupt anxiety with gratitude." Making lists- both on paper and in my head of the things I have to be thankful for at any given moment. These can be material items (I am so thankful for the jewelry my grandmother has given me), conceptual (I am thankful that I have the ability to think critically and deploy empathy for others), or even more specific (I am thankful for the ability to use my legs and walk where I need to go).
By taking a moment to reflect on the things I am indeed thankful for has been so helpful for gaining perspective when my mind wants to freak out and take me into 'flight' mode. This practice isn't meant to diminish the reasons for being anxious, but rather- to open up the lens through which my mind is tricking me into viewing any situation by.
One important note- when listening the things I am grateful for, I am conscious never to compare + downplay the fortunes of others (such as, 'I am thankful for my nice apartment, because many people have to live in worse places'), it isn't relevant to the exercise and it also isn't the type of energy I want to attract.
By no means does this eliminate anxiety from my life- but it has been an incredibly effective technique to gaining perspective and quelling the panic. What are you thankful for?