Trust

You know you cannot make anxiety disappear. You just learn to live with it and have it under control.

You know you are achieving it when:

• You accept it and welcome it into your life. Anxiety is normal. Admitting to it plays a big part in recovery.
• You learn to be comfortable in situations in which you are not in control. The more you demand yourself, the higher your anxiety levels will creep up.
• You are not looking to rely on alcohol/drugs/herbs/medicines/food/other stuff to calm down and worry less.
• You feel you can accomplish things and choose to have positive views on them. Otherwise, anxiety eventually makes the body shut down; that has a name: depression.

My goal is not to eliminate anxiety, but to have it under control so it does not run my life. Some of the strategies I use are: sleep enough, eat healthily, reduce caffeine, exercise and meditate.

Even if anxiety arises, I know I do not have to be afraid. Breathing techniques, such as 4-4-6-2, are very helpful; so is smiling and visualizing things that make you feel good. De-stressing the body regularly is the key and there are countless healthy ways of doing it. Personally, I love walking and swimming.

Therapy is always a big help as well since it helps you re-building your self-esteem. And as self-esteem grows, anxiety will reduce. In addition, when I say therapy, I not only advocate to visit a professional, but also to read books and go to workshops.

As a control freak, I had to learn that we simply cannot control everything. It is exhausting. We have to do our best (not forgetting that practice makes better) and believe that things will work out for the best.

And last, but not least, remember that you are what you think. Therefore, it is important that you choose positive thoughts.