If you are doing any of these things then stopping (or at least reducing them) will help reduce anxiety levels. Don’t underestimate the impact each of these can have, try each one and see what happens – but give it time. If I had embraced all of these at the beginning of my recovery it would have been a much shorter and easier process.
Researching your symptoms
Every time you Google a symptom or sensation, not only are you confirming to your amygdala that there is potentially something wrong, you are also exposing yourself to numerous diagnoses that are almost certainly incorrect.
Telling people you have anxiety
Stop identifying as someone who has an anxiety disorder, it’s just a label. You are not your anxiety, you are so much more. Each time your subconscious hears you say it, it becomes more strongly embedded as part of your identity.
Sucking in your gut!
We’d all love to have flat abs, but at what cost? Holding in or tensing your abs causes shallow (chest) breathing and pushes the stomach up into the chest cavity, which can cause tightness, shortness of breath and palpitations.
Triggers
Cut out ALL triggers (see the Sensory Auditing post for a short list) – you need to give yourself every chance at beating anxiety and exposure to potential triggers can sabotage your efforts.
Social Media
What you see of other people’s lives on your Facebook feed is selective and misleading. If you’re in a bad place the last thing you need is to believe that everyone else’s lives are perfect as this makes you feel even more inadequate and alone. Also, many of the FB groups for anxiety are full of triggers and negative content, not the kind of support and guidance you need to achieve recovery.