I was diagnosed last year with an anxiety disorder with some obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I've taken medication before, and my condition has improved a lot, but I still have occasional ups and downs, anxiety and OCD symptoms come together, I feel more depressed, and I even have unconscious self-talk. Is there any good way to make anxiety completely better?
Hello, my friend!
❤ I'm Sunshine and I'm so glad to meet you here and give you a warm hug first! From your description, I can feel how hard it was for you to struggle with anxiety and OCD, but I'm glad to hear that it has gotten better with medication. You don't want to be dependent on medication and want to come to natural remedies, so I'll try to share some self-adjustment ideas here, and hopefully that will help you!
Let's start with a brief rundown of your situation:
Anxiety was diagnosed last year, with a little OCD attached, and is now much better after taking medication - this suggests that the diagnosis and treatment worked, and that there is a significant reduction in symptoms; but what about the level of anxiety? If the symptoms are still interfering with daily life, it would be more prudent to recommend continued medication, perhaps combined with psychotherapy. (By the way, what age group are you currently in?)
But sometimes there's no inner peace, anxiety and compulsion come together, and it feels overwhelming, leading to unconscious self-talk - it seems like the symptoms still pop up occasionally, and what are the general circumstances that make them prone to flare-ups? The compulsive tendencies you mention, are they thinking or behavioral? It does seem like it would be a bit of a challenge to not want to take medication at all and just rely on self-regulation, but it's not impossible.
For your needs, I've compiled a few self-treatment methods for you to consider:
First, self-treatment method 1: accept the status quo, do not indiscriminate labeling.
First of all, it is advisable to search for information online less often and don't move to put a label on yourself - being right tends to amplify the symptoms. Nowadays, there is a lot of information about anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but not many of them are really useful.
Because our internal defense mechanism is not strong enough, we always love to control the symptoms, which results in more stress and even turns small emotions into big problems. Therefore, it is important to reduce exposure to this type of information until you have built up a good psychological defense.
Second, self-healing method two: positive thinking and observation of breathing. This method sounds simple, but needs to be insisted on, suitable for people who are determined to heal themselves, do not give up halfway! The real effect may take a year and a half.
Points of Positive Mindfulness Observation of Breathing: We recommend reading the book "Overcoming Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" by Hongfu Li.
Practice by gently closing your eyes, sitting cross-legged on the floor or a hard bed, and focusing on your breath, concentrating on the one breath of your nose.
Practice just purely observing the breath and thinking about nothing else. When any thought comes up, accept it without resisting or dwelling on it, and then gently pull your attention back to the breath. It's normal for attention to run away, don't criticize yourself, just keep returning to the breath.
The whole process is to practice focusing on your breathing over and over again, once a day in the morning and once in the evening, starting at 20 minutes each time, and adding time as you get used to it.
From the internal meditation, the quality of the breath represents the quality of life, and the breath accompanies the whole life.
Psychologically, focused breathing integrates the mind and body and reduces internal conflict.
Medically, breathing exercises repair the vegetative nerves, which is difficult to replace with drugs.
Third, self-treatment method three: shift the focus of attention.
If something in front of you is bothering you, don't take it hard and jump out for a while. You can look out the window, take a few deep breaths, or move your body, all of which can quickly relieve your emotions. Use flexibility depending on the situation at hand.
Fourth, self-treatment method four: moderate exercise.
As the old saying goes, "life is about exercise", and the mind and body are one. Studies have shown that exercise releases happy hormones, relaxes the nerves, and replenishes the serotonin consumed by anxiety. Therefore, regular exercise is very helpful in relieving anxiety.
❤ I'd like to conclude by saying that it's inevitable that people will be anxious, and that moderate anxiety is motivating, as long as it doesn't interfere with your life. Anxiety healing is not about going back to the past, it's about learning to live with the symptoms so that it doesn't dominate you anymore. It's a form of growth!
❤ I am the sunshine and the world and I are behind you!