We all have feelings of anxiety, worry and fear sometimes. These can be normal responses to certain situations. For example, you might worry about a job interview, or about paying a bill on time. These feelings can give you an awareness of the risks and what you need to do in a difficult or dangerous situation. This reaction is known as ‘fight or flight.’
A lot of people are currently suffering from anxiety and mental health issues. I believe it is a big issue in our world today. I do not suffer from either, but I do believe if I didn’t find yoga when I did I would have went down the wrong path. I have a lot of friends that suffer from anxiety and depression. I reached out to them as I wanted to hear their story; I wanted to see where they were suffering the most. What can I do to help? How can I understand each situation and what advice can I give? As you all are aware, I am not a professional, but want to be able to help. One of my friends has had issues with his mental health for 10 years now, he never knew what to do about it. The feeling of not knowing what is wrong and why you can’t make it better, can be frustrating and scary. During his struggle he found the gym, he found that if he focused on working out he felt slightly better. It also made him realize that it is ok to talk about his issues with people. Sharing his story with others actually ended up helping him, and he was able to tackle his issues head on. He is now making a difference and helping others with #activelybeatingmentalheatlh campaign. He teaches free workout classes to those that are suffering and then asks them to go grab a coffee afterwards to have a chat. A lot of people that suffer from this, don’t talk about it, so him just going that little bit can help a lot of people get through their issue! Keep up the good work! A lot of the times you don’t know if your friend or loved one is suffering. My brother suffered from depression and anxiety, but there was nothing we felt we could do. You ask what is wrong? What can I do? They just have no answer as they don’t know how to describe it, his mind got so overwhelmed with negative thoughts, it eventually took his life. He passed away 10 years ago. I ended up feeling like I did nothing, why couldn’t I help him? This is why I am here, I want to hear your stories, I want to help, I want to understand it. I know he would be proud of me for doing this. As I mentioned before, you never know. Another friend of mine texted me a month ago and was like, “hey I just wanted to give you the heads up, I have been in and out of the hospital for depression.” I was SHOCKED! From what I knew everything was going great! The story broke my heart. She had no clue what was happening, would wake up freaking out, shaking, nervous. She thankfully found the understanding to what was happening and was able to find help. She is doing great now, and I am very proud of her and grateful to her for letting me share. I know sometimes we get caught up and forget about ourselves. We need to take care of ourselves as that is how we can help others. Talk about it, learn about it, and understand it.
With all of that said, I do believe yoga is very helpful to conquer these issues (my opinion). It helps you focus on the moment at hand, focus and acknowledge your breathing (which is helpful for anxiety and panic attacks). Yoga is a practice so you will not feel better if you did one yoga class. It will take patience, it will take commitment, and practice. You don’t have to do the intense yoga I do, look up beginner’s classes, or just breathing exercises. I also believe that we hold onto the negative more and what we don’t’ realize is that when we focus on the negative that has happened to us we actually end up logging that negative situation into our long term memory. So when something positive happens to you I ask you, it could be something as little as a hug from a friend. Acknowledge that feeling for 30 seconds; think only on that so then you can teach your mind to hold the positive in your memory instead of the negative. I promise you will see more good than bad going forward. Always do it though, always hold on to the good and acknowledge it! I know this is a hard fight for people so if you know someone that is going through this, maybe just check on them. A lending hand or hug goes along way. This picture captures the meaning of a hug (that is my very best friend, who I have learned so much about mindfulness and motivation).
MUCH LOVE- XOXO