Hi guys! So, my favourite YouTuber Zoe Sugg (Zoella)
uploaded a video today about saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities and pushing
yourself. A few months ago when I first started watching Zoe, she released a
video about anxiety and panic attacks which received an astonishing amount of
feedback – which is why she has made a follow-up video. As a sufferer of
anxiety and panic attacks myself, I have found these videos to be both
extremely helpful and inspiring. I must say that I have always been one to avoid
situations that make me worry or on edge if at all possible, which I know deep
down is the worst thing that I could possibly do but it is just a pattern that
I have never been able to break out of (yet!) However, I am determined that this
is going to change.
Like Zoe mentioned in today’s video, nothing can be fixed
overnight. Conquering your fears and anxieties is a slow process and I think
that it is important to not expect miracles. For example, setting yourself a
series of small tasks that will gradually increase your confidence is a much
better way of overcoming things. In psychology, pushing yourself to your limit
straight away is known the ‘boom-bust’ pattern – which is something that I used
to do a lot.
The past few months for me have been pretty hard anxiety wise;
however, I am slowly starting to say yes to more things. For instance, the other
day I was thinking about how I still do not feel ready to go back to full-time
work, so I have decided to apply to a charity in my hometown that enable you to
do charity work. There are many different vacancies available from working with
children or the elderly, to doing some administration work for our local
chairman. Although neither of these tasks sound particularly thrilling, I think
it will just be good for me to have something to do during the week rather than
moping around indoors and making myself feel even worse. I really want to get
back in to some sort of routine and get some normality back in to my life. I
feel that volunteering will also make feel good about myself as I know I will
be helping others in the community, which is always rewarding.
Zoe also mentions in the video that when you suffer with
anxiety, you lose interest in a lot of activities that you used to enjoy and
you subsequently become a ‘shell’ of your former self. I can honestly say that
this is one of the things that I am most guilty of. If somebody invited me out,
for example if my friends asked me to go clubbing, I would constantly say no in
fear of having a panic attack or feeling overwhelmed whilst I was out. A big
thing for me is the fear of not being able to escape from a situation easily,
which is why I sometimes feel claustrophobic in big crowds. Another one of my
worries is having a panic attack in a public place, as I hate feeling
embarrassed or under scrutiny from others. Saying this, over the past few
months, these two fears have dramatically decreased and I feel a lot more
comfortable in these situations and happier about going out clubbing and other
social places now.
Overall, the message that I am trying to put across in this
post is that it is important to take little steps to build up your self-esteem
and confidence. Doing so will allow you to gradually break out of your comfort
zone and start to enjoy life again. As always, I would love to hear about your
experiences with this topic – whether it be yourself, a friend/family member
that suffers with anxiety or even if you do not have any links with anxiety at
all – please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. I hope that this post
inspires others to say yes to more things, in the same way that Zoe’s video
inspired me.
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