Hi guys,

Happy holidays! 

Please note I am not a professional. I highly suggest if it's within your means, invest in a good psychologist/therapist. 

What comes below, is a list of things I've learned in 2021 and I'm writing them here so that maybe they will click with someone else and help them :) 

1. There are basically **two levels** in managing anxiety: **Short term** or **Coping mechanisms** meaning day-to-day solutions and **long-term** or **treating methods** meaning months and years. The focus should be on both. Make a list of things that help in both levels (ask your therapist or do your own research). For example:

* Short-term or Coping Mechanisms List, ie when you get an anxiety/panic attack or are triggered or overwhelmed: breathing exercises, short walk/run outside, cold shower, washing your face with cold water, hugging your loved ones or your pet etc ... .
* Long-term or treatment list, ie things you have to do that may not help instantly but in the long run help: Journal, therapy, medications, workouts, sleep, meditation, educating yourself about your condition, daily routines, etc ... .

1. **The more you feed the anxiety, the worse it gets.** If a specific situation or scenario **triggers** you, firstly you need to **note** and **investigate** that trigger either by yourself in your journal or with your therapist. Secondly, you should not allow yourself to not do something because your anxiety makes you uncomfortable. The more you **avoid** these triggers, the bigger and scarier they become. By avoiding you are actually teaching your brain that these situations really are scary.
2. I used to hear this, all the time in **meditation** sessions, that you should just let the thoughts and feelings pass without judgment. It took me a while to understand what that means. Basically, at least for me, it means: Do not react to anxious and scary thoughts or feelings. In practice, it means that if a thought/emotion suddenly scares you and increases your anxiety, instead of doing what you usually do, for me it's getting scared and maybe crying or sitting in a dark corner until the feeling passes, I **pretend** it doesn't scare me and go on with my life. Sure I will note the trigger to investigate later, but the key is to not do what you usually do, ie change your **behavior**.
3. Remember: Feelings you experience may not be your choice at the moment, but your behavior is. If you can not control your feelings and thoughts, you still **can control your behavior and actions**. Change your behavior and reactions to the feelings and thoughts, and empower yourself to be able to control your feelings and thoughts. 
4. **Educating** yourself about anxiety is key. **Learning** changes your brain and creates new **neural pathways**. 
5. Remember, **consistency** is crucial. The long-term solutions are not Fast fixes. You may not see results in a day or a week or a month. This is why people don't follow through with them and get disappointed. We all want, instant relief (hence the coping mechanisms) but you gotta remind yourself that the long-term solutions take time.

Hope this helps someone :)