What causes anxiety?

It took me many years of self-reflection, reading self-help books, putting thoughts and ideas down on paper and scratching my head before I figured what caused my anxiety. The answer was simple, my anxiety was caused by two things.

The 1st was that I wasn’t present with myself. I was always distracted by tv, my phone, homework and whatever else I could spend time on that kept me from paying attention to what I was feeling. Even though these distractions began to impact me very negatively I did nothing to comfort myself.  Because I wasn’t aware of what I was thinking, I didn’t know that I was criticizing myself day in and day out and thinking worst case scenarios.

The 2nd is that I wasn’t living in alignment with myself. I ignored what I needed and simply acted off my instincts. Meaning that I would live in a vicious cycle where I neglected myself and my needs. I would sleep all day and be a night owl which caused me to crave junk food. So I lived off of hotdogs and Mcdonalds even though my body and soul was screaming for some whole foods that would nourish my body. I would hide in my room all day avoiding contact with other people and if friends asked to hang out I’d come up with excuses so I could stay in my cave.

No wonder I was crippling from anxiety right?

Do you see yourself in any of this? Have you ever ordered junk food even though you knew that a kale salad would have been better for you? Have you ever ignored your moral and values to please someone else? Or have you ever stayed in a relationship/friendship even though you knew that you weren’t treated right?

Answering yes to any of these is what makes you human, but it might also be a part of why you have anxiety. Going against what you truly need to feel happy and content will make you feel the opposite. Unhappy and filled with anxiety.

I want you to get to the root of your anxiety and that’s why I’m gonna share my personal favorite ways to create a self-care practice that will help you get anxiety relief and keep it from coming back.

How can yoga help with anxiety?

When you make yoga your daily routine you’ll have people asking you how you go through stressing situations like a breeze and how everybody gravitates towards you when you’re not even trying.

Another great side effect is that through yoga, you will get a deep sense of connection to yourself and your body. Feeling your body and being present with it will make you love it and want to care for it. Getting on your mat will be the beginning of a lifelong romantic relationship with yourself (wink wink).

If you’re new to yoga it can feel daunting at first but remember, pressing play on the video is the hard part. There is no wrong way to practice yoga and you can modify any exercise to your needs.

A yoga practice can last anywhere from 5 to 55 minutes or more. When you’re starting out I recommend going small so you won’t feel overwhelmed. However, I challenge you to work your way up to practice yoga for at least 30 minutes. This has in my experience the best effect since this will give you time to truly dive in and find your core self. I’ve chosen a yoga practice I love from Yoga with Adriene. I’m positive that this will go perfeclty hand in hand with todays topic. Give it a try!

To make the most of your yoga practice I’ve got a step by step guide for you so you can get anxiety relief that you didn’t think you could achieve.

How to get anxiety relief?

Step 1: Commit to yoga 

 At this point, you know quite a bit about yoga and why I believe that this practice is the best way to stay connected to your self. To get the most out of yoga and to get lasting results you gotta make it a habit and a priority. Therefore I want you to make time for it every day whenever it suits you best.  

Step 2: Journal daily 

Keeping a record of your thoughts and feelings will help you create realistic thoughts. When you have them down on paper it’ll be easy to spot what thoughts and feelings are causing you stress and anxiety. A lot of bad emotions are created by ourselves in our minds and most of them are unrealistic and lies. Therefore you gotta hire your own bodyguard to show them the door everytime they show up.

Another thing that’s important to keep an eye out for is when you make yourself do stuff you know is wrong. So write down what you need to find happiness. If you don’t wanna hang out with someone, don’t do it. If a guy asks for your number but you actually aren’t interested, say no thank you.

Step 3: Live in alignment with your truth 

Now you gotta act on your feelings and thoughts. Living in alignment with yourself must be your new way of life. It can be hard to make changes, but it’s worse if you don’t. So the awareness you get from yoga will help you be mindful of how you feel and what you need. Which will give you the uppertunity to come to the core of your anxiety and change things around.

Now I’d love to here from you. 

Which of the above resonated with you the most and why? How can you put what you learned in this post into action today? 

Leave a comment below and let me know and share as much detail as possible. Many people come here each week and you might help someone else have a breakthrough. 

With all my love 

Xo, 

Anna