This is a picture of me and my husband Bill being weirdos at the Haunted Mansion in Disney World.  My kids are probably rolling their eye right now.  Yup, we love to take silly pictures, laugh, and have fun.  That's probably the main reason we have been married over 30 years. YAY us!
    Although you are looking at this and probably chuckling, real fear and anxiety is nothing to laugh at.  And sometimes, people with extreme fear and anxiety cannot distinguish between that and anticipation or excitement.  These feelings all share similar traits and can often be confused with the others.  
    How do these feeling manifest in the body: quickened pulse/heart beat, rapid breathing, insides shaking, shaking outsides, heightened awareness, becoming jumpy, maybe even sweating, tunnel vision, etc.  I know I have felt many of these when extremely excited before giving talks, and going on trips, to events, etc.  But to feel severe fear and anxiety all of the time is no joke! I know first hand with having a few members of my family with anxiety.
      What are some ways to help with these so they do not overtake your life and keep you hiding out and missing out on living?  Before you start to run, there are a few things you can try on your own that may help:  

• First of all, if you have extreme anxiety, fears, phobias, seek help from a professional.
• If you are with a friend, let them know how you are feeling.  Ask them to sit with you, hold you, or hold your hand.  They may be able to coach you through it or help distract you.
• Try to change your breathing by taking deep, slow breaths.
• Try to immediately interrupt your reaction. Experts say that if you can identify what is happening and disrupt your response pattern, you may be able to break that pattern and lessen the intensity.​

​            Example: 
                     - try to say your alphabet backwards or count backwards from an off
                         number like 39, your mind becomes distracted from the feelings. 
                     - Look for items with a specific color, texture, or material - Blue,   
                        fuzzy, wooden, etc.
                     - If you like animals, look for animals
                     - Stand on one foot, jump up and down, snap a rubberband on your wrist, 
                        make a funny face, loudly quack like a duck, do whatever it takes!  
      
    The better you get at identifying what is happeneing, figuring out a possible trigger, and disrupting the pattern of your reactions, you may have an edge on changing it and having a less intense response.  You may think, "you don't know what you are talking about!  This won't help me!"  So, what if you can get some control over it because each time you loudly quacked like a duck, laughed, and probably emabarrassed yourself a bit, instead of running to hide and missing out on life?  
       And lastly, try hypnotherapy with a trained and certified hypnotherapist.  Well trained hypnotherapists have numerous modalities that they can use to help you with the challenges you face.  We have been equipped to significantly decrease and even eliminate issues. Give us a call and schedule a free consultation or schedule online at HarmonyHypnotherapyUS.com.         
 
Note: Medical Hypnosis requires a physician referral in the state of Florida.

      Do you feel ovewhelmed?  I know, there are a million things to do and you feel like no one else will do them.  So, you just suck it up and try to do it all by yourself. Or someone else asked you and you just can't say "No." Am I right?  Which one?
     Have you asked for help?  Do you really want help or are you just asking to make it look good?  Are you the only one who can do it the right way?  Does it need to be done right now?  Did you actually communicate all of this? We have all been there; however, some people like to thrive in the chaos.
   Let's start by putting the chainsaws down! Ok, now take a step back and just breathe!  Let's take a few minutes and uncover how you actually got into this situation.  Think about it, I'll wait!  Now the big question is, why are you still doing it?  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.  Stop the insanity!

      5 Ways to Stop Juggling Chainsaws:

• Have realistic expectations of what you can handle.   The word is REALISTIC!  You cannot do everything for everyone and forget about taking some down time.
• Say "No!" and mean it when you either do not want to or cannot help someone.  It's ok, they will usually find someone else or have to do it themselves.  If they try to guilt trip - say "NO!" louder and more forcefully. Don't think twice about it.
• Take some time for yourself.  Whether it is soaking in the tub, hanging with a friend, meditating, listening to music, or binging your favorite show, it's ok to do something to recharge your batteries and make you happy!
• Cash in your "favors" from the other people you have helped.  Ask for help! You will notice who really meant the "I owe you one!" or maybe should reconsider doing the favors if they do not reciprocate.
• This may be hard, but sometimes things will just not get done or someone else will do it differently than you will like.  You have to learn to let that SH*T go!

What do you want out of life?  Do you want some balance?  Do you want some peace?  If you do, it has to start with you!  How much time do you have on this earth?  Do you really think you can afford to give yourself the gift of peace?  It is time to make yourself a priority and to care for yourself too.  If you don't, you have no one to blame but yourself! (I say this with love because you won't say it to yourself!)